Rocking Professional Development: Lewiston EA Builds Power Through Art, Activism, and Community
When Nes Griffin, Jaye Rich, and Krista St. Cyr of the Lewiston Education Association (LEA) discovered they could apply for an MEA Professional Development Grant to support a local event, they saw more than just funding—they saw an opportunity to build union power,...
“My Hero Works in School” Essay Contest
This year, MEA received dozens of submissions for the annual “My Hero Works in School" essay contest. Every year it is special to read, from students’ perspectives, the wonderful impact that Maine educators have on their lives each and every day. This year’s “My Hero...
Maine Educator Spring Issue 2025 Salary Guide
The Maine Education Association works to help its members advocate on issues related to the profession and your lives. The Association has compiled this online salary database to give you a better understanding of how teachers and support staff are paid in different...
Editor’s Note – Spring 2025
Samantha Burdick Expect the Unexpected Little did I know as a teenager that the Survivor tag line “expect the unexpected,” would become my mantra for 2025. The first part of this year has been filled with many unexpected challenges—the least of which was the flat tire...
$50K Salary
Just four short years ago, Zach Wentworth wrote his college application essay to the University of Maine about his passion for education and his dreams of returning to serve communities in rural Maine—like Calais where he grew up. Now, as he approaches the completion...
Higher Education Members Advocate for UMS Funding at the State House
Members of all three bargaining units at the University of Maine System—the Associated Faculties of the Universities of Maine (AFUM), the Universities of Maine Professional Staff Association (UPMSA), and the Associated COLT Staff of the Universities of Maine...
Meet Our 2024 Award Winners
2024 Award for Teaching Excellence: Chris Coleman Chris Coleman awarded the Maine Award for Teaching Excellence at the 2025 NEA Foundation Gala Educators often go above and beyond, never intending to be recognized for the many things that they do inside and outside of...
Scenes From MEA’s “Together As One” Winter Conference
Hundreds of MEA members, including educators, support staff, and aspiring teachers, gathered for the MEA’s Together as One Winter Conference. The event was held at the University of Maine Presque Isle in late January and at Bangor’s United Technologies Center in early...
From MEA’s Executive Director – Spring 2025
The Only Constant is Change Once again, the weather is changing, and the days are getting longer. This is incredibly good news for those of us who struggle in the darker months of the year here in the Maine. The sun has begun to make us long for flipflops and short...
The Maine Educator is the nationally recognized award-winning official quarterly publication mailed to the households of approximately 23,000 Maine Education Association members. The Maine Educator is published four times a year (Fall, Winter, Spring and Summer).