MEA Launches Campaign Thanking All Educators

Thanks2You…

The campaign ran on social media in May and June. Increasing awareness in the community of the efforts of our educators is a critical goal for MEA in order to provide an accurate representation of the work you’re doing each day. On the following pages are some of the campaign components. MEA encourages you to view the video elements of the campaign on our website, maineea.org. MEA used grant funds to pay for the media campaign. Understanding a positive public image of both our public schools, educators, and our Union is crucial, and MEA will continue to work to spread this positive message.

MEA Launches Media Campaign to Thank Educators

Thanks2You our students made it through

The Maine Education Association understands how much each of our educators have been through this year and is continually working to share your efforts with the public to ensure it understands and respects what you have done for our students.

During Teacher Appreciation Week, MEA launched a campaign titled Thanks2You. The campaign shared the stories of several educators and students, detailing the challenges and successes of the year showing why each student was grateful for the educators, nurses, bus drivers, counselors, social workers and more in their lives. From helping solve a hard math problem, to a friendly hello as students climb the bus stairs in the morning – Thanks2You educators for helping us make it through!

Hope Keleher

Thanks2You teachers for individualizing instruction to make up for learning loss during the pandemic, persevering through every challenge, changing your teaching strategies and finding creative ways to meet each student’s needs, and so much more.

What you do helps us make it through.

Megan Bain

Thanks2You social workers for helping students with social skills, and teaching students to be resilient, listening when there’s a problem, without ever judging, developing strategies to help students deal with tough situations, and so much more.

What you do helps us make it through.

Merita McKenzie

Thanks2You physical education teachers for teaching students the importance of staying healthy, managing expectations to meet students where they are, encouraging students of all physical abilities to try new activities, and so much more.

What you do helps us make it through.

Lizzie Nalli

Thanks2You school nurses for your dedication to taking care of students and the community during the pandemic, flexibility with ever-changing guidelines, resiliency during the toughest year ever, and so much more.

What you do helps us make it through.

The graduating class of 2022 has experienced more than half of their high school careers during a pandemic. From school buildings closed, to remote and/or hybrid learning, to milestones missed, and for some, loved ones taken, research shows this class is deeply affected by COVID-19. A recent survey of high school students from 19 states, including Maine, found that one in four high school seniors in the class of 2022 have changed their post-secondary plans since the start of the pandemic. The survey, conducted by Youth Truth, sheds light on where students plan to go after high school, what kind of support they feel they have in school from adults, and which populations of students feel the most prepared, and which need the most support. Of note: the comparison data from 2019 to 2022 for boys, students in rural schools, non-white students, and LGBTQ+ students offer important insight for educators both at the high school and college level. The data below can be used to help educators prepare for the next senior class, focusing on ways to help keep kids in school, and foster a smooth transition from high school to whatever path a student chooses. Below are some of the survey highlights.

Survey from the Class of 2022 Highlights Changes in Future

College Bound

Nearly half of all seniors in the class of 2022 plan to attend a four-year college, however of that half there are major differences in the type of student planning to go to college. The data shows expectation gaps for students of color, those in higher poverty areas, males, those in rural schools, and LGBTQ+ students. Additionally, fewer seniors now consider two-year programs than in 2019. Seniors in the class of 2022 who are Black or African American, or boys/men are less likely to want to go to college compared to these groups in the class of 2019.

Fewer seniors in the class of 2022 report having career counseling and college financial counseling than in 2019, with even fewer male students or students in rural schools seeking that support.

Dropping Out

Results from the complete survey and report can be found in the Maine Educator Online at maineea.org

A higher proportion of seniors in the class of 2022 who are transgender, gender non-binary, prefer to self-describe their gender, or members of the LGBTQ+ community seriously consider dropping out as compared to their peers. Additionally, students who identified being affected by the pandemic have seriously thought about dropping out.

Have you ever seriously considered dropping out of high school? (CLASS OF 2022 “YES”)