MINNEAPOLIS — Fall in Minnesota is filled with tradition: fall colors, apple picking, pumpkin patches, and for families with school-age children, the four-day MEA break.
Those who grew up going to public school in Minnesota had the unmistakable thrill of observing MEA weekend every fall. For kids, that means a four-day weekend — but for their teachers?
Here's a brief history of the longstanding practice of MEA weekend in Minnesota.
What is the MEA conference?
The annual MEA conference takes place each fall on the third Thursday of October. This year's lands on Oct. 19.
Gathering together from across the state, educators engage in and receive training and professional development coaching from fellow educators, whose expertise ranges from special education to clinical therapy to career navigation — and every subject in between.
Opening this year's conference is Education Minnesota President Denise Specht and 2023 Teacher of the Year Michael Houston, followed by a keynote address by athletic academic counselor and motivational speaker Britney Wagner,
Who is the MEA conference for?
Educators with an array of backgrounds and abilities, who are already members of the Education Minnesota union or current college students with aspirations for teaching, are invited to attend. The union itself is comprised of around 86,000 educators, who work in the state's pre-K-12 and post-secondary academic settings.
For those under the Education Minnesota umbrella, admission to the conference is free, but registration is required.
What's the history of MEA?
The MEA conference, specifically, has origins dating back over a century and a half ago to 1861, but the state's teachers union as we know it now is much younger.
About 100 years and some change later, the Minnesota Education Association and Minnesota Federation of Teachers merged, creating Education Minnesota — the union of educators that hosts the yearly event — in 1998.
Education Minnesota opted to keep its famous three-letter acronym despite the merge, but spelled out, it now stands for Minnesota Educators' Academy.
Why is MEA held during the school year?
One of the most pressing MEA questions is: Why not hold it during the summer when most kids and teachers are out of school?
Education Minnesota has an answer for that, too.
First, the union said it's beneficial to hold the conference during the school year so teachers can take what they learn and apply it to their classrooms and teaching techniques right away.
Additionally, many educators use summers to continue their own educations, fulfill licensing requirements, teach summer school or work other jobs to supplement their incomes. The union maintains the conference should be accessible to as many educators in Minnesota as possible.
What are some activities to keep my kids busy during their 4-day weekend?
While we know we can expect MEA weekend to come around each October, for a lot of parents, it tends to sneak up on them.
If you're wondering how to keep your children occupied and don't have plans to leave town, here's a list of family-friendly activities going on this weekend to get your wheels turning:
- Ghost Tours with Union Depot
- Apple-picking and petting zoo at Afton Apple Orchard
- Transylvania Trolley at the Como-Harriet Streetcar Line
- Showing at the Science Museum of Minnesota's Omnitheather
- Leaf-peeping — colors are hitting their peak now around the Twin Cities metro!
WATCH MORE ON KARE 11+
Download the free KARE 11+ app for Roku, Fire TV, Apple TV and other smart TV platforms to watch more from KARE 11 anytime! The KARE 11+ app includes live streams of all of KARE 11's newscasts. You'll also find on-demand replays of newscasts; the latest from KARE 11 Investigates, Breaking the News and the Land of 10,000 Stories; exclusive programs like Verify and HeartThreads; and Minnesota sports talk from our partners at Locked On Minnesota.
- Add KARE 11+ on Roku here or by searching for KARE 11 in the Roku Channel Store.
- Add KARE 11+ on Fire TV here or by searching for KARE 11 in the Amazon App Store.
- Learn more about the KARE 11+ app for Apple TV in the Apple App Store.
- Learn more about KARE 11+ here.
Watch more local news:
Watch the latest local news from the Twin Cities and across Minnesota in our YouTube playlist: