Issue link: http://educator.cta.org/i/1518807
in the early '90s — within a couple of days of being a classroom teacher, I realized that the union was going to be the vessel for change. There were so many things missing in that school, in my classroom, in terms of what students needed, what parents needed, what the community needed, what I needed as an educator to be able to do my job effectively. It was very clear to me that it was going to take my colleagues and I work- ing together in our union to make the change we wanted to see. It was my wake-up moment on the power of unionism and its marriage to creating real change in public education. On what he's learned from others I admire people for how they approach their own lives. Do they approach their life with passion? With a work ethic? In a way that embraces the people around them and appreciates what people around them bring to the table? When I started as a teacher, I wanted to learn from the people around me. When I started working at CTA, I immediately started identifying other staff who I wanted to learn from — and realized the value in hearing all of the various approaches to teaching in the classroom and getting active in the union. Educators have such a wealth of knowledge, generosity, compassion and grit. We are a force to be reckoned with. On what he hopes to build with CTA members and staff My goal is to work alongside CTA members to be a fighting union that can win — at our school sites, in our local districts and at the state level. I firmly believe that we are the most powerful union in the nation. With that power comes great responsibility. We must constantly build and exercise our power for transformative change and inspire our members and community partners to fight for it. I see California as being kind of the tip of the spear for the entire planet. We draw people from every corner of the earth. Despite the challenges in front of us, I'm excited. ere are no limits to the creativity, intelligence and resiliency of our members in attacking those challenges. "The way we handle everything, address every situation, and confront every strategic challenge must be driven by organizing and acting collectively." Then and now: Born in Dallas, Texas; lives in Los Angeles Family: Wife Ngozika Anyanwu teaches second grade at Hudnall Elementary in Inglewood. "We met when we were teaching at the same school, and I signed her up to join the union." They are parents to son Justice Anyanwu-Good, 17, and daughter Truth Anyanwu-Good, 14. "My family is my greatest source of strength. Peace, relaxation and sanity. I could not survive without them. They are truly at my core, who I am. We call ourselves the Fantastic Four." Education: Brown University; majored in History Most influential book: Native Son by Richard Wright. "It was a really impactful book at a certain point in my life that has affected how I have approached life." Current reading: "A book about the 1990s New York Knicks who were a group of like-minded people who fought systematically to achieve the goals that they wanted to achieve." Random facts: He loved sports as a kid and "grew up pretty determined to be an NFL football player." He has a twin brother, a former educator, who along with his parents and another brother all live in LA. (Another brother remains in Texas.) Daily morning routine includes working out and reading the LA Times, NY Times or Sacramento Bee. Downtime finds him with family, reading or watching sports, or some combination of them. Good adds that he "has an amazing family of parents, siblings, nephews, nieces and cousins through marriages and relationships who all spend time together and provide constant support for the Fantastic Four." In Brief: Jeff Good 51 A P R I L / M AY 2 0 24