Issue link: http://educator.cta.org/i/1525262
" To be an educator means that I have a responsibility to help spark genius in the next generation," says Gray, an educator at Middle College High School in Los Angeles. "Everybody has a dream, and this is my dream job." A second-career educator, Gray has been helping students find their voices and chase their dreams since 2017, when she began teaching. For Gray, being a public school educa- tor is so much more than giving assignments and grading papers. It's about impacting young people, shaping the future for our communities and creating a more just society — values she was excited to learn she shared with her local association, United Teachers Los Angeles (UTLA), which has embraced and supported her work since her arrival. "UTLA is the reason I was able to make it as a first-year teacher," Gray says. "Being a member of UTLA showed me the power of being part of a social justice union." As a new educator, Gray attended a UTLA conference on racial and social justice, where she learned about her union's role in the creation of L.A. Unified's Black Student Achievement Plan, which was the response to Black students being left behind and ignored in Los Angeles schools. Gray said being in that space showed her a way to channel the energy she felt when walking into a classroom and seeing stark disparities: with like- minded educators in her union, through professional development opportunities at CTA conferences, and with layers of support through UTLA, CTA and NEA. "Being a member of UTLA or any union isn't just about grievances, it's about growing, supporting and sustaining our ability to be better educators," Gray says. "We're serving our students as whole people — the end goal shouldn't be a product," says River Navaille, a com- munity college theatre arts educator. "We're serving an entire community, not just checking off boxes or handing out pieces of paper." A working theater artist and director, Navaille is an adjunct faculty member at Hartnell College and Monterey Peninsula College, teaching acting and directing plays, sharing the experience of a working artist with their stu- dents. Like many part-time community college faculty "road warriors," Navaille spends a lot of time commuting between multiple colleges, from morning to night. "As adjunct faculty, you don't have a lot of control over your schedule," they say. This past school year, Navaille worked in a temporary full-time position, but they are looking forward to returning to part-time status, especially with the added benefit of keeping their employer-provided health care — won for all adjuncts by members of Hartnell College Faculty Associa- tion (HCFA) during their last bargain. "I'm really happy we were able to win that in our last contract," says Navaille, a member of the HCFA Repre- sentative Council and Organizing Team. "We had a big contract victory and it couldn't have happened without all of us working together, and our community too!" In the classroom, Navaille is passionate about increas- ing arts access to people of color, students who are LGBTQ+ and other historically marginalized groups. They say that arts continue to be undervalued and threatened in our society. "Our culture depends on art, but our systems don't sup- port the people who make it," Navaille says. Navaille is excited to continue working in HCFA to increase resources and improve the learning experience for all Hartnell College students. "We're stronger together," they say. River Navaille THEATRE ARTS EDUCATOR/ ADJUNCT FACULT Y Hartnell College Faculty Association Gina Gray HONORS ENGLISH TEACHER United Teachers Los Angeles "We had a big contract victory — it couldn't have happened without all of us working together, and our community too!" "Being a member of UTLA isn't just about grievances, it's about growing, supporting and sustaining our ability to be better educators." 14 cta.org Feature