Issue link: http://educator.cta.org/i/1525262
"I'm helping create the future scientists, creators and leaders of this world," says middle school teacher Khamphet Pease, a member of San Diego Education Association (SDEA). "It's an honor to be part of shepherding this next generation. I really love what I do, so it doesn't feel like work." An educator for 19 years, Pease guides her students through a variety of STEM electives, including 3-D design modeling, artificial intelligence, coding and digital drawing. Her lively class- room is filled with collaboration and discovery. "My room is a huge lab [with] computers and benches, and stu- dents are moving about the room," Pease says. "Amid of all this, we have a lot of fun too." Teaching is Pease's second career — she started by volun- teering at school after work and found that she soon spent her whole workday looking forward to tutoring students. "It lit a fire under me," Pease says. Early in her teaching career, as a new educator, Pease received layoff notices year after year — each time, she says her SDEA colleagues stepped up to advocate for her and save her job. The experience showed her firsthand the protections won by her local union and the need for all new educators to understand the power of solidarity. "It's important that we continue to advocate for teachers' and students' rights so they can have the best teaching and learning experiences," Pease says. Pease wishes it was common knowledge how much time and effort educators put in to reaching, teaching, supporting and engaging California's 6 million students. "I wish people were aware of the struggles, and how educa- tors persevere to overcome all obstacles," she says. "We have the students' best interests at heart. What's more important than shaping a future generation?" Khamphet Pease STEM TEACHER San Diego Education Association "We have the students' best interests at heart. What's more important than shaping a future generation?" "Learning is a level playing field when given quality instruction and resources, and a commu- nity where everyone feels seen and heard," first grade teacher Lauren Pomrantz says. "I really believe in free and fair education for all." Pomrantz has taught first grade in the same classroom for 22 years, building a solid educational foundation for a generation of Santa Cruz kids, and counting. She chose to teach at a Title I school to focus her efforts on where they were needed most and she could make the biggest impact. It wasn't long after she arrived that she learned how important her union was going to be in that mission. "I quickly realized that being a part of a union meant that not only was I protected and supported, but I was also part of an action-based organization that could advocate for students and push back on the district," says Pomrantz, president of Live Oak Elementary Teachers Association (LOETA). " The union is where teachers can impact decisions being made in the district." While Pomrantz always felt the power and support of her fellow union members, their recent collective willingness to organize and mobilize in defense of their students and each other across important issues has underscored how solidarity and unity in purpose can be unstoppable. It's similar to a realiza- tion she made at a recent CTA conference, when a presenter said educators shouldn't be afraid to orga- nize in their communities as members of one of the strongest unions in the country. "I don't think I had internalized our power until that point," Pomrantz says. As districts like hers continue to weather the volatile nature of California's school funding system, Pomrantz says it's important to work collaboratively with our communities to educate them about the bro- ken system and fight together for a path forward. "How do we do better to educate our community about the education funding and how it impacts everything our schools do?" Pomrantz asks. Lauren Pomrantz ELEMENTARY TEACHER Live Oak Elementary Teachers Association 15 A U G U S T / S E P T E M B E R 2 0 24