Issue link: http://educator.cta.org/i/1533049
Help Fellow Members CTA members are working hard to support their students and families impacted by January 's devastating wildfires in Los Angeles County — even as they suffer from life-changing losses themselves. Help us share the healing power of our solidarity and visit cta.org/LAwildfires for links to donate to the CTA Disaster Relief Fund, as well as GoFundMe accounts set up to support affected CTA members. F O R W E N D Y N A J E R A , Pacific Palisades has always been like a second home. As a child, she accompanied her mother and grandmother when they worked as nannies for families there. While they lived in South Los Angeles, Najera attended Palisades Elementary, Paul Revere Middle and Palisades High schools. A member of Palisades ESP United, Najera currently works as a paraprofessional at Palisades Charter High School, which was destroyed in January in the Palisades fire. The school switched to a full virtual format on Jan. 22, and Najera works with her students on Zoom every day now. She says while most of her students remember virtual classrooms from during the pandemic, there are a lot of factors to how well they are taking the sudden shift in format. Many students are still displaced from their homes, living in hotels and with family — one of Najera's students Zooms in from New York despite the three-hour time difference. "Some kids don't mind being online; they actually prefer it ," she says. "But some don't and a big chunk is students in Special Education — they 're the ones that are really suffering." Najera says it's been meaningful to see her union come together to support fellow educators who are recovering from the fires. "I think it's amazing [that] our CTA family took immediate action to come together and support us," Najera says. "We may never meet any of them in person but they still took the time, energy and resources to pitch in and help us stay afloat, emotionally and physically." Palisades ESP helps students' recovery as she embarks on her own " I've been so proud of our union — how we've carried on together, wrapped our arms around each other, reached out to check on our colleagues, students and neighbors, and helped raise money and provide mutual aid." —CTA President David Goldberg 36 cta.org Feature Wendy Najera Share Your Wildfire Story Have a story about your experience in the LA County wildfires? Did you get much-needed support from your local or were you working to help fellow educators and our communities during this time of need? Record a video and share your story with us at stories.cta.org.