Leaders of the Glendale Teachers Association say at least a dozen of their members have had their homes damaged or destroyed Eaton fire.
Emily Rogers is one of them. The French and computer science teacher at Herbert Hoover High School lost her home in Altadena.
She decided to return to the classroom on Monday.
‘I just like to see it [the students’] laughs more than anything, and that’s really why I went back to work this week,” Rogers said.
She says her family was evacuated before any notifications were sent.
“We opened our front door and there was a wall of fire,” Rogers said.
Related: Nearly 20% of teachers in the Eaton Fire zone suffered living situations, the union says
Their family is staying in hotels and with relatives, without any firm plans yet.
Even in this darkest hour, Rogers puts others first.
“It can be very upsetting for kids when their teacher is away, so I wanted to come back for that reason, to keep things stable,” she said.
Chris O’Malley will return to his teaching job at Glendale High School next week.
Every house on his block in Altadena was razed.
O’Malley says he and his family are doing as well as could be expected. He calls his 8-year-old son “a champion” for the way he handled the situation.
Like Rogers, O’Malley feels the pull to go back to school.
“I teach two pretty big AP courses, and it’s a train and we just have to keep moving,” O’Malley said. “If I’m not there, the train won’t run, so I have to go back and get them ready for the exam.”
Hoover High is hosting a fundraiser after school Thursday to help Rogers and the other affected teachers.
The Glendale Teachers Association has posted several online fundraisers on its Facebook page to support GUSD teachers, staff and students.
David Schuman
