Teacher Appreciation Week: Honoring a Group of Teachers Who Lost Their School in the L.A. Fires

Imagine trying to wrangle a group of 20 or so rowdy elementary students for storytime in their school classroom. There’s a lot of yelling, laughing, and wrestling. It’s a scene best left to the professionals: the teachers. 

Teachers already have their hands full, but for the past few months, the teachers at Odyssey Charter Schools in Altadena, California have been teaching displaced students in temporary classrooms after their district was decimated by the wildfires in Los Angeles. Through it all, they’ve maintained unparalleled strength and dedication — to both students and their families. 

Healing a Community in Crisis 

Odyssey Charter Schools operates two campuses in Altadena, the area of Los Angeles devastated by the Eaton Fire. One campus, OCS-South, which serves Transitional Kindergarten (TK) through eighth grade students, was completely destroyed in the fire. While the kindergarten through eighth grade Odyssey campus fortunately remains standing, students have not yet been able to return due to environmental concerns like air quality and potential mudslides.

Since the fires, the teachers have struggled to keep their students feeling safe, happy, and on track with their curriculum without any of their usual facilities and supplies — and while dealing with the still-new trauma of going through the wildfires themselves. They’ve been scattered across makeshift classrooms in a Boys & Girls Club, converted office spaces, and an arts college, and have had to move locations numerous times as students trickle back to school. 

It’s an almost unimaginable challenge, especially considering that many of these teachers are community members themselves. They’ve shown unwavering dedication to their students and new levels of selflessness in a job that already requires an almost superhuman level of compassion. 

To celebrate Teacher Appreciation Week, our team at Thrive Market visited a few of the teachers at OCS-South and gifted them each a $50 gift certificate and a free one-year membership to Thrive Market, plus an assortment of healthy snacks and essentials to make their days a bit easier. It was an honor to spend the day with these selfless educators and to hear their stories of triumph and hope even after the fires. 

Ms. Sara, Inclusion Specialist (SDC Teacher) 

Stories from school:

“I used to have a jar for positive reinforcement when my class did awesome work. We would throw pom-poms in there, and they would earn something. Unfortunately, we don’t have that anymore [after the fires]. I adapted by drawing one on a piece of paper, and I’m filling in circles to take the place of our pom-poms. When I introduced it to my students earlier this week, I reminded them of our old pom-pom jar. They asked where it went and why we didn’t have it anymore, and I had to remind them about the fires. For a moment, everyone just looked at each other, remembering that our school was gone. But then we turned it around, saying, ‘But now we have something new, a new way and new excitement.’ We’re constantly pivoting and finding creative ways to work with what we have.”

How she’s finding hope: 

“We’ve had such an amazing outpouring from so many people who have come in and really brought life into our school since the fires. Wonderful assemblies and people bringing in donations have given us a sense of joy and excitement throughout our weeks here.”

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Ms. Bonnie, Principal

Stories from school:

“Since we’ve experienced the fires, the joy the kids bring every day has been incredible. My own two kids actually attend my school. We were all extremely concerned about how the kids would respond to such devastation, yet they come hopping and skipping into school every day, smiling and dancing.”

How she’s finding hope: 

“The adults are learning to take all of that energy from the kids and bring joy to what we’re experiencing.”

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Ms. Sarah, Third Grade Teacher

Stories from school: 

“The kids are so funny. They say hilarious things that always make me smile. Since coming back, we’ve all shared the experience. Even if not everyone lost their home, we’ve all lost something, because our school was moved. There are moments where we grieve together, which is hard but nice because we have the support of the community. Coming back to school after everything was a big relief; it made me grateful for just being together. Our kids know they’re not alone.”

How she’s finding hope:

“There have been so many moments of kindness. Strangers continue to show love and support. Initially, there was a huge wave of support, and now people are still coming, asking, ‘How can we help?’ There is so much good out there that doesn’t always get reported in the news. I want to thank everyone who has shown us love and continues to support us. It’s just the human thing to do.”

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Ms. Jennifer, Third Grade Teacher

Stories from school: 

“At the beginning, we had no [classroom] dividers, and the kids were really dysregulated. I remember thinking, ‘I’m going to lose it.’ I was trying to do a simple read-aloud, but it was so loud. We had to move out into the hallway, but then lunch came, so we had to move again. It was a lot of getting up and walking around with my class, trying to find a place just to do school, which was really frustrating. But one day, I looked out at the kids. They were all looking at me and listening to the story, and I thought, ‘This works. It doesn’t matter where we are. These kids came together and rolled with it.’ That brought me hope. It allowed me to relax in my teaching and not worry so much about deadlines or testing. I’ve been able to teach in a way that feels more organic. The flexibility and resilience of the kids have made it possible for us to have a joyful experience.”

How she’s finding hope: 

“We’ve had great activities and support from parents. Seeing the whole community come together has made me even more proud to be part of this community. Despite all the trauma, we’ve bounced back in many ways, and that’s been great.” 

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All teachers get free one-year memberships through our Thrive Gives program. To apply, visit thrivemarket.com/givingapp