IDEALISM RENEWED BY SWITCHING SYSTEMS.

Byline: - Naush Boghossian

It took just a few months into her first year teaching at an inner-city school for Carolyn Strom's idealism about her profession to fade.

As a participant in the Teach for America program, Strom wanted to teach in a disadvantaged neighborhood and make a difference in the lives of students who needed it most.

But there were no paper or pens or even books at the Compton school where she was assigned, she said, and she spent more than $5,000 of her own money to buy the most critical supplies.

``I was in a school system that did not work. I felt I couldn't grow as a teacher there. I felt like I wanted to come to a school where I could be part of the governance process,'' said Strom, 28, a University of Pennsylvania graduate.

``I felt that there was only so much change I could do working for a school like that.''

Two years into her job, she called Teach for America with the intention of quitting. Instead, they assigned her to Fenton Avenue Elementary, a charter school in the north San Fernando Valley, where she got everything she needed and wanted: students from low-income families and a supportive teaching environment.

``The kids looked the same but the teachers were happy, dressed professionally and they were teaching. It was uplifting. Teaching is a wonderful profession, but a lot of the schools don't treat teachers like professionals,'' she said. ``Our educational system is determined so much by socioeconomics, it's unfair. I wanted to experience work in a low-income school and be part of that change.'' The teachers' morale was high and they had the resources and support they needed to make that difference, Strom said.

She has her own computer and high-tech gadgets at her fingertips, but most importantly, colleagues and an administration that encourage her to do what she feels is best for the students.

``Here, my instruction is able to improve because I can focus on being a teacher. I have everything I need to do the best I can. There are no obstacles here to be the best teacher I can, except for any limitations I put on myself.''

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Photo:

``I was in a school system that did not work,'' Carolyn Strom says of her pre-charter job.

David Sprague/Staff Photographer