Chanda Strom, a name that many Gabrielino students already know, is now recognized as Assistant Principal Strom. It was hard for Strom to leave the classroom, though she has no regrets.
“Now that I’m in it, I really enjoy being able to talk to more students,” said Strom with a smile. As an AP Chemistry teacher, Strom taught chemistry for 18 years. She also became involved in ASB in 2020.
“I love being with students and helping them. I love all of the things that you can do with chemistry, and I really enjoy having students like chemistry as much as I do,” said Strom. “I’ve done a lot on campus, and everything that I have done in terms of teaching has been to help students and also to create community in the school,” Strom added.
Strom isn’t just a teacher on campus; she is also a key supporter of her fellow teachers and the administration. One way she contributes is by serving as a union negotiator and a site representative for the teacher contract.
In addition to her role in the union, Strom is in charge of curriculum and instruction.
“I want to make sure that teachers have the tools they need so that they can try new things with students and be successful,” she explained.
Just three days before the application deadline, Strom was conversing with friends from other school districts. None of them discouraged her from applying for the position.
“They all encouraged me and said, ‘You already think like an administrator; you already are doing things like an administrator; you just don’t have the position,’” stated Strom.
Strom wanted to be an assistant principal for many reasons, but primarily to have more of a hand in creating a stronger, more positive school environment. “I wanted to do it to create stability because if we have stability in administration, then it helps with student learning in a different way than it would as a teacher. It also helps create collaboration between teachers and administration, and in the end, it will improve teaching and everything that we do here on campus for students.”
“When we had a lot of change in our administration, a lot of people felt like we needed some stability,” Strom said. “People started asking if I was going to apply for the assistant principal position. I hadn’t thought about it because I love teaching so much.”
Having experience as a teacher and working with students for years beforehand influences some choices that Strom makes as a principal. One of those choices is the way she handles discipline.
“I kind of approach discipline in that way as a mom, being understanding but also trying to be firm so that you learn from what you’re doing,” Strom stated. “It’s teaching kids in a different way and also trying to help every student feel comfortable and safe. For me, I did that in my classroom, and I worked really hard for that. I think being able to do that in this position helps reach more students rather than just the students who were taking my classes.”
Another way being a teacher impacts her experience as a principal is her influence on others. “If I can provide experiences like I had in my classroom for my students, and that happens in more classrooms throughout the school, that will be the best thing,” Strom stated candidly.
Moving forward in the year, her plans are to help create communities of learning among the teachers that will hopefully impact student learning in the classroom. “I want to help us change the mindset of the students and teachers. My main goal as assistant principal is to make both students and teachers feel confident in their learning or teaching.” Even if she’s no longer in the classroom, Strom hopes to continue providing structure and support for both the student body and her colleagues.
