The mention of Romania used to elicit comments about Dracula and orphans from Mary Barton’s students and colleagues at Phoenix High School.

After visiting the former communist country earlier this month, the social studies teacher hopes to offer a different image of the fledging democracy.

"What I saw was a country very eager to enter the Western world as it transitions from socialism to capitalism," Barton said. "They know (capitalism) from the Internet, and by golly, they want it."

Barton, 53, of White City, traveled Dec. 1 to the Eastern European country of 22.3 million as a part of the Economics International program.

The program, sponsored by the National Council on Economic Education, provides educational training to teachers in countries in transition to market economies.

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The program sends a dozen U.S. teachers on study tours to one of 21 such countries each year free of charge in an effort to enrich economics education in the United States.

Funding for the program comes largely from the U.S. Department of Education.

As a part of this year’s 10-day tour, Barton and 11 fellow teachers visited schools, teacher training sessions, government officials, economists and educational leaders in Romania.

The birth of capitalism in that country has been particularly painful, with spiking inflation and other troubles, Barton said.

Before the fall of communism, a 100 lei coin, the Romanian currency, was enough to purchase a plane ticket from Bucharest to anywhere in the country. Now, the coin is worth about one-third of a U.S. penny, she said.

The Romanians use the U.S. and Western European economies as models for their own, she said.

They hope to make some economic progress by gaining admission into the European Union.

A visit to the office of Capital magazine showcased some of the economic strides the country has made.

In November, Capital published its first 300 richest Romanians list in the style of Forbes Magazine.

As in the United States, the personal glories of capitalism are not always welcome, she said.

"Students were very resentful," Barton said. "They said, ‘We don’t even have a door on our bathroom, and these guys are so rich. They should be doing more for our country.’

"Students in the U.S. would say that about Bill Gates," she said.

Barton said she plans to use that anecdote and others in her classroom to illustrate key principals of economics.

"I have now examples for every single unit in my class: supply and demand, inflation, monetary policy," she said. "I could have read about it, but when you’ve been there and seen the reactions and expressions, it’s real."

She said making her class memorable for her students is important, as it’s the only formal economics instruction they’ll receive in high school.

"Some will never study it again," she said. "When students understand why interest rates on home mortgages change, why house prices in Medford are in the $400,000 range when they weren’t five years ago, then, they aren’t living in mystery."

Reach reporter Paris Achen at 776-4459 or e-mail pachen@mailtribune.com.