Marshall High School teacher employs special bilingual education
Hope and tough love
Hope and tough love
he left and started calling me again. I thought ‘Well, he’s coming back again.’ So I started campaigning for him. I said ‘I don’t know when, but Edgar is coming
back. Smile at him. Just try it.’ And people did. Everyone who has given him a chance, adores him.”
The first change in attitude that Edgar experienced was his attitude toward Krause. “When I was in trouble, she was there,” Edgar reflected. “She has always
been there for me. So I asked myself ‘Why am I mean to her? She’s helping me, so I have to be nice to her too.’ So I started being nice to her and everything
changed. I started learning and I was surprised because it is hard to learn two languages. It was important to me that it was more than just a job to her. Teaching
was something that she really loved to do.”
Although Krause cared about Edgar and his educational progress, it wasn’t a weak kind of love. It was tough love. “Edgar has been responsible for making
those decisions along the way,” Krause said about Edgar’s change in direction. “No he didn’t push me around. We had some arguments. I often gave him options
and he tended to choose — after his sophomore year when he returned from Arkansas — the straight and narrow, more or less.”
For Krause, it was a matter of creating the right environment for Edgar and giving him positive choices to consider. “I was determined that Edgar succeeds,”
Krause said. “He doesn’t have a choice. Last year, he mentioned in passing that he was interested in basketball. Five minutes later, he was on the basketball
team and then the track team. Edgar would come in and say ‘I am so tired. I get home and all I do is sleep. I don’t have time to go out.’ And I said ‘Yes! It’s
working.’ That’s what I mean when I say he had choices along the way, but I often laid them out for him and he would make the right choices.”
And it was Krause’s presence in Edgar’s life — regardless of whether she was physically there or not — that made all the difference in the world to Edgar.
“She helped me and if it wasn’t for her, I don’t think I would be here,” Edgar said. “I would either be in jail or Mexico or maybe dead. Every time I was doing bad
things, sometimes I would think about Ms. Krause and think that someone cares about me. So then I would think about things that I didn’t want to do.”
Now if Edgar stays on his present course, he should graduate in June from Marshall High School. “Now I feel that I can go to college,” Edgar emphasized. “I
have met a lot of people whom I never knew and wouldn’t have met them because of the way I was acting. A lot of people were mean to me because I was
mean to them. Now they are nice and we get along together.” Edgar plans to attend MATC.
They say life is all about relationships. And it was the relationship between a caring teacher and a tough kid from the hard streets of Mexico that made all
the difference in the world — his world.
back. Smile at him. Just try it.’ And people did. Everyone who has given him a chance, adores him.”
The first change in attitude that Edgar experienced was his attitude toward Krause. “When I was in trouble, she was there,” Edgar reflected. “She has always
been there for me. So I asked myself ‘Why am I mean to her? She’s helping me, so I have to be nice to her too.’ So I started being nice to her and everything
changed. I started learning and I was surprised because it is hard to learn two languages. It was important to me that it was more than just a job to her. Teaching
was something that she really loved to do.”
Although Krause cared about Edgar and his educational progress, it wasn’t a weak kind of love. It was tough love. “Edgar has been responsible for making
those decisions along the way,” Krause said about Edgar’s change in direction. “No he didn’t push me around. We had some arguments. I often gave him options
and he tended to choose — after his sophomore year when he returned from Arkansas — the straight and narrow, more or less.”
For Krause, it was a matter of creating the right environment for Edgar and giving him positive choices to consider. “I was determined that Edgar succeeds,”
Krause said. “He doesn’t have a choice. Last year, he mentioned in passing that he was interested in basketball. Five minutes later, he was on the basketball
team and then the track team. Edgar would come in and say ‘I am so tired. I get home and all I do is sleep. I don’t have time to go out.’ And I said ‘Yes! It’s
working.’ That’s what I mean when I say he had choices along the way, but I often laid them out for him and he would make the right choices.”
And it was Krause’s presence in Edgar’s life — regardless of whether she was physically there or not — that made all the difference in the world to Edgar.
“She helped me and if it wasn’t for her, I don’t think I would be here,” Edgar said. “I would either be in jail or Mexico or maybe dead. Every time I was doing bad
things, sometimes I would think about Ms. Krause and think that someone cares about me. So then I would think about things that I didn’t want to do.”
Now if Edgar stays on his present course, he should graduate in June from Marshall High School. “Now I feel that I can go to college,” Edgar emphasized. “I
have met a lot of people whom I never knew and wouldn’t have met them because of the way I was acting. A lot of people were mean to me because I was
mean to them. Now they are nice and we get along together.” Edgar plans to attend MATC.
They say life is all about relationships. And it was the relationship between a caring teacher and a tough kid from the hard streets of Mexico that made all
the difference in the world — his world.
By Jonathan Gramling
Part 2 of 2
Edgar — his last name really isn’t important — is like many young Latino men, certainly not
all, in the Madison area. He has been on a physical and emotional journey to find himself in an
increasingly complex world. There have been many detours along the way and a lot bumps in
the road. And his journey has traversed countries and cultures, has spanned a continent and
crossed rivers of despair to find his promised land.
Although Edgar had a tough guy attitude when he attended school at Marshall High School for
the first time, there was something that struck him about Erin Krause, his bilingual education
teacher. He left Marshall twice only to come back twice. And both times, his arrival was
preceded by calls to Krause.
“He was not exactly the most popular person around,” Krause said of Edgar. “He felt the
other kids disliked him before they had a chance to know him because of his bad boy attitude.
And the teachers also felt that way. The first time he came back, I just remember him being in
the office. First he came to see me. I walked down to the office with him and said ‘Look who’s
back.’ I remember the look on everyone’s face. They looked him up and down and looked
completely disgusted. I said ‘Well, have a seat.’ It broke my heart. That was the first time and then
Part 2 of 2
Edgar — his last name really isn’t important — is like many young Latino men, certainly not
all, in the Madison area. He has been on a physical and emotional journey to find himself in an
increasingly complex world. There have been many detours along the way and a lot bumps in
the road. And his journey has traversed countries and cultures, has spanned a continent and
crossed rivers of despair to find his promised land.
Although Edgar had a tough guy attitude when he attended school at Marshall High School for
the first time, there was something that struck him about Erin Krause, his bilingual education
teacher. He left Marshall twice only to come back twice. And both times, his arrival was
preceded by calls to Krause.
“He was not exactly the most popular person around,” Krause said of Edgar. “He felt the
other kids disliked him before they had a chance to know him because of his bad boy attitude.
And the teachers also felt that way. The first time he came back, I just remember him being in
the office. First he came to see me. I walked down to the office with him and said ‘Look who’s
back.’ I remember the look on everyone’s face. They looked him up and down and looked
completely disgusted. I said ‘Well, have a seat.’ It broke my heart. That was the first time and then
Through triumphs and trials, Dr. Erin Krause (l) has helped
Edgar to see — and begin to realize — his full potential
Edgar to see — and begin to realize — his full potential
