Marshall High School teacher employs special bilingual education
Hope and tough love
Hope and tough love
When he was 14 years old, Edgar with his tough, street-wise approach to life came north to be with his mother. To say the transition wasn’t easy is a huge
understatement. Edgar’s mother had married and she and her husband had a child. It was a difficult situation for Edgar. “Edgar came up here when he was 14
years old and he was tough and nasty,” said Dr. Erin Krause, Edgar’s Read 180 instructor at Marshall High School. “Coming here to his mother, his step-father and
a new baby sister was not a real good adjustment for anyone as you can well imagine.”
Edgar lived in Madison when he first came to the area. He became involved with gangs and continued his hardened approach to life. When he moved to
Marshall and began attending high school as a freshman, he brought his hardened attitude — and his gang relationships — with him. It was a difficult situation
for him. Outside of his gang relationships, few at Marshall understood English. He was isolated linguistically and culturally.
Krause was also making a huge transition. She was new to the school and it was the first time that she taught on the high school level. “We kind of started
together here,” Krause said. “I came here and it was a very difficult year. There were maybe three teachers before me that lasted just one year. A lot of the kids
resented that of course. They felt they had been moved from a better room to an inferior room. I don’t have a problem with this room except the noise. There was
a cool, long-term substitute teacher whom I replaced. So I was not well-received. My Spanish was extremely rusty. I hadn’t studied high school subjects for 25
years. It was an extremely difficult start for all of us.”
Edgar admitted that he was not kind to Krause at first. “I don’t know why I was being mean to her,” Edgar said. “When we first saw her, we thought we weren’t
going to like her. We thought she was going to be mean. When I say we, it is the other Mexicans in my class. There were about five of us. At first, I didn’t listen to
her. Whatever she was saying, I wasn’t paying attention to. I didn’t care. I was always in the office and no one liked me because I was a troublemaker. Even
though I was mean to her, she was still pushing me to do my work. She cared.”
Edgar didn’t stay in Marshall long. He moved to Texas, which wasn’t a very good situation for him. “In Texas, I didn’t learn anything because they didn’t have
a bilingual teacher,” Edgar said. “So I came back because I had a problem over there.” It wasn’t long before Edgar began leaving messages on Krause’s phone.
He wanted to return to Marshall High School.
Next issue: Transition from street life to the scholar’s life
understatement. Edgar’s mother had married and she and her husband had a child. It was a difficult situation for Edgar. “Edgar came up here when he was 14
years old and he was tough and nasty,” said Dr. Erin Krause, Edgar’s Read 180 instructor at Marshall High School. “Coming here to his mother, his step-father and
a new baby sister was not a real good adjustment for anyone as you can well imagine.”
Edgar lived in Madison when he first came to the area. He became involved with gangs and continued his hardened approach to life. When he moved to
Marshall and began attending high school as a freshman, he brought his hardened attitude — and his gang relationships — with him. It was a difficult situation
for him. Outside of his gang relationships, few at Marshall understood English. He was isolated linguistically and culturally.
Krause was also making a huge transition. She was new to the school and it was the first time that she taught on the high school level. “We kind of started
together here,” Krause said. “I came here and it was a very difficult year. There were maybe three teachers before me that lasted just one year. A lot of the kids
resented that of course. They felt they had been moved from a better room to an inferior room. I don’t have a problem with this room except the noise. There was
a cool, long-term substitute teacher whom I replaced. So I was not well-received. My Spanish was extremely rusty. I hadn’t studied high school subjects for 25
years. It was an extremely difficult start for all of us.”
Edgar admitted that he was not kind to Krause at first. “I don’t know why I was being mean to her,” Edgar said. “When we first saw her, we thought we weren’t
going to like her. We thought she was going to be mean. When I say we, it is the other Mexicans in my class. There were about five of us. At first, I didn’t listen to
her. Whatever she was saying, I wasn’t paying attention to. I didn’t care. I was always in the office and no one liked me because I was a troublemaker. Even
though I was mean to her, she was still pushing me to do my work. She cared.”
Edgar didn’t stay in Marshall long. He moved to Texas, which wasn’t a very good situation for him. “In Texas, I didn’t learn anything because they didn’t have
a bilingual teacher,” Edgar said. “So I came back because I had a problem over there.” It wasn’t long before Edgar began leaving messages on Krause’s phone.
He wanted to return to Marshall High School.
Next issue: Transition from street life to the scholar’s life
By Jonathan Gramling
Part 1 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.
Edgar was born in Zacatecas in the middle of Mexico. When he was eight years old, Edgar’s
mother left for the United States in hope of finding work. Edgar was left behind. “I basically lived
with my grandma,” Edgar said in an interview with The Capital City Hues at Marshall High School
where he is a senior. “But everything I did, I did on my own because no one was there to pull me
in the right direction. I learned from my mistakes and I was on my own until I was 14 years old. I
was raised by the streets in Mexico.”
Those streets of Mexico are a hard place to grow up and Edgar developed a thick shell to
protect himself and a nasty, rough attitude to survive. Yet, the child within him was still there. “I
liked the toys that she sent me for Christmas, but I wished that she were there with me,” Edgar
said. “I did want the toys. But there were times when I wished I could switch the toys for my mom.”
Part 1 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.
Edgar was born in Zacatecas in the middle of Mexico. When he was eight years old, Edgar’s
mother left for the United States in hope of finding work. Edgar was left behind. “I basically lived
with my grandma,” Edgar said in an interview with The Capital City Hues at Marshall High School
where he is a senior. “But everything I did, I did on my own because no one was there to pull me
in the right direction. I learned from my mistakes and I was on my own until I was 14 years old. I
was raised by the streets in Mexico.”
Those streets of Mexico are a hard place to grow up and Edgar developed a thick shell to
protect himself and a nasty, rough attitude to survive. Yet, the child within him was still there. “I
liked the toys that she sent me for Christmas, but I wished that she were there with me,” Edgar
said. “I did want the toys. But there were times when I wished I could switch the toys for my mom.”
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
