By Karla Davis
On November 2, I sat down with Ms. Kraus, a 10th, 11th, and ESL and French language teacher at Manhattan Center for Science and Mathematics and discussed topics that both demonstrated her personal views and those that are commonly shared amongst teachers.
Q: What professional accomplishment are you most proud of?
A: I’m most proud of my students’ scores, and that more than 85% of my students have scored mastery (on the Regents).
Q: What is the role of the student within a classroom?
A: In my class a student is there to learn but also to facilitate learning for everyone in the room. I want for my students to come in with ideas and facilitate one another’s’ learning. That is the reason that I like group work [within a classroom] because that way we can help one another to learn more.
Q: Where did you attend high school ? What was its name? Was it private or public? Was it similar to the schools here in NYC?
A: I went to high school at Avon Central School, in the Rochester Northern area. It was public. It was like a really small community school; 7th-12th grades were in the same building. It had nothing in common with NYC schools.
Q: If you could describe your high school experience in one word, what would it be? Explain.
A: Friendship. I still have friends that I made in high school. We’ve stayed in touch, even though we don’t live anywhere near one another.
Q: What motivates you?
A: I love to learn, and I’m motivated when I’m with other people who also love to learn.
Q: What are ways that you encourage your students to be active learners (or participate more) in your class?
A: I try to use group work and projects. I want the whole table to succeed. I don’t like when one person in the table gets his or her work done, and nobody else at the table understands [what is going on].Helping one another is important.
Q: Could you describe some things that have aided your growth as a teacher?
A: I borrow good ideas. Everywhere I see good ideas, I take them and use them; I also listen to corrections. I don’t mind been corrected.
Q: What should your students have gained from your course?
A: They should be better in English. They should understand how language works, appreciate cultures, and not be afraid of somebody else who has a different culture. They should find the beauty in all cultures.
Q: How would you change the public schools if you could make any changes you wished?
A: I would have fewer students in a class room. With fewer students, it gives me more of an opportunity to engage with individuals. Thirty-four kids are too many for a language class; I can’t have more conversations, can’t practice with you more one on one. (Ms. Kraus commented that when she was learning French, there were 6-12 students in a class. Thus, they were actively engaged with both the people around them, and the instructor. Moreover, the class was strictly in French, no English was spoken. She pointed out that this “no English spoken” in the class was mainly possible because there was such a small group of people. She would enjoy doing the same, but she has to use English in order to move the class along.)
Q: How have and will you address your students’ different learning styles?
A: Madame Kraus responded to this question by saying that she tries to alternate between different types of activities. She tries her best to involve different types of skills and activities in her classroom setting. She is very understanding when it comes to her students’ learning styles. She accepts that many students will simply hear French better than others, and speak and read more efficiently than others. It will all come down to what your learning style is. And she firmly believes that with the different skills/activities in her class, you will find your niche where you will feel most comfortable learning.
Q: What or who inspired you to become a foreign language teacher?
A: I loved my Spanish teacher in high school. He was awesome, but [his class] didn’t really help me to become a Spanish speaker. In his class i learned a lot about culture, Latin America and Spain; but when I went to a French immersion program, no English was spoken and the different activities that helped me discover the language, rather than having somebody say “this word means this,” really inspired me.
Q: What college did you attend? What did you major in?
A: Ms. Kraus has attended many colleges and universities. The following are just a handful of the colleges as well as what she majored on:
-Elim Bible Institute : majored in Bible and Theology;* 3 year diploma
– L’Universite de Laval a Chicoutimi Quebec: French immersion;* 18 months
– C.A.V.I.L.A.M. Vichy France:French studies;*4 months
Incredibly, Madame Kraus spent almost 10 years studying to become the person she is today. After she went down the list of colleges she attended, I was curious about her Bible and Theology majors, and I questioned her whether being a foreign language teacher was her primary or secondary career choice. Not surprisingly, being a foreign teacher was not her first choice. She is in fact, primarily a minister. She explained that she and her husband had been missionaries in Africa; and she is still a minister here in New York (working with second language speakers in Grand churches)
Q: What is your philosophy on education?
A: “Keep learning.” There is just so much to learn and know. I’m personally curious by nature, so I’m always wanting to know more.
Q: Do you have a famous motto that you abide by?
A: “Whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is noble, think on these things.” Explanation: How you think about things is your reality. So if you’re always thinking negatively, you’re always going to see the worst in everything (which will dictate your reality). Keep your focus on the good things and there’s plenty (that will be your reality).
Q: Besides been a foreign teacher, you’re also an ESL teacher. How do the students in this ESL class differ from the students in your French class? Are there any strategies that you integrate from your ESL class into your French classes? If so, what are some examples?
A: I don’t know if they do. Every student that I teach is a lovely, hardworking, fascinating person and for me, it is a privilege. I love every student. I don’t think that there is a difference, except that the ESL class that I teach is composed of mostly ninth graders, while my French classes are composed of tenth and eleventh graders. But they are sharp, smart, caring and kind. Some strategies integrated from one class to the other are: Focusing on speaking. Because I don’t speak Spanish, Chinese, or Russian (which are some of her ESL students’ first languages), they have to speak to me in English. So, that’s why I like our “Freaky Fridays,”where you have to speak to me in French. I find that to be really good; just sticking to one language forces my students to use what they know. They know so much, yet they don’t really use it. So keeping that focus on speaking helps.