AP Literature: when you hear the words, you might get a little scared, maybe even roll your eyes. It’s understandable, if you don’t enjoy reading, why join a class that does just that? The funny thing is, I did just that. I joined AP Lit this year because I have a passion for writing, and not only is it my favorite class, but it is taught by someone I look up to extremely. Ms. Krause. Someone who could finally teach me that reading is actually pretty cool, and looking at the meaning behind words is pretty cooler.

Ms. Krause decided to become a teacher after the many family members before her. She mentions her previous job as a legal assistant, and how she ended up at Sahuaro. “I was a working as a legal assistant, but my dad was a teacher, so was my grandfather, and my aunt. I knew what that was like, and I was getting tired of being a legal assistant and thought it was time to change careers. I thought teaching would be fun.” 

Teaching books is fun for Ms. Krause, specifically books that keep the kids interested as well. When asked what her favorite book to teach was, she said, “I really enjoy teaching The Kite Runner, the kids like it.” However, she mentions that she personally has a fun time teaching Purple Hibiscus, and The Curious Incident of The Dog in The Night-time.

As though this article may seem so far like reading books is all Ms. Krause does, it’s not – it’s just a major part. “I actually like to do a ton of stuff!” she says in reference to her hobbies. “I travel a lot. I really like to bake and build things. Home repairs, remodeling. I love all hands on sorta stuff.” 

While traveling is fun, it is hard to do, especially now. Quarantine has been pretty rough for Ms. Krause. “It has been a drag,” she says. “I don’t go to restaurants or get haircuts.” However, as a believer of science, she knows it’s necessary. She does mention the bright-sides of things, which would be plenty accurate of her to do because that’s her personality. “I have been able to have people over in our backyard and get together without physically being together. I’ve been learning how to bake bread. I’ve done a lot of home repairs as well.” She adds later on that she really misses the connections with students. “I miss being around school, it’s harder to have good communication than it is to be in a classroom. I’m looking forward to when I can actually be in a room again.”

There is one fact about Ms. Krause that I wanted to ask about, which she was completely open with: Her journey as a woman in the LGBTQ+ community. “I came out when I was in my early 20’s. It took me a little while, and I struggled with it. Eventually, you realize that you can’t live that way, denying who you truly are.” She also adds that while she was worried about getting a job as a teacher and being open as well, she wouldn’t have wanted to work in a community that didn’t accept her, anyway. “I just decided I was going to live my life openly. I’ve been really lucky because Sahuaro has been very supportive of me as an openly gay teacher. “

There is a reason why Ms. Krause is my favorite class to go to, it’s not because she used to have a pet crocodile when she was a kid, and it’s not because she used to be a legal assistant (I had to look up what that actually meant for a job), it’s because of her passion and drive for literature and for the kids. The encouragement she brings to students to write personal essays, the push for motivation, the critical-thinking questions she asks, it doesn’t feel like an assignment; it feels like an expression of self. I give Ms. Krause praise for the way she carries her students to open up and share with the class, especially the ones who use her assignments as a free-world of stress. This class has personally given me the courage to write about things I’d never thought I’d be able to write about. That’s what this class is about, not to challenge what you read, but to challenge how you interpret it.