Mrs. Reyce Krause: High School Engineering Teacher

Mrs. Reyce Krause is my amazing engineering teacher in school. She has created a fun and engaging class that I have loved being in for all three years of my high school experience. She teaches everything from basic circuitry to 3D printing, and encourages everyone to create their own things. Her class has been a big inspiration to me and was part of what convinced me that I love STEM.

I sat down with Mrs. Krause and we chatted about her job in November 2020.

What made you decide to go into this job in particular?

I was hired as a math teacher and for a good number of years I taught Algebra I, Algebra II, and Pre-Calc. The principal at the time approached me and said that they were opening up a Makerspace, and she wanted to know if I would like to be the teacher in charge. I told her that I had no clue what it was and I really didn’t know anything about it. She said that that wouldn’t be a problem and that I would just learn it. I was a little nervous to take it on, since I knew it was going to be a big job, but I said to myself, if I say no, and I walk by that window and I see somebody else doing it, I would have regrets. So even though I was scared and nervous, I was excited to learn something new. I had heard from my daughter what her dean at her law school had told her, which is that any accomplishment or advancement in her life always comes with great fear. So I internalized that and I knew that that kind of fear was not a fear that you should run away from, but rather embrace it, since it means that you are embarking on something new. So I was excited, I loved math, I still love math, but it was very exciting for me.

What do you do on a typical day in your job?

So it turned out to be a much bigger job than I ever anticipated. When we first started the program, I went to the principal and said to her, there needs to be an overseer of the Makerspace because the room had such expensive equipment and furniture, and I felt that if there wasn’t anyone responsible for the room, then it would get trashed. So I said that she didn't have to pay me anything, but at least let me be in charge of the Makerspace. That then morphed into me basically running the Makerspace. Then I was approached approximately two years ago when a member of the STEM team was leaving, if I would be interested in giving more time to the STEM program. So again, not wanting to say no and being excited, but not knowing what was involved, I said yes. Now I teach seven different classes: all freshmen engineering classes, two sophomore engineering classes, and the junior engineering elective.

It’s a 12 month a year job because if you’re not moving ahead in the engineering curriculum, you’re falling behind. So every year, our job is to find different engineering projects that will be enjoyable for our students to create, and make them curious about what they are doing. So I am on Twitter, following a lot of Makers, and I read the Maker magazines and reach out to different people in those communities. I am able to find very exciting things for us to do here. Then, once we have an idea, we have to develop it and prototype it, making sure it's something we can bring back to the classroom. Right now, I am busy laser cutting kits for our sophomores doing simple machines. It takes many hours to produce the kits. They are going to be creating drawing machines, oscillating machines, and gear machines.

Do you have any advice for any young women going into STEM?

I think the best advice I would give somebody is to find something that you really enjoy doing, because it is a very true saying that if you love your job, you never work a day in your life. So if you find engineering or science (or in my case it was math) – if it's something that you enjoy, you should go for it. I wouldn’t worry about the finances or how hard it is to pursue that degree, because I feel like everybody should assume they are just as bright as everybody else. The component to success, I think, is your willingness to work hard. When I was in college, I was decades older than all the other students because I started so late. But at the end of the day, I think it was just because I was so determined to work hard, that I was able to succeed. I think the curiosity aspect is very important since it is what keeps you going. Find that niche. Find that topic or subject that job that intrigues you and is interesting to you. You will work, but you will not feel like you are working.

Do you have a funny story or situation that happened to you while doing your job?

It’s not so funny, it’s actually really scary, but it taught me a big lesson. We have a laser cutter in our space and it's quite an expensive machine, and I did not know how to use it at first. When they installed the laser cutter, we got 20 minutes, maybe half an hour, of training. But having never seen the machine or worked with it, I had no clue what they were talking about. So when I went to use it myself, which in hindsight was the most foolish thing to do, I walked away from it, and the material just combusted and went up into flames. So it really made me realize how I need to learn these machines, and the fact of the matter is, once you learn, they really aren’t that complicated. The technology is brilliant, but it’s important to learn the machines you are working with so that you can maintain them. So that has taught me to be very aware.

Some Takeaways:

• I loved Mrs. Krause’s enthusiasm for her job and I hope that someday I can have that same enthusiasm for whatever I do. Everyone should aspire to love their job as much as she does.

• When I was younger, I used to see myself as a teacher, so maybe that is something to revisit as a possible STEM career.

• A positive to this job is that despite teaching all of the time, you also get to be creative and come up with new and exciting projects.