The Outlier

Welcome to my classroom, Room 510 at Apollo High School in St. Cloud, Minnesota. I have called it home for the last nine years, and it, like myself and my students, has been a work in progress. I teach English Language Learners (ELL), and I’m also called an EL Teacher (English Language) or an English as a Second Language (ESL) Teacher. I think we who speak the English language are all learners of it, so I’m a bit befuddled by all of the acronyms. However, what I really do is to teach Beginning English Language Learners, so you could call me a BELL Teacher and then we’d all be confused (do I teach music, too?!).

My students are often a Teacher’s Dream Come True at the high school level. They enter my doors a bit shyly each September, and what I notice above all in the majority of cases is that my students are highly motivated learners. Refugees who have had access to very limited formal schooling, they are just learning to navigate the hallways of Apollo when they come to me in their first or second year in the country. Their eyes, hearts, and minds are wide open to new experiences and they are fresh with ideas of their own to share. They are expectant, willing, and excited to be here. There is most certainly the exception to this rule, as with all groups of children. Not every student whom I have taught has come to me with great excitement! However, I am going to focus on one teen who was excited when he came to school for the first time. He caught my heart on the first day that he walked into Room 510 in 2013.

It takes time for most people to become acclimated to new surroundings, but I am particularly proud of my students who choose to jump right in, head first, to their experiences. Ahmed, now a proud 2016 Apollo graduate, walked into my classroom four years ago as a smallish, thin fifteen year old of Somali descent who was determined to succeed. He was born and raised in the Kebribeyah Refugee Camp in eastern Ethiopia. When Ahmed and his family left Kebribeyah in 2013, the camp was overcrowded. Ahmed and his siblings, whom I have also taught over the past few years, were born and raised in the camp, as is the case with the great majority of my students. The family had waited for years to get their ticket out; the time finally came for them in the spring of 2013. I was more than happy to welcome Ahmed and his family to the Apollo community.

Ahmed and his friend, Mohamed, sat front and center in the first row of seats in my classroom. Since it was their first year in the U.S. and the boys had had little to no exposure to English, I taught them and their classmates for five hours per day in a program that serves brand new refugee students in the St. Cloud School District. We got to know each other quite well during that time! I came to love Ahmed’s easy smile and quick laugh, and he carried his slim self with ease and confidence in the busy hallways. His affection for me and his friends was infectious.

Ahmed was attentive, took notes, and worked diligently alongside Mohamed day in and out, hour by precious hour. Despite his efforts, however, school was a real challenge for Ahmed. While Mohamed took quite easily to English, Ahmed did not. He grappled with reading and writing, having had virtually no schooling prior to walking into the doors of Apollo. I worked hard to meet his needs and yet he continued to struggle. On the last day of school, we went outside to play soccer together as a class. Ahmed ran around all of us on his nimble feet, dribbling like a dream and scoring goal after glorious goal for his team that day. Having coached soccer on and off for fifteen years, I quickly saw that he was a skilled player! I encouraged him to sign up to play for the Apollo soccer team in the fall.

He said, “I think it will be hard. I won’t be able to understand the coach. I don't speak good English."

“There are guys on the team who can interpret for you," I said. "Don’t worry about that. The coach will help you! No problem!” I explained how to sign up in the office.

“Okay, I will see,” he said.

Often, the boys and girls whom I encourage to play after their first year in the U.S. feel that they are not quite yet ready to engage at that level after being here for such a short time. I certainly understand their hesitation, and, prior to Ahmed, none of my students had chosen to take me up on the offer to play for the school team in their second year here. I am so pleased to say that Ahmed became an outlier.

He returned to school in the fall. When I saw him for the first time that second year, he was wearing a broad smile as he said, “Hey, Mrs. Marolf! I made the Apollo Varsity soccer team!”

“What? Yes! I’m so proud of you!”

I wanted to give the kid a big hug, but I am careful around my male Muslim students because their culture dictates that they should not generally have physical contact with females unless they are family. We chatted briefly, and I told Ahmed that I would see him on the soccer field. My son, Grant, plays for a rival team in the area, and I looked forward to seeing Ahmed thrive and prove his mettle without the burden of having to speak in a language that was such a challenge for him.

I had the opportunity to witness his soccer skills on the field throughout the season. It was a source of great pride for him to wear his Apollo jersey to school, and I saw him grow into a self-assured youngster as the season progressed, both on and off the field. He would stop into Room 510 frequently throughout the season to check in with me (he was no longer in my class). Happily, the Apollo Eagles had an excellent season, and Ahmed’s work in the midfield contributed significantly to their success. I cheered for him when I watched him play against Grant’s team (the Eagles won, to Grant’s chagrin!).

But it was a real privilege to watch and follow Ahmed and the Eagles as they headed into the Section tournament. I traveled around our region to follow the team over the next two weeks and stayed after all of the games to check in with Ahmed. He was quick to find me and to chat about each game and his play. Man, I loved the kid. His parents were new to the country, and they did not make it to the games. I was glad to be there for him.

Win by win, Ahmed and his diligence on full display, the Eagles eventually made it to the State Finals. Ahmed checked in with me the day before the big game; I wished him good luck, and he swaggered out of the room, excited for the opportunity before him. We had a school pep rally in order to demonstrate our support for the team the morning of the game. Ahmed grinned and joked with his teammates throughout the rally, happy and full of anticipation as he found himself the object of myriad cheers and high hopes.

Ahmed’s younger brother, Feisal, was in my class that year. The day before the game, I asked Feisal if he was going to go to watch Ahmed play. He sadly shook his head.

“It costs too much,” he said.

The game was to be played at St. Cloud State University, a few miles from Apollo, and I knew what I had to do. I bought Feisal a ticket and asked the Activities Director to deliver it to Feisal without him knowing that I had purchased it. Feisal caught the bus to the game from school, and I saw him there, outfitted in Apollo gear with a broad smile. His pride for his school and his big brother ran deep.

The Apollo Eagles’ fans yelled with abandon for the boys throughout the game. I screamed words of encouragement whenever Ahmed touched the ball or made a good play, my spirit rooting for our Eagles as they kept up against their opponent. It was indeed a glorious moment when Apollo scored the winning goal and became the Minnesota State Soccer Champions in 2014! Ahmed had played with passion and grace, and he relished the moment with his teammates and the adulation of the Apollo crowd after the game. I watched from the second row in the stands as the boys accepted their State trophy, as Ahmed received his own medal.

I took in every second as I watched that boy, a brave soul who chose to face his fears and took a risk to do something that he loved, celebrate with his team. Confidence was stamped firmly upon the heart of a young refugee teen on that blustery October day, a fitting end to a dream fulfilled and realized. 

The 2014 Apollo High School Class A Boys' State Soccer Champions

*Names have been changed to protect student privacy.