SHAWANO COUNTY, Wis. (WBAY/Gray News) – It was a teaching moment in more ways than one when a 10-year-old Wisconsin boy called 911 to get help with his math homework.
Kim Krause, a 911 dispatcher, received an unexpected call Nov. 15 she says she will never forget. A 10-year-old boy, who she says was very sincere, called asking for help with his homework, WBAY reports.
“He said, ‘Ma‘am, I know I’m not supposed to call 911 for this, but I really could use some help with my homework.’… I’ve been out of school for over 40 years, so I’m like, ’I don’t know if I can help you with this, but we’ll find somebody,’” Krause said.
Since the Shawano County Sheriff’s Office was not busy at the time, Deputy Chase Mason responded to the call.
“I actually sent a message to the deputy who was responding and said, ‘You’ve got a lot of pressure on you right now to help this little boy with his math homework,’” said Lt. Chris Madle with the sheriff’s office.
Mason went to the 10-year-old’s house and helped him complete his decimal-based homework.
“He came right to the door to meet me. Then, I walked into the house and sat down by the kitchen table. He had his math out, all ready for me. He pointed out exactly which ones he needed help with,” the deputy said. “I didn’t have the heart to tell him that I wasn’t very good at math either, but I was going to give it my best shot.”
After wrapping up the boy’s homework, Mason reminded him to only use 911 in emergency situations in the future. He also gave him his business card with his non-emergency number.
“When he goes to school and all of the students see it, they’re going to think it’s so cool,” Mason said. “Just hopefully they don’t all call me for math help next time.”
Sheriff George Lenzner says his office has helped the community with things like snow shoveling and replacing mailboxes, but never in his 37 years does he remember getting a phone call for homework help. He and Madle both complimented Mason for his service.
“It shows the impact that positive law enforcement stories can have on a small community. We have a very supportive community. We always have. They’re very law enforcement friendly, and it’s good for us to show this side that people may not always see,” Madle said.
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