Response to Second-Grade Teacher by Katy Bracken

When Katy Bracken first introduced herself, she was very confused as to what she wanted to do with the rest of her life. She was in a way wandering through life, unsure of her next step, with no long-term plans for her future. After giving up waitressing, she stumbled across a teacher's aid position and, after being hired, fell in love with the job. She states in the end of this reading that she was "redeemed by teaching." I believe this meant for her that her life had taken a drastic turn for the better. Her life had been redeemed in a sense that she knew what she wanted to make of herself, she had long-term plans for her future, and it did not matter to her what her dad thought of her decisions.
After Katy had taken the head teacher position, she had mixed emotions about beginning the challenging occupation. A few years had gone by, and she began to realize that the nerves she encountered at the end of the summer right before school started were completely normal. Once everything was normal again, she noticed more and more her love of being a second-grade teacher. I consider this love to be due to the "mutual adoration" between her and the children. She adores the love that arises from the kids she is with day in and day out. Her "ability to be affectionate has also been deeply influenced by the job."
Katy Bracken has also learned so much from becoming a head teacher of the second grade. She stated that the children "teach her" and make her "less nervous". It seems that by the end of the reading all of her previous pressures from her father to become a successful medical teacher had vanished. I believe this is directly reflected from her new found teaching passion. She had also discovered that her previous passion of dancing was not nearly as important to her anymore.
This reading has proved that work will take us in unexpected directions throughout life. Sometimes we just have to go with the flow and trust our instincts on what is right and wrong. As this story shows, it could possibly alter your life for the better.