Kaitlyn Mullins gets ready for her first year of teaching in Pulaski County .
Photo submitted
Kaitlyn Mullins gets ready for her eighth year of teaching in Pulaski County .
Photo by Olyvia Neal
“ I had some really great teachers myself right here in Pulaski County ,” said Mullins , an English teacher at PCHS . “ When I left high school , I wasn ’ t entirely sure what I wanted to do but then I remembered really loving being in my English classes , and I loved to read and write . I thought it would be fun to follow in their footsteps .”
Mullins said she had so many great teachers throughout her education that it would be hard to list them . Yet , it was her high school English teachers that impacted not only what content she wanted to teach , but also how she wanted to teach them .
“ In high school I had Coach Cook for junior English , who is now the assistant superintendent . I remember I had gone through a time where I wasn ’ t as avid of a reader and having that class you could tell he loved his job and what we were studying , which made it just really fun for the rest of us . I also had Mrs . Anita Caron for AP English and was just completely sold . She is my guiding star , and I looked at what she had done in our classes for what I aspired to .”
For Mullins , the most rewarding parts about teaching have been positively influencing her students and showing
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“ We should remember our ‘ why ’ and that we are here for the students but also that we are worth fighting for and for getting what we deserve for our job ...”
- Kaitlyn Mullins
them how engaging reading can be .
“ I was always surrounded by books , but I had an experience where I had a class and reading was not fun for a while around middle school ,” said Mullins . “ I just never wanted to be that teacher , because I was someone who did enjoy reading but saw how someone could influence you negatively and make reading more of a chore than something to enjoy .”
Reading has been Mullins ’ passion through her life and teaching AP Literature has always been her goal . As she has taught with some of her favorite literary texts from Hamlet to “ A Good Man is Hard to Find ,” she has enjoyed being able to show her students how fun and worthwhile reading can truly be .
“ I always enjoyed teaching Wuthering Heights for AP because they all think they ’ re going to hate it and pretend that they still do , but deep down based on our discussions I know they really enjoyed it ,” said Mullins . “ I know I ’ m not going to make every student love reading , but when I get a moment where a student really enjoys something and then asks me for more suggestions to read it ’ s just so
August 2022 SEKY - Life in Southeast Kentucky • 17