Side Of Katie example essay topic

Katie Lanie transferred to Seton Catholic high school during our junior year. Katie's reason for leaving Carl Isle high school centered around one shadowy statement, "No one in that school understood me". Katie said this to me almost every day and I produced only mixed reactions to her claim. I thought it would take more than a few short years of high school to completely understand a person. And frankly, not everyone cares about another's problems, especially high school kids-most of them care about themselves and their status only. Sadly, I admit I fell into this group and didn't get out until I found my appreciation for Katie.

Throughout the year I kept Katie's words in mind and they started to make sense. Seton Catholic was a small high school, so it wasn't too long before everyone knew "Crazy Lanie". That's the nickname the boys at school gave her. Katie's physical appearance and loud-mouth intimidated the young Catholic school boys, but her oblivious attitude caused her to be unaware of this. Katie was very opinionated and spoke out in class on a daily basis.

These habits were annoying when you were trying to learn, but they came in handy in our Economics class. There was one word that every Seton Catholic student used to describe the Economics teacher-torture. Then Katie came and turned that class around. Her first love is talking, then politics and current issues.

So she talked up a storm in class, eventually strayed away from the subject at hand, and turned our class into a current issues debate team. A lot of us appreciated Katie's unintentional deeds and some didn't. One guy in particular who didn't take pleasure in Katie's existence was Mike Reckless. Mike was an on the edge type of guy who only cared about his motorcycle and class-that's where he got most of his shut-eye. Katie, Mike, and I had Business Law together every day after lunch.

By the time we got to class, Mike's stomach was full and he was ready for his afternoon nap. But with Katie there, baby Mikey was a crabby pants. On one particular day, we were discussing a person's rights to property. Our teacher explained that his neighbor's tree branches were hanging over onto his property, so technically he was entitled to cut down the branches that extended beyond the property line.

Before our teacher could finish his story about property, the light in Katie's head turned on". Hey! I have a story about property too!" she said frantically waving both hands in the air, as if the teacher couldn't see her in our classroom of ten students. "Oh boy, let's hear it, Crazy Lanie!" my teacher replied". Okay, so like...

I was at a strip club this weekend, right? And this stripper... ."K tti !" I said clenching my teeth. Ignoring my plea, Katie continued, "Hey Mike, wake up! I need you to stand up and pretend you " re a stripper". Surprisingly, Mike went along with her demonstration and stood up.

"So this stripper was all up in my face", waiting for Mike to transform into a stripper, "Mike you " re supposed to be all up in my face!" Mike took a cautious step forward. "And then the stripper like totally copped a feel-Mike don't even think about it! But yeah, so I like told him dude back off, these twins are my property!" In a state of shock and confusion, I wondered what provoked Katie to share this information with our Business Law class. I also wondered how her story related to my teacher's rights to cut down tree branches lingering on his property. This is what people did when it came to Katie-they wondered. At times I envied and admired Katie's no fear approach to embarrassment or shame.

What I didn't know was that Katie was filled with lots of fears, her biggest one-death. Soon after her father died in the spring, I noticed Katie was changing. Katie told me she was going to take a few days off from school and asked me to bring her work to her house by the end of the week. That Friday, I pulled up to Katie's house and saw her sitting in her car, her hands clenching the steering wheel.

I knocked on the window, "Katie, what's wrong?" Her face and neck were dripping with tears and sweat. "Katie, open the door! Get out of the car!" Staring straight ahead, she shook her head from side to side. I ran over to the passenger door and dove inside. I grabbed Katie's shoulders and with a slight shake I asked again, "Sweetie, what is wrong?" Tears flooded her eyes, "I went to a therapist today, and he said I've been taking panic attacks."You have been?"I thought it was because of my dad's death, but after talking to him (the therapist), I realized that's why I left my old school". She began mumbling her words together.

"Everyone... they... they thought I was weird... they knew". Her eyes widened, "Oh my god, they knew!" After missing twelve days of school, Katie came back-to school. She showed up to second period fifteen minutes late. The whole class silenced as she walked in and sat down next to me. I flashed a smile that expressed I was proud of her for building up the courage to come back to school. A few minutes later, I noticed Katie looked pale and nervous.

She was quiet, not the usual Katie I was used to being around. "Hey, are you alright?" She was holding her throat with one hand and her chest with the other, gasping for air. "Teresa, what should I do?"Calm down, Katie, you " re going to be just fine. Breathe with me now, one, two, three... ". I began to panic.

Thoughts soared through my mind. What do I do? I'm not a doctor! Do I ask the teacher for help? No, he would just snicker and refer to Katie's panic attack as a silly girl problem. Matt Cratcher, he's sitting on the other side of Katie, do I ask him for help?

No, he was just voted as the class clown-stupid idea! This girl needs a tranquilizer! "Katie, did your therapist give you any medication?"Yes, but I left them at home. I won't take them!" she mumbled, still gasping for air. Katie's white uniform shirt by this time was soaked in so much sweat; it looked like she just exposed herself to a wet t-shirt contest.

Desperate to help a friend, I made eye contact with our class clown. Whispering and pointing at Katie, I said "Cratcher, she's not feeling well, grab her arm; help me take her to the nurse's office". A few periods later, rumors were spreading about Katie. The rumors varied from she was going to commit suicide because she couldn't cope with the loss of her dad, to she was a junkie coming down from a heroin high. Eventually, the truth prevailed. Katie has anxiety and takes panic attacks.

To my surprise, the petty students I'm accustomed to accepted Katie more now than before. Katie's carefree attitude and liberating spirit was just a front and in reality she was a teenage girl with real fears and existing problems.