Dirty blonde hair in a messy but somehow fitting ponytail. Light blue eyes that shine as bright as a diamond. The empty classroom filled with nothing but silence. Ms. Kochendorfer, also known as Katie, is a math teacher but also a dance coach at West Leyden High School. Katie knows the many struggles of being an athlete, as she has endured many herself.
“During my high school years I’d been the captain of my dance team. But when college came around, I’d gone from being the leader and the person people looked up to, to being back to square one.” Transitioning from high school to college isn’t an easy change especially when you’re an athlete. Katie begins to talk about her time in college, “In college we were part of the marching band. An opinion held by the girls on the dance team was that the band director could care less about the dance team. He only cared about the band, since that was his passion. To him we just were an accessory.” Fidgeting with her hands as she explains how biased it really was. “ 2020 sophomore year, I got cut from the team. I know I’ve never had the highest kicks or the highest lead in comparison to the other girls on the team. But I knew I could perform, I knew I could do all the other skills. It wasn’t normal to cut people, especially returners, unless there’s a big issue. It hit me right then and there that I didn’t make it. At that moment I thought the world was against me.” Katie says, melancholy remembering the feeling of the world against her.
She explains how this affected her, saying, “I swore off dance for six months. During those six months I joined different dance groups until I found my people. ” A slight smile appears on her face, like a rainbow after a rainy day. Her eyes glimmering as she begins reminiscing about the good times: “I learned a lot during my college years, I was able to look back, and I was like, Oh my God, I’ve been here for almost four years. I’m just really grateful for all the experiences. And I was proud. I’ve come a long way. I’ve grown a lot as a person.”
Katie is proud to share her advice with anyone who needs it. She says delightedly, “ I believe fully, if you love what you do, you never work a day in your life. But not in an unhealthy way, to love it every time. Because then you’re putting all this pressure on yourself to always have to love what you do. And the truth is you’re not always gonna love what you do” her brows furrow as she continues saying, “we’re wiring our brains to have this constant need to like things and be satisfied.” She adds, “I care about what I do. I care about making an impact, however small or however big.” The ponytail that hung on her hair suddenly loosened. Those bright blue eyes that now seem to have a profound meaning. The empty classroom that suddenly doesn’t feel as empty. This is Katie, not only a teacher or a coach but an astonishing human being who overcame many obstacles.
