Link to essay here.

Kate Hutton highlights the potential young people possess, and reflects on her experience as an English 10 teacher. She mentions reading To Kill a Mockingbird with her students, which was a memorable experience for my Grade 10 year. Not only did this connection catch my attention, but also her writing style. She utilized rhetorical questions and her tone changed from humorous to serious, creating a contrast between the beginning and end of the essay: “…the course that I teach – English 10 – should be re-titled ‘Doom and Gloom Literature.’” Hutton explains that as we age, our hearts become “hardened” and we grow to be ignorant towards all the injustice occurring in the world. Growing up, I have always noticed this within many of my older friends. These observations led me to reach the same conclusion as Hutton: We should shed the barriers around our hearts and remain hopeful for the future, in order to make the world a better place.