About Kayleen Fouts
Kayleen Fouts heads the English department at Hartsend High School. She also teaches journalism and oversees production of Hartsend’s student newspaper, The Beacon. Kayleen enjoys her work but also takes it seriously. She’s the kind of teacher students are glad they’ve had later on.
Appearance:
Though she barely measures five feet, Kayleen moves with an assurance that makes her seem taller. Most of Hartsend’s other teachers dress conservatively and wear inconspicuous jewelry. Not Kayleen, who favors macrame bracelets and earrings she picks up at second-hand shops. Distinctive horn rimmed glasses and a pixie hairdo complete her look.
Dialogue Style:
Given her size, people don’t expect Kayleen to have such a resonant voice. Her conversations with students are normally short and to the point. There are exceptions, like when a student is having trouble understanding a concept from class. In that case, her language will be polite, informative, and within the boundaries of protocol. She’s more relaxed with members of The Beacon staff. They’re the ones who’ve heard war stories from her own days as a student, can tell you which snack foods she prefers, and know the college teams she follows.
Personality traits:
Focused, empathetic, perceptive. There’s a poster in Kayleen’s room that says “Wherever you are, be there.” She has no use for justifications of errors, telling her students to fix them and move on. To Kayleen, energy is better used to explore solutions. She’s always ready to talk about how to do things better, provided folks have done their homework on the subject.
Backstory:
Kayleen grew up in Hartsend. She entered the University of Kentucky in the early 1950s, just before the Civil Rights Movement started. Although she kept informed as best she could, Kayleen noticed civil rights stories didn’t appear in the local press. She hoped to become an investigative journalist but found there were few jobs available. Kayleen shifted her focus to teaching. She married a high school classmate and returned to Hartsend.
Then 1970 and its changes came to Hartsend. The death of her student Heather Lindsay weighs heavily on Kayleen. Though Kayleen is an advocate for Hartsend’s school desegregation program, she hesitates to support it openly. This is particularly true as tensions in Hartsend continue to increase.
Relationships:
Heather Lindsay: Kayleen views this young woman as a protegee. Heather’s writing talent and her stated ambition to be a sportswriter remind Kayleen of her own dreams. Perhaps the changing times mean Heather will be able to make her ambition a reality. In any event, Kayleen wants to do everything in her power to help.
Jodie Cantrell: The entire staff knows Jodie tried out for The Beacon as a resume item. Even so, Kayleen gets a kick out of Jodie’s sense of humor. She recognizes potential in the girl, a reaction Jodie doesn’t typically get from teachers. Consequently, Jodie finds herself working much harder on The Beacon than she expected and also enjoying it more.
Motivations and Goals:
Kayleen has one primary motivation and goal: helping her students. The desegregation program doesn’t affect that, but she struggles to understand how to adapt her teaching methods to changing times.
Character Arc:
Initially, Kayleen tries to stay detached from the pressures at Hartsend High. She believes she can do more good by helping students like Heather get ready for college. After Heather’s death, Kayleen begins to reassess. Tensions continue to escalate. What’s more, she senses a threat to Heather’s friend Jodie and other students. Is neutrality really the best course? If more students are harmed, could she ever forgive herself?
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