Thank you, @carolkean.  Yes, she is trapped.  Hard to blame her, even, because her lack of insight is paralyzing.  Hurts her, hurts the students, hurts Sam.  
Thank you for assessing my writing skills positively.  You know craft, so that means a lot. In writing, I look not only to cut extraneous material, but also to keep the trajectory logical.  
Glad you think I achieved those goals (at least I'm guessing you did).
Looking forward to seeing more great writing in the Ink Well.