[Decimus]

I need help with the following passage:

Context: A teacher has just received a disagreeable gift (a hat.) from her (elementary) students. Naturally, the students expect her to wear it. The following is a monologue:

教え子作ったプレゼント

これに応えずなんとする

今こそまっすぐ教師の道を

守は子供のその笑顔

Sentences in the above order, without punctuation marks, as written.

The sentences seem to have an unusual structure and hence I'm somewhat stumped over what the conditional '応えず' is supposed to refer to.

Is this an acceptable translation?
"A present made by my students...

How should I respond?

As a proper teacher...

The smiles of these children is something that should be protected."

OR

"This is a present made by my students.

As a proper teacher, how should I respond?

I should preserve the smiles of these children."

Did I miss anything important, or should I add anything or rephrase the sentences to sound more natural?

Also, does　"応える" have a meaning similar to　"答える", except that the former can be used for more "abstract" cases than the latter?

Thank you.