Ay ay ay a lot has been going on.

I started a new job with kids with emotional disturbances; I've been with the kids for four whole school days now. I've worked with kids with autism, severe physical disabilities, and preschoolers . . . but nothing like this, lemme tell ya. I don't know a lot about their histories, but to put it lightly, these kids are very rough around the edges.

I have to wonder what will happen to them in the long run, what with their current behaviors and academic progress. In some ways, though, I feel like I can really relate to the kids. From sixth grade through high school I oftentimes felt completely misunderstood, wrongly categorized, disconnected from other kids my age, and like no one (outside of my family) cared if I succeeded or not. I was a quiet, lonely, insecure kid who didn't dress cool and had a goofy face and stringy hair and had drifted away from my circle of friends from elementary school, making haphazard friendships along the way. I remember one time in eighth grade, the middle school was doing a "Dress Backwards/Goofy" day, and one kid snidely said to me and a few other girls, "You guys just come as you already are!" Another kid perked up, snickered and said to the first, "Hey! You stole what I was going to say to them!" We just sat and stared at our laps.

It's funny the things that stay with you. Maybe that's just the middle school experience. I mean, who really wants to go back to being 14? In any case, I think that's a big reason why I've decided to become a teacher; I genuinely want to make things better for kids who need a little more help. Fortunately, I had a great set of parents and sister to be my support system, but not everyone is lucky enough to have that. I'm not pretending to completely understand what they're going through, but part of their pain resonates in my heart.

So, totally switching gears, I'm disappointed in this. Again, I have the same frustration: how much can one man (read: Obama) really change? Congress seems to be so controlled by special interests and people with money. Is "representative" a misnomer? Maybe these healthcare co-ops are a good idea; I haven't done enough research to know. I'm just disappointed to hear that the public option might be out before we, the people, really heard any of the details of what that might entail.