When I stepped into a public school for the first time, I honestly thought my head was going to explode. There were so many people. So many colors. So many new noises and smells. What had I missed in the fourteen years of my life that I am just now getting to experience this for the first time. My mother had homeschooled my brother and I for what she stated were ‘religious’ reasons and just recently she was turned into CPS because our neighbor had not seen us outside in months and was worried for our safety. Turns out we were malnourished and significantly behind in our schoolwork. Now we are in foster care and actually have three meals a day part in thanks to getting breakfast and lunch at school.
My first week hasn’t gone as horribly as I would have thought. Except for the noise and all the teachers pointing me out in every class. I just wanted to scrape by unnoticed. At least for a while. I need to make sure I’m on solid ground before I start to make an effort. I’m still on the fence about the foster family we are living with. We both have our own bedrooms and we are asked how the school day has been when we get home. There are consequences and rewards for our actions and just when I started to get comfortable, my mother showed up on the front porch with a sneer on her face.
Standing Room Only 