She wakes up in a cloud of dread.  It is only Tuesday and Jenna has to endure school for the rest of the week.  Her mother has been calling her name over and over again. Jenna musters up the energy to leave the warm covers and slowly gets ready for the day.  She realizes on the way to school that she has forgotten to put her homework in her backpack.  She cries and begs her mother not to leave her at school.  Her mother comforts her but eventually has to tear herself away so that her boss won't reprimand her AGAIN for being late.

 

Jenna wipes her tears, takes a deep breath, and walks into her 4th grade classroom.  She feels everyone staring at her.  Can they tell she has been crying?  She feels so different from the others…so out of place.  Later that morning, Jenna overhears some kids making fun of another child in the classroom.  His name is Kyle.  He picks his nose in class and is not always nice, but Jenna knows that he lives with his grandmother.  She doesn't know why, but she knows that things are not easy for him.  Jenna wants to help Kyle, but she is just a kid and doesn't know what to do.  So she sits at her desk and feels his pain along with her own guilt for not helping him.  

 

At lunch, Jenna sits down at a table with two of her friends.  She catches a look between them and suddenly feels unwelcome.  They are talking to each other and not to her.  She gets up and moves to the end of another table and eats alone.  

 

Later that afternoon, the teacher has them take out their homework.  Jenna doesn't have hers.  She can feel her heart beating rapidly and her face glowing hot red.  She daydreams of transforming into a puddle of moving green slime, sliding out of her desk, across the floor and out the door unnoticed.   She is snapped back to reality by the sound of her teacher calling her name, "Jenna.  Answer number 4 please."  Jenna panics quietly.  Another student blurts out the answer to the question and the teacher moves on.  Jenna is sweating and her heart won't stop racing.  She goes to the bathroom.  Thank goodness no one else is there.  Jenna goes straight to her favorite stall on the end and cries.  She hates school.  She eventually pulls herself together and goes back to class.  

 

When the bell finally rings at the end of the day, Jenna is the first one out the door.  She just wants to go home and be alone in her room.  She longs for bedtime when she can sneak in a few minutes to write in her journal or draw.  But today, she has soccer practice right after school.  She will need to stay "on" for a few more hours.   Unlike many of the other children on her team, Jenna's focus is on the people rather than the ball.  The input doesn't stop.  It is all so exhausting. 

 

The adults in Jenna's world worry about her.  What is wrong with her?  Does she need medication?

 

Jenna's sensitivity to others is a gift.  She has an exceptional ability to understand others and empathize with them.  She is naturally creative.  

 

So what does Jenna need?

If this happens, Jenna will benefit from the adults in her world.  

           ...And perhaps the world will benefit from Jenna.