Chapter 13

In this chapter Tomaso shows even more of a connection with Lori, and how he can even have a protective instinct kick in when it comes to her. Lori was talking about her brand new doll she received for Christmas to the point where it was excessive. Torey noticed that Tomaso was very polite during the whole thing, and complimented him for being polite about it. When she said this, Tomaso told her, "You know, once I had this teddy bear and I liked him a whole lot. I was always showing him around and junk. So I know how it is. Little kids are like that. I was myself." This was a very touching moment because Tomaso, who is usually quick to make fun of things and put others down, defended Lori and her innocence.

Torey was also having a hard time figuring out Claudia. When she finally received her file, all it said was that she was painfully shy and that her parents were cold and competitive. She had grades and scores far above average but not quite to a 'gifted' level. Torey said something during this chapter that I really liked. She said:

"This kind of child made me so damned frustrated. Why didn't anyone ever see them? How could they sit and rot for years in classrooms without someone noticing them? They were invisible kids. Claudia was in as much trouble emotionally as Tomaso was. Yet, in the current state of the art, if one were bothersome, one usually gained attention and subsequently treatment. On the other hand, one could kill oneself quietly and as long as one did not disturb anybody else doing it, no one noticed. Or cared."

I really liked this quote because it is something I have thought so much about before. We seem to pay all of this attention to the kids who openly struggle and are much louder and boisterous about their problems, when there are so many students who have just as serious of issues that don't show the stereotypical signs. I hope that as a future educator I will be able to be fair in my treatment of all students and hopefully notice signs of students who maybe aren't as obviously struggling, but just need someone to talk to.