troubled teens

I spent some of last weekend in Idaho at a high school for troubled teens. 

There is a family member who is enrolled in the school. I think she is doing fine, though she might argue with me.

Still, I found the situation very depressing. Again, not the family member, who was on discipline because she was behind in her class work, not for open acts of rebellion. I am pretty upbeat about her. 

There were lovely young women there, teens. I have no idea what they are there for, I have no idea what has troubled their lives, but I do know that the gamut is all encompassing, and I do know they would not be there unless there were serious issues. 

But they looked so good. They were sad, some with deep tear rings under their eyes, others just sad. They could not talk to me, but if I started a conversation, they could respond. I did talk to a few. Then their eyes lit up as they answered my simple questions. (Personal questions are off limits, and I totally respect that.)

As I think of this school and the students, I think how much better my life (and the life of almost every one I know) would have been been improved had we had some of instructions on handling life and counseling that these kids are getting. Maybe we would not need a whole year’s worth, but a bit of help would have been so good. 

Life is not easy. It is not smooth. Some of us were born to families who who by luck or knowledge did a pretty good job keeping us from being a mass of mental scar tissue. Some of were not so lucky.

I am glad this school exists. I am glad for the staff who work hard, most likely for less than wonderful pay, to help the young people of our lives who got off to a really bad start.

I am thankful.