I had few friends and everyone that I spoke to was an outcast as well, Tyler who had mental retardation, Doug who was in a wheelchair, Lillian who had recently moved here from Mexico and could barely speak or understand English, and Jordan who choose to be an outcast rather than be a part of the bullying.
This is such a powerful sentence. Also, the notion of untouchables at the school is powerful. You are a great writer.
I want to make the intro paragraph sleek and to-the-point. You might want to move the above quoted sentence to the beginning of paragraph 2. End paragraph 1 with a sentence that clearly names a CONTROVERSIAL experience that ensued. This way, the reader won't be wondering, 'Where is this going?'
Here is a place you should have commas:
Additionally, my mother, who worked as an aid for emotionally disturbed children, also dealt with many of the same issues which would occasionally leave her worn out before she even got home.
But don't those commas make the sentence choppy and awkward? I hate it...
Additionally, my mother had worked as an aid for emotionally disturbed children and dealt with many of the same issues --
which would occasionally leave left her worn out before she even got home.
Do you see where I sacrificed the phrase "which would occasionally leave".. because it is a better deal to have the brevity of "left" without the specificity. Brevity is important. People's attention spans are short.
:-)
So, look for places you can say what you have to say in fewer words. This punches the reader in the nose and gets her attention.