End of an Era

Today, quietly and without fanfare, is Russell’s last day of high school. As a student with special eductional needs, he is eligible to be in school until he’s 21. Well, technically all kids are, but most of the others are out the door at 18, as was the case with most of Russell’s friends. As I struggled to come to terms with what he would do to fill his days when he was finished, I was reluctant to give up that safety net and insisted he keep returning, long after he was done in his own mind. 

But then two wonderful things happened, one leading into the other. The first is that we met Lori, Russell’s facilitator. To be honest, Lori and I have been friends for years, and she and Russell know each other well from Buddy Choir. But we formalized our relationship, and we’ve never looked back. She assumes competence in Russell and helps him take risks his mother would balk at, leading to impressive accomplishments. Second, Russell found his place in the kitchen at The Working Centre. This centre, for those who are not familiar, is truly an inclusive environment, a real gift to the community. From its own website: 

The Working Centre is a non-profit, community-based, volunteer inspired venture that seeks to give individuals and groups access to tools and opportunities to become involved in the building of community projects in Kitchener-Waterloo and surrounding areas.

The centre helps new Canadians, older out-of-work citizens, citizens with disabilities, really anyone who needs a hand up to find meaningful work. They operate a resource centre for employment, a kitchen and a cafe, a greenhouse, a used clothing store, bicycle and computer recycling — anything that can be used to offer training or retraining for community employment. Russell loves it there, and they love him too.

Lori has been instrumental in keeping that relationship on a positive note. Offering just the right amount of support to both Russell and the kitchen (Russ HATES to be over-supervised) she is able to keep problems small and everyone on track. And the track has been the gradual shifting of school to work. But Russell knows his own mind, and there was just no way he was doing another year of high school, so gradual changed last week to RIGHT NOW. 

The plan (devised by all of us) is that Russ will work mornings in the kitchen, start to train in the front of the cafe, access drop-in recreation programs downtown, and pursue some further training most likely through the W.A.L.E.S. program.

I have to say that we have had nothing but a positive experience throughout Russell’s school life. From Junior Kindergarten to this last year he has been welcomed and supported and included. Teachers and staff at St. Paul’s Elementary School and at Resurrection High School have given him a strong foundation going forward. I came up through the Catholic system here in Waterloo and so did three of my kids. With Kathleen at Eastwood in the public system, Russell’s graduation really is the end of an era with WCDSB. To everyone, I say a big thank you.

We are excited. Well, Lori and I are excited. Russell is relieved to finally be able to say “I am DONE with school.” Deep breath, here we go, JUMP!