It is my pleasure to write this letter of praise and acknowledgement directly involving selected staff members of your organization at the 656 Erb Street Canadian Tire location in Waterloo. They have been so inviting and professional in the placement of our special education Co-op students during this current academic year.
As a teacher for nearly thirty years, I have witnessed many changing trends in society through some hard economic times. I have discovered it is through these experiences that there are some crucial people and organizations that model compassion and humanity in the quietest ways. Needless to say, it is these qualities that strengthen people who remain vulnerable while at the same time strengthening communities. I do not say this lightly. My father who was very active in giving less fortunate people an opportunity and voice for something greater, modeled this for me. With regards to our students’ present situation, so many times they were rejected because of ‘legality and union implications’. I cannot count the times when they had their hopes up only to have them dashed at the end. This was very disheartening to hear time and time again as a teacher. It was against this tide that your organization set a more positive and meaningful example. This deep appreciation of experience was later verbalized by some parents who had never had their child in such a setting. One parent went on to discuss their excitement for more than thirty minutes. Other stories have conveyed the same message. In all cases, your staff members have taken the initiative to train and be patient while performing their assigned tasks. Our students have been learning the value of work and safety to specific business tasks that they normally wouldn’t get within the school setting. This is one of the original goals of the Co-op program in the first place.
The following people must be recognized in light of their compassion and humanity:
Kristen and Gary in the Gardening Dept.
Steve in the Hardware Dept.
Mr. Greg Honor (Previous Manager)
Mr. Chad Morgan, General Manager
It is an honour for me to bring this to your attention.
Respectfully submitted,
Mr. Howard Aiken, OCT Hon. B.A. B.Ed. Specialist
Special Education Teacher
Resurrection Catholic Secondary School
