Staying in school, staying on track

CrossCurrents

“Staying in School, Staying on Track” at Templeton Secondary School in Vancouver, British Columbia, is Canada's only high school program for students with FASD. Many kids with FASD don’t even make it to high school and even more don’t get past grade 9 or 10, according to Darlene Hughes, a teacher with the program. Students take elective courses such as industrial or visual arts with other schoolmates. For core academic courses, such as English and math, they come to Hughes’ classroom for a tailored FASD program. The program is divided into two phases: phase one for grades 8–9 focuses largely on core academic core programming; phase two, for grades 10–12, emphasizes job skills like résumé writing. But what’s the most important thing Hughes’ students learn? “Self-esteem,” she says. “Because by the time they get to me, they have none.”

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