June 22, 2010

White Dog and Quinn both wondered what was up when Michael, a typical teen, appeared dressed and ready for breakfast at 7:30am. This was not the young man who has been invisible until mid morning at the earliest...but wait! White Dog glanced at the calendar...this was the first day of summer session for school!

Three days a week for the next 5 weeks, Michael will attend a community transition program to gain skills in independent living, job training, and self advocacy. He will learn to ride the city bus system and will work in the community greenhouse, among other adventures. White Dog and The Other White Dog crowded around him in excitement wishing him luck, making sure he had bottles of water and his baseball cap and sunscreen (a lot of time will be spent out of doors), and in letting Michael know how proud they both were of him.

White Dog rode with to drop him off; Quinn opted to stay home for second breakfast but made Michael promise to remember everything so that he could share with all of us when he returned.

A cloud of white greeted Michael when he got home, nearly knocking him over as it poured love and happiness over him. His first day went well, it seems, reading between the lines of teen short answer speak...and he is enthusiastic that this year's theme is entrepreneurship (I did not even know Michael knew the word!) As he explained to the White Dogs, "We will get to visit a bunch of business like a bakery and an office and a pet store to see what kind of jobs there are and how the place runs. Then we are going to start our own business at school!" White Dog suggested a business that makes dog treats and Quinn argued for a doggy day care, but Michael explained that the class would have to decide together what the project would be. "At least promise that you will bring up our suggestions," White Dog pleaded.