As part of the METCO Program, we had a METCO Coordinator. During my time at Scituate High School, we had Florence Howes or Mrs. Howes as she was known to us. The role of the METCO Coordinator was a combination of guidance counselor and adjustment counselor. Their role was to support METCO students as it was an adjustment for all of us. We were going to school outside our neighborhoods, which meant we spent more than 2 hours a day on a bus, and we had to adjust to the culture shock of going from an inner-city school system to a rural school system. Our success depended not only on the teachers in the school but also on our METCO coordinator and in Scituate we were blessed with Mrs. Howes.
I struggled in high school. My reading and writing were not to the standard of a high school student. When teachers wanted someone to read aloud, I would try and hide. I hated reading out loud because my fellow students would make fun of me because I stumbled over the easiest words. It was like reading a foreign language and the words didn’t make sense. When I wrote I would write messy so you couldn’t tell that I could not spell. Many of my teachers would let me write however I wanted to which probably wasn’t the best thing but at that time I didn’t think anyone knew my challenge was I had dyslexia. I often thought they assumed I was slow because I went to Boston schools. I struggled with depression during my first two years of high school and outside of my mother the one other person who saw me was Mrs. Howes.
Mrs. Howes was married and had two daughters and a son. She was caring and soft spoken, and she looked out for us. She especially looked out for me and my 2 brothers. I am not sure why but even her children treated us like we were family. That became important because I believe I would not be here today if it wasn’t for Mrs. Howes, recognizing I was sliding deeper into depression.
I was fifteen years old when I made the decision that I didn’t want to live in this world anymore. It was Mrs. Howes and my mother who recognized I was slipping away and got me the help I needed. I tried to hide the fact that the harsh words and comments were impacting me. I felt I was caught between two worlds, and I could not find where I fit in. I remember Mrs. Howes would check in on me every day and so would my mother. It was like they knew I was in a dark place. Mrs. Howes had a friend who was a social worker, and I went to him for therapy all tenth and part of eleventh grade. Even though I still struggled, the support I received got me through high school.
When I went on to college Mrs Howes came to visit me because her daughter’s basketball team was playing ours. I had a chance at that moment to thank her for all she did for me. I didn’t realize that would be the last time I would speak with her. Mrs. Howes passed in her sleep in 1984. Her loss and then the loss of my cousin Craig in 1985 had a significate impact on me for years to come.
Today, I am remembering Mrs. Howes, My mentor, my teacher, and my friend. She helped me to believe there was hope even in those darkest days. You and my mother recognized in me what I could not see in myself. I will carry on with your work to make a difference in the lives of others.
Charles Redd RN
Dignity Freedom Fighter
Dignity Freedom Fighter 