Problems at Hyde School

[gary eskow]

So when the hyde model is applied to the whole education system and you disagree with the oberJoe where will you get chuck out to? Turkmenastan?

I don't understand this... of course, public education will never adopt the cultic model that Hyde does--- you realize I'm sure that the premise is not reasonable.  The important issue has nothing to do with me, though I will say that I've had no problem working with the public school system to affect change.

You seem angry- I hope I'm wrong! By the way- who are you?

Peace,
Gary Eskow

[Anonymous]

So when the hyde model is applied to the whole education system and you disagree with the oberJoe where will you get chuck out to? Turkmenastan?

I don't understand this... of course, public education will never adopt the cultic model that Hyde does--- you realize I'm sure that the premise is not reasonable.  The important issue has nothing to do with me, though I will say that I've had no problem working with the public school system to affect change.

You seem angry- I hope I'm wrong! By the way- who are you?

Peace,
Gary Eskow

  I am fine thanks.  Just a victim of a Joe rant.

[gary eskow]

Ok, one more comment from me on this subject and I'm done.  It seems to me that you're not a victim of Joe's penchant to rant incoherently unless you choose to characterize yourself that way--- I certainly didn't feel like a victim when he made a series of comments to me that made him look like a horse's ass. I simply responded directly to him and moved on.  Did you?

I can't figure out why so many people who post on this site- like you- are uncomfortable identifying themseves.

Maybe you can help me understand!

Gary Eskow

[Anonymous]

Ok, one more comment from me on this subject and I'm done.  It seems to me that you're not a victim of Joe's penchant to rant incoherently unless you choose to characterize yourself that way--- I certainly didn't feel like a victim when he made a series of comments to me that made him look like a horse's ass. I simply responded directly to him and moved on.  Did you?

I can't figure out why so many people who post on this site- like you- are uncomfortable identifying themseves.

Maybe you can help me understand!

Gary Eskow

  Gary,

 When you are 16 years old, emotionally screwed up and in a seminar opening up for the first time and sharing a family secret that is pretty near the root of your problem and a old man walks in a begins screaming at you, completely out of context , are you a victim?

[gary eskow]

Did my last response come through?  It was an apology... no 16 year old should have to put up with JG's maniacal, self-serving rants.

Older guys like me can whip him verbally, or let him tie himself into knots... you guys shouldn't be asked to do this.
'
By the way... Joe could NEVER hold his own in an intellecual forum of educators who are smart.

Please forgive me if I was insensitive... let me knw if I can help.

Peace,

Gary

[Anonymous]

Did my last response come through?  It was an apology... no 16 year old should have to put up with JG's maniacal, self-serving rants.

Older guys like me can whip him verbally, or let him tie himself into knots... you guys shouldn't be asked to do this.
'
By the way... Joe could NEVER hold his own in an intellecual forum of educators who are smart.

Please forgive me if I was insensitive... let me knw if I can help.

Peace,

Gary

You're right, Gary.  Joe Gauld would never be able to hold his own in an intellectually legitimate, constructively critical, conceptually sophisticated dialogue.  Gauld depends on cliches and intimidation to make his points.  He doesn't seem to know how to stray from the Hyde mantra.  My guess is that if he were placed in the midst of smart people who don't buy his act, Gauld's ideological house of cards would collapse.  He's like a snake oil salesman who has a one-trick pony.  Take Gauld out of his protective environment filled with Hyde-sters and he'd probably shrivel up like a fish out of water.  Gauld seems to need Hyde worship to survive--pathetic.  

I'd like to know more about your lawsuit against Hyde.  Did Hyde admit wrongdoing?  Has the lawsuit been publicized among Hyde parents?  What about educational consultants, do they know abou this?  I hope so.

[gary eskow]

All of the legal charges we were prepared to file against Hyde were dropped when the school and our family reached a financial settlement that we were comfortable with.  That's all that needs to be said about the matter.

I am still in touch with families who are participating in the Hyde School, and the interest I have in this instititution is simply to help the best element within it rise.

For my money, way too much focus is given to Joe--- of course, I'm not in a position to be abused by him, as you may be.  But give him credit for coming up with an interesting idea and having the gumption to follow through on it.  That's more than most people do in a lifetime.

[gary eskow]

All of the legal charges we were prepared to file against Hyde were dropped when the school and our family reached a financial settlement that we were comfortable with.  That's all that needs to be said about the matter.

I am still in touch with families who are participating in the Hyde School, and the interest I have in this instititution is simply to help the best element within it rise.

For my money, way too much focus is given to Joe--- of course, I'm not in a position to be abused by him, as you may be.  But give him credit for coming up with an interesting idea and having the gumption to follow through on it.  That's more than most people do in a lifetime.

[Anonymous]

All of the legal charges we were prepared to file against Hyde were dropped when the school and our family reached a financial settlement that we were comfortable with.  That's all that needs to be said about the matter.

I am still in touch with families who are participating in the Hyde School, and the interest I have in this instititution is simply to help the best element within it rise.

For my money, way too much focus is given to Joe--- of course, I'm not in a position to be abused by him, as you may be.  But give him credit for coming up with an interesting idea and having the gumption to follow through on it.  That's more than most people do in a lifetime.

You say that Joe Gauld deserves credit for his idea but that he is abusive.  I'm very intrigued by the controversy surrounding Hyde.  What specifically was Gauld's "good idea"?  In what ways is he abusive?

[gary eskow]

"You say that Joe Gauld deserves credit for his idea but that he is abusive.  I'm very intrigued by the controversy surrounding Hyde.  What specifically was Gauld's "good idea"?  In what ways is he abusive?"

In general I would feel comfortable speaking with people who are willing to identify themselves...

I will say this: founding a school that favors the development of character more than grades or rigid discipline sounds like a good idea to me! Perhaps others did so before Mr. Gauld, but  regardless, I credit him with the resolve to bring his vision of secondary education into being.

Breaking down vulnerable kids- even if you're foolish enough to believe that it will lead to their healing- strikes me as abusive.

[Anonymous]

Gary, I'm just jumping in on the conversation here (I'm not the previous poster)...  Just wanted to address the issue of anonymity...

Some years ago, I began receiving some alumni-oriented mail out of the blue.  I had left Hyde under a black cloud, so this was a bit of a surprise.  Most of the mail was the usual fund-raising fare; you can imagine my disgust given the circumstances.  However, one of the pieces was an alumni newsletter, which I began to scan out of curiosity...  It was with no small horror that I read, in print, about my (allegedly) having contacted the school and having written to them various details about myself and my then current circumstances, and that I wished to correspond with my former classmates.  Mind you, I had never ever contacted the school, and have still not, to this day, decades later.  The desire of sueing for libel crossed my mind at the time, but it's a little like responding to spam:  you'll never get rid of them then...

[gary eskow]

Gary, I'm just jumping in on the conversation here (I'm not the previous poster)...  Just wanted to address the issue of anonymity...

Some years ago, I began receiving some alumni-oriented mail out of the blue.  I had left Hyde under a black cloud, so this was a bit of a surprise.  Most of the mail was the usual fund-raising fare; you can imagine my disgust given the circumstances.  However, one of the pieces was an alumni newsletter, which I began to scan out of curiosity...  It was with no small horror that I read, in print, about my (allegedly) having contacted the school and having written to them various details about myself and my then current circumstances, and that I wished to correspond with my former classmates.  Mind you, I had never ever contacted the school, and have still not, to this day, decades later.  The desire of sueing for libel crossed my mind at the time, but it's a little like responding to spam:  you'll never get rid of them then...

I understand!

[Anonymous]

"You say that Joe Gauld deserves credit for his idea but that he is abusive.  I'm very intrigued by the controversy surrounding Hyde.  What specifically was Gauld's "good idea"?  In what ways is he abusive?"

In general I would feel comfortable speaking with people who are willing to identify themselves...

I will say this: founding a school that favors the development of character more than grades or rigid discipline sounds like a good idea to me! Perhaps others did so before Mr. Gauld, but  regardless, I credit him with the resolve to bring his vision of secondary education into being.

Breaking down vulnerable kids- even if you're foolish enough to believe that it will lead to their healing- strikes me as abusive.

Merry Christmas,

Yes Joe deserves credit.  I believe Hyde was the first of it's kind.  

 I have talked to a couple of people that were in the school leadership, from my days in Bath.  I am surprised at some of the vehiment anti Joe stuff that I got from them.  I am not talking about hyde failures I am talking about kids that were paraded around as examples of the fime work that Hyde does.  I was shocked to hear Joe described as "toxic" by one.   I was surprised because this kid was a poster child.  

I had a couple of bad experiences with Joe, but I actually like him as a person.  At the same time I am concerned that from what I can glean, he is doing thing that may be bad for the current students and no one on staff has the , pardon the venacular, balls to ask him to stop.

[gary eskow]

Yes Joe deserves credit.  I believe Hyde was the first of it's kind.  

 I have talked to a couple of people that were in the school leadership, from my days in Bath.  I am surprised at some of the vehiment anti Joe stuff that I got from them.  I am not talking about hyde failures I am talking about kids that were paraded around as examples of the fime work that Hyde does.  I was shocked to hear Joe described as "toxic" by one.   I was surprised because this kid was a poster child.  

I had a couple of bad experiences with Joe, but I actually like him as a person.  At the same time I am concerned that from what I can glean, he is doing thing that may be bad for the current students and no one on staff has the , pardon the venacular, balls to ask him to stop.

---

A pity, isn't it? Unfortunately, most people who have passed through Hyde seem to have morphed into adoring acolytes or are blinded by bitterness.  You are an exception!

Having endured so much within my  family and emerged at peace, my job, as I see it, is to find appropriate vehicles to give back a portion of that which has been given to me.  Jumping on this blog to see if there's anyone who might get some small benefit from my experience is just one of the things I'm doing.

Enjoy the rest of your holiday season.

[Anonymous]

"You say that Joe Gauld deserves credit for his idea but that he is abusive.  I'm very intrigued by the controversy surrounding Hyde.  What specifically was Gauld's "good idea"?  In what ways is he abusive?"

In general I would feel comfortable speaking with people who are willing to identify themselves...

I will say this: founding a school that favors the development of character more than grades or rigid discipline sounds like a good idea to me! Perhaps others did so before Mr. Gauld, but  regardless, I credit him with the resolve to bring his vision of secondary education into being.

Breaking down vulnerable kids- even if you're foolish enough to believe that it will lead to their healing- strikes me as abusive.

Merry Christmas,

Yes Joe deserves credit.  I believe Hyde was the first of it's kind.  

 I have talked to a couple of people that were in the school leadership, from my days in Bath.  I am surprised at some of the vehiment anti Joe stuff that I got from them.  I am not talking about hyde failures I am talking about kids that were paraded around as examples of the fime work that Hyde does.  I was shocked to hear Joe described as "toxic" by one.   I was surprised because this kid was a poster child.  

I had a couple of bad experiences with Joe, but I actually like him as a person.  At the same time I am concerned that from what I can glean, he is doing thing that may be bad for the current students and no one on staff has the , pardon the venacular, balls to ask him to stop.

I'm not sure that I would call indulging one's own predilection for theatrics at the expense of others' psyches to be construed as "having balls," let alone courage, but perhaps I am missing something.  I think if Joe were TRULY honest with himself, and HONESTLY dedicated in bringing out the best in kids' potential, he would alter his methods accordingly.  But I don't see that kind of flexibility or capacity to adjust coming in our lifetimes...  Personally, and with all due respect, I don't think he has the balls he was born with.  Its just all one big power trip, sprinkled with some undoubtedly and genuine good intentions.