ASR Alumni Interview

[Whooter]

From the interview:
What was your favorite academic class? Why?

I would say that my favorite classes at ASR were the two college classes that I took. A teacher from a local community college came to ASR and taught about 10 of us. It was a great experience because even though we were in such a small high school, I was still able to take some high level classes.

I think this is great,  I wasnt aware they had a community college close by that could provide college level classes.  This is one of the advantages of homeschooling also.  If your child excels in a specific area they can take college courses in high-school.  Being in your typical public school this is difficult to do.



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[Troll Control]

Desperate change of subject back to the fake "interview."

The point is the "the message" is phony and so is "the messenger."  You have your stories all screwed up.  You made up a son, made up a daughter, made up program experiences, made up the dates, made up the "Dave Marcus" timeline and can't keep all your lies straight anymore.  It's not "attacking the messenger."  It's "pointing out a liar with an agenda."

The bottom line is your entire "personal program story" is fabricated.  It doesn't make me upset, nor do I suspect it angers anyone else.  It only makes you mad that you have been caught lying about everything and have been outed.  You were dragged out of the shadows and when your name was put on all of your posts, you were exposed as a complete liar and charlatan.  That's all I'm saying.  If you don't like it when people point out your fabrications, you ought not to fabricate everything.

[Anne Bonney]

Exactly.  How many times have many of us said that for a long time after getting out we actually believed what they had drilled into our heads - to our detriment.    Sometimes it really does take quite a while for the brainwashing to wear off.

At least she will have a college degree, good work ethic strong family ties, maybe married with kids when the koolaid wears off!  lol

I seriously doubt that.  Programs break the trust that kids have in their parents and very often never recover it.

My daughter still feels the same way after all these years 7 I think.  So the koolaid is not such a bad thing?

I'd love to actually hear from your daughter herself instead of you speaking for her.  I think the story might greatly differ from what you want people to believe.  Of course it would probably end up with you creating yet another screen-name impersonating her.

[Whooter]

I seriously doubt that.  Programs break the trust that kids have in their parents and very often never recover it.

I can see that happening in some instances, but my experience and the kids I saw graduate with my daughter grew closer to their families and greatly increased their ability to communicate and learned to listen to the other person.  I saw this occur on both sides.  I think it is one of the programs strengths.

I'd love to actually hear from your daughter herself instead of you speaking for her.  I think the story might greatly differ from what you want people to believe.  Of course it would probably end up with you creating yet another screen-name impersonating her.

I really dont think she would be interested too much.



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[Anne Bonney]

I seriously doubt that.  Programs break the trust that kids have in their parents and very often never recover it.

I can see that happening in some instances, but my experience and the kids I saw graduate with my daughter grew closer to their families and greatly increased their ability to communicate and learned to listen to the other person.  I saw this occur on both sides.  I think it is one of the programs strengths.

Didn't you say that there was a long period of time when she wouldn't speak to you?

I'd love to actually hear from your daughter herself instead of you speaking for her.  I think the story might greatly differ from what you want people to believe.  Of course it would probably end up with you creating yet another screen-name impersonating her.

I really dont think she would be interested too much.

If it did her so much good, you'd think she'd stop by occasionally to endorse the place.  Or to defend these horrible "attacks" on her father.

[Ursus]

From the interview:
What was your favorite academic class? Why?

I would say that my favorite classes at ASR were the two college classes that I took. A teacher from a local community college came to ASR and taught about 10 of us. It was a great experience because even though we were in such a small high school, I was still able to take some high level classes.

I think this is great,  I wasnt aware they had a community college close by that could provide college level classes.  This is one of the advantages of homeschooling also.  If your child excels in a specific area they can take college courses in high-school.  Being in your typical public school this is difficult to do.

Really? When I was in public school, not a few kids in the upper classes took courses *AT* a local university. This was a regular, 4-year, fully accredited and academically respected institution of higher learning, not some community college.

If you know anything at all about community colleges, you know that a lot of their instructors are not full-time. They teach on the side of another career to bring in some extra bucks, or they are between jobs. It probably wasn't too difficult to find an instructor to come to the Academy at Swift River to teach a course; ASR probably just put ads up on bulletin boards at whatever community colleges were in their local area. Judging from a map, I'd even guess it was Greenfield. It probably cost ASR all of $1000 for the whole term.

[Whooter]

From the interview:
What was your favorite academic class? Why?

I would say that my favorite classes at ASR were the two college classes that I took. A teacher from a local community college came to ASR and taught about 10 of us. It was a great experience because even though we were in such a small high school, I was still able to take some high level classes.

I think this is great,  I wasnt aware they had a community college close by that could provide college level classes.  This is one of the advantages of homeschooling also.  If your child excels in a specific area they can take college courses in high-school.  Being in your typical public school this is difficult to do.

Really? When I was in public school, not a few kids in the upper classes took courses *AT* a local university. This was a regular, 4-year, fully accredited and academically respected institution of higher learning, not some community college.

If you know anything at all about community colleges, you know that a lot of their instructors are not full-time. They teach on the side of another career to bring in some extra bucks, or they are between jobs. It probably wasn't too difficult to find an instructor to come to the Academy at Swift River to teach a course; ASR probably just put ads up on bulletin boards at whatever community colleges were in their local area. Judging from a map, I'd even guess it was Greenfield. It probably cost ASR all of $1000 for the whole term.

Yeah, good point.  We had "AP" advanced courses in our high school for kids wanting more of a challenge and a college flavor, but they were taught by full time teachers in the high-school.  They may offer this option more now a days inside high schools where college level teachers go to the local high school.  I am just not aware of this.



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[Ursus]

Additional information relevant to my above post:

Based on United States Department of Education data for 2003 with regard to adjunct instructors at community colleges, "the salary per course at public two-year colleges ranged from a low of $1,397 at the 25th percentile to a high of $3,000 at the 90th percentile; in hourly wages, the median pay for an adjunct at a two-year college was only $11.19."

Source[/list]

My guess is that the pay for such an instructor teaching a course at ASR may have been somewhat less, given that the students were all high school level, but I could be wrong.

[Whooter]

Additional information relevant to my above post:

Based on United States Department of Education data for 2003 with regard to adjunct instructors at community colleges, "the salary per course at public two-year colleges ranged from a low of $1,397 at the 25th percentile to a high of $3,000 at the 90th percentile; in hourly wages, the median pay for an adjunct at a two-year college was only $11.19."

Source[/list]

My guess is that the pay for such an instructor teaching a course at ASR may have been somewhat less, given that the students were all high school level, but I could be wrong.

Geesh, that terrible.  No wonder we cant get good teachers anymore.



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[Antigen]

Hmmmmm, I would imagine that there are other Alum Interviews.  Why not post them all instead of cherry picking?

Most businesses go through them all and pick the best one or two and present them.  The negative ones would never be posted we all know that plus the good ones help with their marketing.  Any negative interviews would not help too much.



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So, in other words this is blatant advertising taken right from a marketing website? Yup! Shaw `nuff!
http://www.swiftriver.com/enews/v11issue1/alumni.html

What do ya'll think? Should I ax the entire thread or is there any useful, relevant conversation going on further down the page?

[Anne Bonney]

Can you tell a story of a situation that resulted in positive growth for you? Even if you didn't see it at the time?
My situation occurred while I was 13 months into my program and about to leave for Costa Rica and graduate three months later. I went on my last home visit first, and relapsed. I woke up in the hospital and started to freak out because I knew I had messed up my life now. Why would my mom think that I was going to change or had changed if I came home near the end of my program and got alcohol poisoning? It was an uncomfortable situation for my family and for me. I was disappointed in myself and I knew it was going to be a lot of work to get back on track. My mom and I had a huge dispute about returning to ASR. She said I was not going back and she never wanted to see me again, and I was begging her to please let me go back to ASR. I knew being around her wasn't going to get any better and ASR would help me work through my mistakes. Finally she brought me back. Since I had relapsed, I was not allowed to go to Costa Rica with my peer group, which really upset me; but it was probably a good thing it happened. Even though I relapsed and paid the consequences, it was a positive growth event for me in that it made me realize what is important in life and how my decisions affect everyone around me.

Gee....I wonder if the "relapse" had anything  to do with either the self-fulfilling prophecy (if you leave you'll be deadinsaneorinjail) or just from the simple fact that she had been isolated for so long and kinda went a little off, or both.  

I wonder what would have happened if this kid had been allowed to simply grow up and out of her "bad behavior" like most kids do by suffering the natural consequences of their actions.

[Anne Bonney]

I don't get it.  Why would these Johnny Jerk offs advertise a story about a person relapsing if they want to make allot of money.   :smashcomp:

Because if they 'relapse' they get sent back, which means more money for the Jerk Offs.

[Ursus]

Hmmmmm, I would imagine that there are other Alum Interviews.  Why not post them all instead of cherry picking?

Most businesses go through them all and pick the best one or two and present them.  The negative ones would never be posted we all know that plus the good ones help with their marketing.  Any negative interviews would not help too much.

So, in other words this is blatant advertising taken right from a marketing website? Yup! Shaw `nuff!
http://www.swiftriver.com/enews/v11issue1/alumni.html

What do ya'll think? Should I ax the entire thread or is there any useful, relevant conversation going on further down the page?

I'd say leave it. It makes for good target practice!    

Gotta hone up them critical thinking skills...

 ::unhappy::  ::unhappy::  ::unhappy::

[Anne Bonney]

I vote to leave it.

[Troll Control]

I really dont think she would be interested too much.

Translation: "I fabricated a daughter."

Anyway, back when Whooter's posts were strung together and it showed he had over 7,000 anonymous posts he claimed it was his wife and daughter doing the posting.  He has also claimed his daughter never posted here.  There is no daughter, people.  No daughter, no son, no "program success story"...it's all fake.

Whooter has told so many lies that he can no longer keep them straight.  He tells all sorts of stories with all different, mutually exculsive details.  He doesn't even know when his fabricated daughter went to ASR.  He changed that story a half dozen times, too.

Aspen's whole story and Whooter's whole story are straight-up fiction.

I spend a lot of time in northern Vermont and have a hunting/fishing lodge right on Isle La Motte in Lake Champlain (right over the causeway from St. Albans) and I can tell you for a fact that there isn't even a Costco in St. Albans.  The closest one is all the way down by Burlington and nobody is going to make that drive for a part-time job.  The whole story is just plain old phony.