No, you do not have a clear understanding of the place, and you sound stupid saying you do. And yes, you have to experience Elan to understand it, it is foolish to think otherwise. You have no idea of the language Elan, you have no clue of what the groups were like, how staff acted good and bad to students, you have no clue what it is like to stand in front of three houses and get a GM, you have no idea what it is like to be in a ring, you don't know what it is like to be woken up at 2am and asked to go break up a riot going on in another house as a student while chairs are being broken over staffs backs and students being stabbed. Woman, you are clueless. I would like to see you scrub the same spot on the floor for 12 hours because you were 15 and flirted with someone from the opposite sex.
I am glad your son is doing well. Elan has saved lives, I can attest to that. What you call cynical also is the truth though.
And here is your answer to who I am.
I was in Elan for 22 months. I went through the program with flying colors, was an excellent student, was a Coor or Re-entry for most of my stay. I played basketball on the first team they ever had. I went back to speak to the students three times. I also have a degree in Psych, have worked in three programs for troubled teens and am working on my masters. I have a son of my own now also. I have also run some of the largest nightclubs in Boston and feel I ave pretty damn good people skills.
IN my view Elan is a interesting concept that was carried out like shit until Tania Merette started changing the system a bit. Over time the place got better, but I still do not agree with everything that goes on. I saw some things that make it hard to sleep at times. There were some excellent staff members that really gave back. There were also some horrible ones. In a place like Elan there is so much room for error it is scary. The place does work for some, but it can also be a very scary place for others. This forum was built to let the alum vent. Regardless of what changes have been made, or what staff has been changed there are still a lot of scary memories for people. I would like to see you thrown into that world for two years. Besides the isolation and loneliness you are thrown into a world that is impossible to understand untill you have been there for a long time.
You have no right to say you are educated or have a clue of what it is like to be in Elan. You only can say you are a parent of an Elan alum. My parents hate the place because of the lies and and things they were left in the dark about. They respect and appreciate some staff, but overall do not approve of how it was run. My mother had a P.H.D. in psych and now is a college prof so I think she may have a proper opinion on the subject. As for you, you are wrong, you do need to experience something like Elan to understand it, so I have every right to judge you for making uneducated comments on a place you really don't know. After you have had a three house, then come talk to me. [ This Message was edited by: JNAILZ on 2004-10-21 20:01 ]
