Concerned parent

[stepatwill]

Our son has struggled academically his first 2 years of high school. We hired an educational consultant to help us and Hyde is one of the schools we are considering. I have read the glossy brouchres, talked to the school, listened to the consultant and now I'd like to hear from students and alumni. They are the ones that really know what it's like. Please help a concerned stressed parent make the right decision !

[Anonymous]

Read you private messages.

[Antigen]

I have a customer/friend who's little step-brother got sent to Hyde. Kid wasn't bad, really, just flunking out and agreed that maybe he needed a little more structure. He agreed to go to Hyde. It was the parents who sensed something not right. They went to the first required parent weekend and found it cultish and weird. The older step daughter (my customer) knew I was into researching these places and asked me about it. I told her Hyde was not among the worst, but it seems to be a cultish little program. No so bad as Elan. But not real wholesome, either.

They had already decided to pull him out at the end of the semester when he refused a weekend off campus because he thought he had been bad and needed to spend the entire weekend praying. They pulled him immediately. No regrets. They seem to be of the opinion that Hyde was brainwashing their kid. Turns out, the kid was just depressed, and thus quite succeptable to manipulation aimed at gaining better access to the family forture.

Watch yourself! Best bet! It's summer. Take a much needed vacation and go camping with your kid. What a concept, eh?

Freedom has a thousand charms to show, That slaves, howe'er contented, never know.
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1840300051/circlofmiamithem' target='_new'> William Cowper, a British Christian poet & hymn writer (18th century)

[Anonymous]

I'm a graduate of Hyde School in Bath.  I spent 5 years there in the late 70's.  Back then there were no Wilderness Schools, no diagnosed ADHD, etc...Hyde teaches you the basics to become a person of conscience and character.  It's no cult..that's BS...It's a place where the first steps are behavior modification..teaching a kid how to follow the rules and do the work...This is where everyone has the problem, this is where a hunk of Hyde Parents and students start talking about brain washing, because for the first time a lot of these kids aren't allowed to do what ever they want to. Trust me I spent a good hunk of my Freshman and Sophomore year on work crew...I spent a lot of time "thinking"..thinking why I didn't want to be there.  After a year and a half..I ran away and returned a week later ready to give it a real try.  That's when things started to happen.  I excelled in Lacrosse and performing arts and was given opportunities that I would have never gotten in public high school.  Hyde is in no way perfect...nothing is perfect and some people don't fit into the Hyde mold.  Plus when I went to Hyde it cost $3750.00 not the $35K is costs now.  So it's a lot easier to see your kid behaving better and saying that that $35K would be better spent on something other than boarding school.  Life is a game with rules...Hyde is the same way.  If you "Play the Game" it doesn't mean you're being dishonest...you're just doing your best to get the most out of the situation.  A lot of the stories you read in this forum are from people whose kids whined their way out Hyde.  They probably couldn't have cut it in any school.
The lessons I learned at Hyde have brought me closer to my family and given me a foundation to live my life to standards of excellence.

[stepatwill]

Anonymous,

Thank you. I know nothing is perfect. I'm only looking for a balanced view of Hyde. It not easy finding students and alumn to contact which in my opinion are the only people who can give you a true picture of what it like.

[Anonymous]

If you want to speak with students, go for the interview, it's free and the kids that do the school tour are delightfully candid...

[Anonymous]

Yeah actually, I just graduated from Hyde, and while I can't say it's the right place for everyone, when I consider almost any other high school in america, Hyde has far more to offer. It is tough, and pretty intense, and a lot of the stuff that goes on is pretty crazy, but to be honest, i'm glad i experienced it because it was a unique experience.
When I went there I was not some crazy teenager who skipped school and did drugs a lot, actually, I always got good grades and i did well in school. i went to hyde because i didn't like my school, and because i wanted to go to boarding school.
And as for all the people who think hyde is "full of shit" and a cult...that is completely absurd. In general, until you go through your senior year at hyde, you don't really know what you're talking about, and most of those kids probably were just babies and think that making kids play sports is like some godawful punishment even though most kids around the world would love the oppurtunity.

[HydeFan]

I totally concur with the last post (even if I didn't make it to my senior year).  There is nothing easy about Hyde, but one thing I can say, is it prepared me for life in a way nothing else did.  I will always be grateful for the experience.

[Anonymous]

Light shining through the toxic crap...

[Anonymous]

Yeah actually, I just graduated from Hyde, and while I can't say it's the right place for everyone, when I consider almost any other high school in america, Hyde has far more to offer. It is tough, and pretty intense, and a lot of the stuff that goes on is pretty crazy, but to be honest, i'm glad i experienced it because it was a unique experience.

When I went there I was not some crazy teenager who skipped school and did drugs a lot, actually, I always got good grades and i did well in school. i went to hyde because i didn't like my school, and because i wanted to go to boarding school.

And as for all the people who think hyde is "full of shit" and a cult...that is completely absurd. In general, until you go through your senior year at hyde, you don't really know what you're talking about, and most of those kids probably were just babies and think that making kids play sports is like some godawful punishment even though most kids around the world would love the oppurtunity.

Hyde has far more to offer?  Could you be little more specific because when I was at Hyde, scholastics were in the gutter. Even the public school in my town said that Hyde's credits are not applicable to graduating high school so I had to get a GED.  Had I stayed at Hyde I would have graduated, but my parents wanted me to get a real education.

You say that there was nothing wrong with you but that you just wanted to leave your regular school and go to a boarding school.  What kid wants to leave home and go to boarding school? I seriously doubt this is a legitimate post. My guess is it is someone from Hyde because no kid WANTS to go to boarding school!

[Anonymous]

Toxic crap trying to obscure the light...

[Anonymous]

Fucking morons trying to troll Fornits.

Again.

[Anne Bonney]

If you want to speak with students, go for the interview, it's free and the kids that do the school tour are delightfully candid...

 :rofl:  :rofl:  :rofl:  :rofl:  :rofl:

I can't believe you had the nerve to post that!  Delightfully candid.......yep.  Sure.  :roll:  We had people come talk to us while we were in Straight.   We knew how much power these people held over us so there was no way in hell we were going to talk about what really went on in there.  We were too afraid of being punished.... severely, afterwards.   Most of these places operate the same way, whether the fear is of a beating or a level drop or an extension of your stay or having a group of kids and staff 'confront' you for being a disbeliever and a traitor.  Control and "modification of certain behaviors" through fear.