Treatment Abuse, Behavior Modification, Thought Reform > Hyde Schools
Would you recommend Hyde ?
Anonymous:
--- Quote ---
The point is, I had an invaluable experience at Hyde. You, on the other hand, attack the school with stories of what you saw (as opposed to what happened to you). Well, having worked on both sides of 2-4, I am fairly certain that were your name to be known, your personal transgressions of the honor code, and your character deficits would at least allow readers to place your comments in context.
--- End quote ---
Glad your experience at Hyde was positive. I certainly cannot say that my entire experience at Hyde was bad but looking back now I feel I wasted a lot of time.
Sorry, but you have it wrong about any personal transgressions or breaking ethics. You might not believe this, but I was never on 2-4, never broke the honor code, never got into fights, never disobeyed the teachers. I didn't really belong at Hyde, but unfortunately during the interview they sold my parents on it. I was there because I was not working at my full potential in school. What I needed was to be home, tutoring, and communicating better with my parents. What I got was exposure to some of the most bizarre teens with parents who were even more bizarre. I was exposed to drugs, homosexuals, kids with eating disorders, and parents who talked about things that were not appropriate in my estimation. Now that I am a parent I sure wouldn't want my kids to be exposed to this.
So if you want me to talk about my experiences, it would be talking about what I saw at Hyde which is in your eyes wrong! Hyde didn't notice me much because I did not cause controversy! The sad thing is I lost out on several years of a good education.
I am not bitter, only interested in helping other parents. Hyde is not for a kid who has minor problems. I did not benefit other than growing up fast by being exposed to so much garbage!!
Anonymous:
Your experience parallels my own. I was astonished to discover how many seriously struggling teens attended Hyde. I had no idea that was the case when I started. Clearly the school attracts many desperate parents who don't know where else to turn. While at Hyde I encountered many students with depression, bipolar disorder, eating disorders, major anxiety, and a whole host of other serious problems. What worried me most was the way these kids were treated by staff -- as if they didn't have any mental illness (everything got turned into an "attitude" problem -- how naive!). Everything I saw during my years there convinced me that most of these other students would have been MUCH better off at schools that understood and recognized their mental health struggles. I used to cringe when I heard how some of the staff and group leaders (and sometimes even parents) treated these kids, especially in FLC's. When I think back on my experience I can't believe how so many young faculty could be given so much responsibility for students who had such serious mental health issues. It seems unconscionable, and that's why I'd never send my kid to Hyde.
I too saw some Hyde kids who didn't have major struggles other than not performing up to their fullest potential academically. But that kind of kid would be much better off in a school designed mainly for under-achieving students. Mixing that kid in with the typical Hyde population is just plain wrong.
The highest functioning kids at Hyde seemed to be children of staff and faculty members. They're also the kids who often seemed to be Hyde's "poster" kids -- not exactly the typical Hyde student.
You're also right that the academic program is weak. If I wanted my to kid to get a real serious education, I'd send him or her elsewhere. If I had a kid with major mental health issues, I'd send my kid elsewhere. There are VERY few kids who seem to be a good fit for Hyde -- maybe those who are defiant. My guess is that's why the drop-out rate is so high.
Anonymous:
I encourage all of you to get the word out to your Ed Specialists or whoever else found Hyde for you. When it comes to your kid, it should be a good fit and in these two cases it doesn't seem as though it was! These Ed Specialists should be more careful when placing children in a special school. Hyde might work for some, but for others it is detrimental and can have life long consequences!
HydeFan:
Hard for anyone to recommend anything to you without know you and your family. The best they can tell you is why it was or wasn't a good fit for them. For me, it was awesome; for others, maybe not so much! There is definitely truth to what is written here, but all of it has to be put in context, the good and the bad, and that's a complicated puzzle--but any decision for an alternative school is likely going to be challenging, so get as much input as possible and make the best decision you can.
Good luck.
Troll Control:
No way would I ever sentence a kid to this obviously fucked up so-called "school." Never.
Navigation
[0] Message Index
[#] Next page
[*] Previous page
Go to full version