Treatment Abuse, Behavior Modification, Thought Reform > Hyde Schools
Warning about Hyde School from an educational consultant
Anonymous:
Recently our family decided to leave Hyde. We have the same concerns as many people who are posting on this website: We've become very concerned about Hyde's narrow-minded view of adolescent behavior, their unwillingness to pay close attention to our child's mental health issues, the very uneven quality of the teaching and academic program, and the amateur handling of incredibly intimate self-disclosures in seminars. Our family had no idea that Hyde was such a controversial school and has such significant limitations. What one of us recently witnessed in our FLC was the straw that broke the camel's back; we couldn't believe how traumatized some FLC participants were and how unskilled the Hyde facilitator was. (The alumni parent in the group was worse: he was emotionally abusive and arrogant -- it's incredible that Hyde allows this sort of behavior. What poor role modeling for students!).
As part of our process we recently contacted a very well known, skilled educational consultant. This educational consultant clearly knows a great deal about schools for struggling teens around the U.S. She is also VERY familiar with Hyde. This educational consultant told us, emphatically, that she will NEVER refer another family to Hyde. She told us that she has heard so many reports in recent years about Hyde's shortsighted handling of students' and families' complex issues (mental health, substance abuse, etc.); students who have run away from the school; the arrogant attitudes expressed by some staff; the inferior teaching in some courses; the high number of inexperienced staff who are expected to deal with very challenging behavioral, emotional, and psychiatric issues; the unhappiness among many students; and the destructive experiences many FLC participants have when very personal details of their lives are exposed.
This educational consultant is adamant that parents of struggling teens should look for schools that are much healthier than Hyde. Our family is now learning about some very appealing alternatives to Hyde; I wish we had known about them earlier. We've recently talked, very quietly, with other Hyde families that are leaving, or considering leaving, for similar reasons. It's so hard at Hyde to be vocal about these concerns. Few people seem to trust that Hyde staff would handle criticism in a good way. We suspect that families that are unhappy with Hyde don't know that many others feel the same way (in spite of the enthusiasm in the auditorium when parents gather).
Also, as part of our search for a new school we recently spent a long time talking with another school's headmaster. She asked us about our child's experience at Hyde. We summarized the experience as objectively as possible. The headmaster was very candid: Her school has enrolled a number of former Hyde students whose families pulled them out of Hyde for similar reasons. She talked about how destructive Hyde seems to be for some students and how she is very, very concerned about what she described as Hyde's "doctrinaire" approach.
Anyway, the educational consultant's views confirm what our family has come to learn: While Hyde may benefit some, the risks associated with the school are simply too great. If you're searching for a school, find a very knowledgeable educational consultant who is familiar with Hyde's problems, rocky reputation, scandals, and knows about schools with much more solid reputations.
Anonymous:
I think that what's happened at Hyde in the past 10 to 15 years is that one or two "troubled teens" have had some success and the word got out. And the troubled floodgates opened! In the 70's, when my daughter went to Hyde, the number of troubled teens was definately the minority. People like Tommy, who posts here so much, were so few in number that their antics had little impact on the program... every once in a while they succeeded just by hanging around the majority, who were "under-achievers" like my daughter (Who by-the-way is an incredible person who has succeeded personally and professionally to point of making us as proud as we always hoped we could be). We needed a place to kick our butts and get her to take responsibilty for her life. And it worked. But at today's Hyde School,,these "under achievers" are being accepted at schools like Hebron, Kents Hill, Pomfret and other 2nd and 3rd tier boarding schools...leaving those troubled teens who are struggling with mental issues, drug and alcohol addictions, etc...to be the majority at Hyde...bottom line: Hyde can't work when these are the kids that make up most of the school. They need places that have medical and psych staff on site and offer the kind of counseling and attention that's needed. Maybe Hyde needs to combine the two boarding campuses, thus getting rid of the "Troubled Majority" and unloading the deadwood on the staff...then I think Hyde can rise to the glory level of the late 70's and early 80's. For all of you posting on this site saying Hyde is not a good place for your troubled teen and troubled family....you may just be right.
So move on and pay the $60K-$80K a year at a therapy school. Done. Buh-Bye!
Anonymous:
--- Quote ---On 2005-10-15 08:50:00, Anonymous wrote:
"I think that what's happened at Hyde in the past 10 to 15 years is that one or two "troubled teens" have had some success and the word got out. And the troubled floodgates opened! In the 70's, when my daughter went to Hyde, the number of troubled teens was definately the minority. People like Tommy, who posts here so much, were so few in number that their antics had little impact on the program... every once in a while they succeeded just by hanging around the majority, who were "under-achievers" like my daughter (Who by-the-way is an incredible person who has succeeded personally and professionally to point of making us as proud as we always hoped we could be). We needed a place to kick our butts and get her to take responsibilty for her life. And it worked. But at today's Hyde School,,these "under achievers" are being accepted at schools like Hebron, Kents Hill, Pomfret and other 2nd and 3rd tier boarding schools...leaving those troubled teens who are struggling with mental issues, drug and alcohol addictions, etc...to be the majority at Hyde...bottom line: Hyde can't work when these are the kids that make up most of the school. They need places that have medical and psych staff on site and offer the kind of counseling and attention that's needed. Maybe Hyde needs to combine the two boarding campuses, thus getting rid of the "Troubled Majority" and unloading the deadwood on the staff...then I think Hyde can rise to the glory level of the late 70's and early 80's. For all of you posting on this site saying Hyde is not a good place for your troubled teen and troubled family....you may just be right.
So move on and pay the $60K-$80K a year at a therapy school. Done. Buh-Bye!"
--- End quote ---
I think you've hit the nail on the head. I too agree that the Hyde population has changed over the years. Earlier in its history the school enrolled a large number of kids who were somewhat defiant and underachievers. Now many of those kids go to other boarding schools that have programs designed for them. As a result, a HUGE percentage of Hyde's current students struggle with significant mental health, substance abuse, an other such issues. But, the Hyde model hasn't changed significantly; as far as I know, the school still doesn't have any mental health department or staff to help kids deal with these issues. Hyde still tries to sell itself as a school where "character education" will cure all ills. The problem is that this model, which may have worked for the types of kids who enrolled at Hyde years ago, is a very poor fit for many of Hyde's current kids. This is exactly what educational consultants and parents need to understand -- my impression is that the word is spreading. Today's Hyde imposes a square peg on a round hole, and for many it doesn't work.
I have heard rumors that Hyde administrators are very concerned about enrollment trends and growing competition from other schools that serve similar students. You'll notice that Hyde is coming up with new PR materials in an effort to deal with this problem. Sadly, the superficial and slick PR materials mislead many parents who don't seem to realize that the school is not a good place for many struggling teens.
Anonymous:
My Educational Consultant also has said she no longer places her kids at Hyde. In her case I believe it was because of the handling of some controversial situations going on at the school between a male staff member and female students.
Hyde teaches the students to "confront" no matter what the problem is. It could be a teacher, another student, a boss, or even a perpetrator of some sort. This certainly cannot work in the real world yet Hyde would like to see everyone adhere to their ways. Can you imagine going into Bill Gates office and saying, "Mr Gates, I need to confront you about your attitude towards the other employees." As crazy as this sounds, this is EXACTLY what you would find at Hyde if you sat in on a seminar!
In regard to observations during Family Weekends and seminars, I think we all saw some pretty crazy stuff that was especially inappropriate for young siblings to hear. Hyde encourages ALL of the family to be involved. I remember one father admitting he had a gay lover, another Mother telling her son in front of the rest of the family that she had been having affairs for years and wasn't happy with the Dad. This was ALL IN FRONT OF STRANGERS!!! Sorry, but this place is too bizarre and certainly should not be considered a boarding school for character education. This is a Troubled Teen Program guys!! Don't let them fool you!
Anonymous:
Several people posting on this site have made reference to other schools that offer what Hyde claims (mainly, providing structure to underachieveing teens) but have not identified those schools.
I'd love to hear positive recommendations for other schools to consider. We have a 16-year-old son who is failing in school, hanging around with a "stoner" crowd and using drugs, but who is fairly bright, generally interested in learning and who has so far avoided any serious legal or other problems. He has gotten thrown out of Catholic school and is just getting by in a public school he hates. We don't think he has either the social or academic skills to do well in a traditional prep school and were looking seriously at Hyde until we came across this site and other negative reviews of Hyde. (Even before that, some of the Hyde materials looked suspiciously "cult-like" to us.)
Any suggestions?
Navigation
[0] Message Index
[#] Next page
Go to full version