As soon as Lino could grasp again, they sent him mountain climbing again in Maine, where he slipped and ripped open his right arm. They used what supplies and bandages they had from the first aid kit they had with them to attempt to stop the bleeding. He wore an improvised sling for two days, until they reached base camp and were able to drive him to a hospital. By then his arm had become infected and they were forced to amputate the limb. Lino maintained that he had been forced to hike in unsafe conditions and begged his parents to remove him from the school, but his concerns were not taken seriously and he is currently a junior at the school, often on 2/4 for his attitude towards Hyde. Lino complains that the one-armed push-ups he does are harder than the standard push-ups the other kids do, but he's been told that he uses his left arm while other kids alternate, so it should be strong, and he's just a weak complainer.
Actually, Ursus, he healed after a month or two and is fine now, and should still be a student. I get the feeling you want to hear about mistreatment of students at Hyde...
I've posted here, but I don't feel bad about the place. I feel the time I spent there was beneficial. It might be a nightmare for some people, but if you follow the rules it can almost be tolerable. That is, if you don't allow yourself to be in a position to be punished. Which, I admit, not everyone is capable of, and it's certainly a hard way to live. I remember saying in my wilderness program I felt like I knew how it was being a prisoner of war. Hyde isn't that level (I was grateful for the three-hots-and-a-cot), but it is an uneasy environment where you have to be constantly aware. But if you can manage yourself there, you have definitely learned some skills. I won't say you'll go off prepared to take on the world, since a lot of graduates go on to college and PAAARTY! themselves out, but you'll build a tough skin which isn't that bad. Like in an army. :roll:
But yeah, Ursus, you will be penalized for talking back. You have to, as Hyde says "take hold and let go", which is a pretty ridiculous phrase I still joke about with my parents. But you have to learn to stop fighting and accept the fact that you're in the Hyde program, and try to get what you can from it. That's the state of mind they want you to be in. Unfortunately, accepting being a part of the program and doing your best is only enough to get by there, not enough to bask in their grace. You have to kiss ass for that. In fact, I was kept only in "good" standing
because of my integrity. I refused to give them my signature committing myself to graduate from Hyde, explaining to them that not only was it my desire to not return to Hyde, but that it was unlikely that I would return, as my parents had already selected an alternate school for me. I was told point-blank by the headmaster that the only thing keeping me from being a student of privilege, Head's List, was my refusal to commit. No other students refused like I did. Many kids gave their word and signature (underage, so not legally-binding), and then left at the end of the year. I do not lie. I left the school honestly.
I guess it's just part of Hyde (and this forum) that almost every anecdote ends in a horror story, haha!
