Hyde is definately reading this board

[Anonymous]

The staff member who posted definitely exemplifies the undermining attitude a great majority of the staff carry around on campus, but Hyde, all in all, is a safe, and reliable school to send your teenagers

[Anonymous]

On 2005-12-04 12:51:00, Anonymous wrote:

"The staff member who posted definitely exemplifies the undermining attitude a great majority of the staff carry around on campus, but Hyde, all in all, is a safe, and reliable school to send your teenagers"

I don't understand this last post.  On one hand you say that this is the "undermining attitude a great majority of the staff carry" and on the other hand you say Hyde is a safe and reliable school to send your teenagers.  

How can Hyde be reliable and safe when a great majority of the staff are Cult like in attitude.  I sure wouldn't want to put my daughter at a school like this!!

[Anonymous]

Are you saying Hyde is not a safe school? That what my point was, kind sir.

[Anonymous]

Why are staf members so sneaky and derogatory? Did they not have enough of putting down students in their cult school while we WERE ACTUALLY there, now they must continue to do so ..Unreal

[Anonymous]

On 2005-12-04 12:51:00, Anonymous wrote:

"The staff member who posted definitely exemplifies the undermining attitude a great majority of the staff carry around on campus, but Hyde, all in all, is a safe, and reliable school to send your teenagers"

To parents considering Hyde:  This is yet another comment that exemplifies Hyde's remarkably destructive qualities.  This is the sort of contradictory, damaging perspective that surrounds kids and families at Hyde. The person who posted this comment (above) says (1) "a great majority of" Hyde staff typically display an "undermining attitude" and (2) Hyde is a "safe, and reliable school."  Imagine your child surrounded by staff who undermine them and display the sort of arrogant, judgmental, shaming, dismissive attitude expressed by the Hyde staff person who referred to this website as a "cesspool."  Would you consider that a "safe and reliable" atmosphere?  And, there is so much else at Hyde that's even more destructive.  

Imagine what kind of damage a couple of years of this kind of twisted environment and thinking could do to your kid and yourself.

[Anonymous]

Excellent points right there...Excellent..Thank you

[Anonymous]

Hey , anyone remember Tara R from New Jersey..She was with us in 96 or so..

[Anonymous]

Hi, Im a parent that's looking into sending my 15 year old son to Hyde..Is there any PHYSICAL abuse at this school, please be honest, thanks in advance, Veronica

[Anonymous]

On 2005-12-04 15:12:00, Anonymous wrote:

"Hi, Im a parent that's looking into sending my 15 year old son to Hyde..Is there any PHYSICAL abuse at this school, please be honest, thanks in advance, Veronica"

I'm not aware of significant instances of physical abuse at Hyde.  During our time with Hyde we've heard direct reports of instances where staff have screamed at students and yelled insults at them (and parents too), and we've observed a couple of these incidents.  I've heard rumors of inappropriate physical contact between Hyde staff and students (and one lawsuit alleging sexual harassment), but I've not observed these events.

During the years we've been affiliated with Hyde we've enountered MANY instances where staff were emotionally abusive to students and parents.  We've personally witnessed very aggressive confrontations, use of inappropriate language, and that sort of thing.  We think some Hyde staff have shown a pattern of very inappropriate, unprofessional behavior, and that's why we're eager to separate ourselves from Hyde.  One of the worst offenders is the founder, Joe Gauld.  You can read lots of comments about him on this website.

When we first started at Hyde we believed in the model (or at least the model we THOUGHT Hyde uses).  We've since learned so much about the school that deeply troubles us.  That's why we no longer recommend Hyde and, in fact, actively discourage people from enrolling at Hyde.  I should mention that this isn't sour grapes.  We're not a family that has an "off track" kid (that's Hyde's term for a student who doesn't embrace the Hyde approach and doesn't measure up) or that has battled Hyde.  In fact, we've been a very committed, compliant family. Our child is doing okay academically and hasn't gotten into any significant trouble at all.

We now know that Hyde is a TERRIBLE environment for us and many others -- educationally, emotionally, etc. -- especially if the child has any serious mental health issues.  When we started at Hyde we didn't know about other schools that serve similar student populations.  We now know so much more and regret that we chose Hyde.  We're so happy we made the decision to head in a different direction, now that we know about some very impressive alternatives.

Good luck.

[Anonymous]

Wow, thank you so much for the information!! Any OTHER schools you can recommend? After reading some of the things discussed on here about Hyde, and after what you just told me, I think Ill take your advice...Please share some other schools with a more upstanding reputation

[Anonymous]

In the Northeast section of the country ...

[Anonymous]

On 2005-12-04 15:12:00, Anonymous wrote:

"Hi, Im a parent that's looking into sending my 15 year old son to Hyde..Is there any PHYSICAL abuse at this school, please be honest, thanks in advance, Veronica"

What I witnessed at Hyde was probably considered physical neglect.  Maybe some states would consider this physical abuse, I really don't know.  The punishments of 2-4 could be considered physical abuse, but again I am not sure.  There was also an incident of a top administrator choking a kid as well as another top administrator pinning a girl against the wall.  I am sure if Childrens Services were brought in for both of these incidences, there would have been many questions about what is going on at this school.  I know that both administrators are still in good standing at the school.

Because I don't know the laws of Conn and Maine it is hard to know the true definition of "physical abuse."

More importantly than the abuse is the fact that the school does not take incidences like the above seriously or take action against the perpetrators when it involves one of their old time personnel or family members.  The schools "mind set" is what concerns me the most.  

If you are asking this question because you are considering Hyde, I would carefully read all the posts on this website and then make your decision after speaking to a good and reputable Education Consultant.

[Anonymous]

So, I gather, in essence, Hyde is NOT the school I would want my son in..thanks for the help guys :wave:   If anyone could recommend a good school for my son, I d appreciate the information, you seem like a bunch of bright people!  Thanks again


Veronica
C.T

[Anonymous]

On 2005-12-04 15:39:00, Anonymous wrote:

"Wow, thank you so much for the information!! Any OTHER schools you can recommend? After reading some of the things discussed on here about Hyde, and after what you just told me, I think Ill take your advice...Please share some other schools with a more upstanding reputation"

It's hard to recommend other schools without knowing more about your son and his unique challenges.  (One of the big problems with Hyde is that they accept an unusually high percentage of applicants, many of whom are troubled kids with significant mental health, behavioral, and/or substance abuse issues.  And, Hyde doesn't believe in employing professional mental health staff.  Most of the other schools we've recently checked out are much more selective than Hyde and want to be sure they can meet the child's needs.  At Hyde,  they believe their model fits everyone who walks through the door.)

If your son is in the midst of significant crises, you'd have to look for a school that's equipped to deal with that (therapeutic boarding school, such as the Academy at Swift River: http://www.swiftriver.com/).  If he's functioning well, overall, an "emotional growth" boarding school may make sense.

Woodbury Reports (see the Struggling Teens website) provides a good overview of available schools:  http://www.strugglingteens.com/

For boys, I've heard very good things about the White Mountain School in New Hampshire: http://www.whitemountain.org/

Also you may want to check out the Glenholme school in Conn. (http://www.theglenholmeschool.org/) and Carlbrook in Virginia: (http://www.carlbrook.org/).

Again, it's hard to say without knowing more about your child.

[Anonymous]

He's just trying to find himself, he's not a bad kid, just a little misguided.He actually WANTS to get out of public school and try a new approach..This White Mountain School looks SUPERB!! Thanks for all of your help guys, you rock!

Veronica

P.S Sorry you had to find out the hard way that Hyde school was a corrupt cult like place, you deserve BETTER than that..You all seem very bright and intelligent :wink: