Treatment Abuse, Behavior Modification, Thought Reform > Mission Mountain School

My experience at MMS

(1/2) > >>

WhitneyS:
After reading the responses of other former students from MMS, I have come to realize that my response is much different than those of my friends who I went to school there with.  My exeperience at Mission Mountain School was wonderful.  That place changed my life not only while I was there, but after I left as well.  Did I hate things while I was there?  Sure.  I hated having to eat things I didn't like... Tuna, mayo, milk.  But that's about all I HATED.  Sure I didn't like having consequence workcrew or intervention, but everything there taught me a valuable lesson about life.
When we had to run laps because someone in our class didn't finish their homework, it taught me that we are only as strong as our weakest link.  After leaving MMS, I got a job as a waitress and have being doing it ever since (almost 5 years).  When the other people I work with are lagging on their responsibilites, the restaurant has a lot of problems.  When I work on group projects at school, if one person doesn't complete their part of the project, it is up to the rest of the group to complete their tasks for them.
Intervention sucked, but it taught me a lot about gratitude and hard work.  I guess having the priveledge of a shower, mail, and phone calls taken away can be harsh, but it made us all work harder and come together to get those privledges back.  
My experience at MMS is different from everyone else who went there.  Everyone underwent their own struggles, and had THEIR own experiences and I definitly had my own while I was there.  For example, for 7 months (Oct-May) I shoveled horse shit everyday for 3 hours a day, 7 days a week.  ALONE.  While I was doing this, the other girls either had their elective classes (music, art, etc), were making christmas presents for their families, or were having study hall time.  And through all of this, I was shoveling horse shit in 20 degree weather and filling the troughs with buckets since I couldn't use the hoses in the winter (they would freeze).  That was the BEST experience of my life.  I worked hard, I exercised, I had time alone to think... And the metaphor it stood for finally made sense after being out there for awhile.
I am not perfect.  I still have issues that I work though on a daily basis.  But MMS changed my life for the better.  And I give thanks to all the staff members and the girls who were there with me for changing my life.  I am currently a junior at Arizona State University.  I am doing well in school, I have a job, and I am extremely close with my parents.  I am happy with myself and my life... And all of this would not have been possible without the help of MMS. There is so much more I would like to say, so if you have questions or comments (PLEASE DO NOT LEAVE ME NASTY COMMENTS... I won't respond) conact me directly.
If you would like to contact me, you can email me.  And if you want to talk to my parents (who share the same views on MMS as I do) you can ask me for their emails/phone numbers and I will make sure it is okay with them.

Anonymous:
Showering and being able to communicate with the outside world are RIGHTS, not priviliedges. These are basic rights that each and every person deserves, even convicted murderers, and yes, even children in locked/residential facilities.

Invertix:
I was thinking exactly the same thing.

Cayo Hueso:
Ditto.  It's not any different from what's been said by those still 'under the spell' from these various places.  Things like, 'it was for my own good, I did the necessary things to get myself there, I would be deadinsaneorinjail, my brain needed to be washed etc.'  Same shit, different day.  What a shame. :sad:
Cult: A religion with no political power.
--Tom Wolfe, American author
--- End quote ---

Anonymous:
You know what? I think that it is great that you had a good experince at MMS. But what about the other girls who were not treated fairly?  It's good to look at your own experience, but what about looking at it through another persons? You may have been greatly lucky receive such fairness or you may have been able to manipulate the system..."getting on the good side" and therefore you were not picked on like other girls. It doesn't seem as though you had great troubles in the first place, but what about the other girls,
your friends, who may have had severe trauma previous to MMS and they were humiliated, insulted, embarrased, critisized, punished, and falsely diagnosed instead of receiving the peoper treatment/therapy? you know if you look inside your heart you will see what is right and wrong.

I feel as though I have to compare it for you so you see my vision of things.. Imagine yourself growing up in an abusive household. You would never admit to any abuse because you were never targeted and you were always treated right. When asked about your childhood you would say " I had a great childhood", but what about your brother and sister who were the main targets of anger? Would you stick up for them? Just because you were treated right does not make it fair. You do not need to stick up for something because it was right for you, was it right for everyone? did you witness anything that you thought was wrong? Do you think other girls are complaining for no reason? Are they making things up? While girls were being forced to talk about their deep personal lives where were you? or while being punished like the girl who had to build fences and live in a tent for 9 months? (what did she do anyway?)or being forced to tell their friends that they are nazi and they hated them? I could state many examples, but I just want to know who would you stick up first the school or your friends?

As angel had stated before:

""So over all the question is: Is Mission Mountain school, bad or good? with concrete evidence and information. This is something hard for people to identify because sometimes things were fun at that school..but look at it this way. If a person abuses another does that make them bad or good? in order to make a clear point it is important to state specific situations. Some girls will tell you that it was a great school, and it was in the purpose that it had, like a church...it is great, but just because it has a great purpose it doesn't mean that the purpose was served. People can say "well MMS was made to toughfen you up." yes true, but what lines were crossed?

Also was Mision Mountain School a problem as an entire school including all the staff?...If all the staff were witnesses to what ocurred there and let it slide they too are guilty. They had the option of working there. If you saw girls being treated innapropriately or felt that something was not right, would you continue on working there?""

Navigation

[0] Message Index

[#] Next page