Fornits
Treatment Abuse, Behavior Modification, Thought Reform => CEDU / Brown Schools and derivatives / clones => Topic started by: Anonymous on October 20, 2005, 06:06:00 PM
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My mom is considering sending my brother to King George after he completes his wilderness program. I wanted to know what the school is really like, both positive and negative. Also, because I think my parents are going to send him to some "therapeutic" school, I wanted to know which of these schools are the best if you have to go. My parents havent decided on a school yet and I want to make sure my brother goes to the best place. Furthermore, if anyone knows of any boarding schools (that people like) that have therapeutic elements to them, without all the restrictions and rules of the acutal "therapeutic" schools. Thanks.
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Try Tranquility Bay in Jamaica. I hear it's a really neat place! Your brother will love it!
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http://www.fornits.baremetal.com/wwf/vi ... 8&forum=11 (http://www.fornits.baremetal.com/wwf/viewtopic.php?topic=12268&forum=11)
Also, get yourself aquainted with this list, and the rest of the site, too.
http://isaccorp.org/watchlist.html (http://isaccorp.org/watchlist.html)
King George is on there.
Another good page out of ISAC:
http://www.isaccorp.org/cults.html (http://www.isaccorp.org/cults.html)
with yet another mention of the CEDU schools.
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You from Massachusetts?
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The "deal" on KGS is that it didn't shut with the former owner's bankruptcy, and was recently bought by a health care company that owns a lot of hospitals, and other institutions. It's hard to say what or how much will be different, but somethings will, so history is no sure thing to be the future -- it will only suggest things.
I know of someone at KGS. By reports, it is a fairly soft, possibly artsy place. It is far from the most demanding of places. Whether or not what they do is especially effective or worth the money is a whole different question.
I think well-run wilderness programs and therapeutic schools are good, despite what most posting here will say. An allegation doesn't make a truth, and one person's reprimand may be another's abuse. Good places have been hurt by ill-considered allegations. Now that that is out of the way ... the choice of any school, therapeutic or not, is more than a matter of "the best place". Best depends on the needs. Georgetown University may be the best for studying international affairs or diplomacy, but not for astrophysics.
Tell your parents about this site - and also that there is a strong anti-program bias, just as some other sites are "pro-program".
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Seeing as how every thread around here ends up with some pussy telling everyone to suck his cock and that they're a fagget, the guy is probably just gonna realize that CEDU actually degenerates you instead of developing you, and send his kid elsewhere. So I guess, in a way, mission accomplished.
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If you're looking for good schools in Vermont that truly help kids, then please don't waste your time or money with a cedu knock-off like King George. There are many great schools in vermont that truly help and prepare kids to succeed, and are tailored to meet each child's individual needs.
I can personally vouch for Rock Point School in Burlington, VT, having attended there after the nightmare of Cedu. Unlike Cedu and it's knock off's, Rock Point School is Not-For-Profit, which means that their primary concern is your child's wellfare and education, and not how much Money they can gouge from you. Back when I attended, tuition at Rock Point was barely over 1/3 of what Cedu was charging. Having spent roughly the same amount of time in both schools, I can honestly tell you that Rock Point School is superior to Cedu in every way.
Additionally, Rock Point staff are ALL qualified top-notch educators,as well as some of the most caring people I've ever known. Unlike the Cedu Knock-offs, at Rock Point you can rest assured that your kid won't be learning english or math from highschool dropouts.
Two other Vermont Schools I've heard good things about are the Gaylor School and Pine Ridge Academy, both located in the vicinity of Burlington. If I remember correctly, both of these schools accept day students and boarders.
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Did you attend King George?
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On 2005-10-21 16:56:00, Anonymous wrote:
"Did you attend King George?"
Hell No! I was at Cedu Running Springs, the original mind-fuck factory. I am however familiar enough with King George's methods, to honestly say that it's as worthless as the rest of the Cedu scam shacks! KGS isn't worth your money, trust me.
If you're looking for good schools in Vermont, try the places I mentioned, specifically Rock Point School. You won't be disappointed, and your kid will thank you for it later.
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One of my daughter's friends "transferred" from KGS to Rock Point. I've only heard good things about the latter.
To be fair, KGS was a big help to my daughter for about four or five months, but then again, maybe some other small, highly-structured, hands-on school would've done the trick too. Maybe even better. I don't know exactly what goes on at KGS, but I do know that they have a "guilty til proven innocent" outlook that raises my shackles big-time! Because I have been trying to brint this stuff out into the open, I'm now perceived as "the enemy."
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If King George is run anything like CEDU, get her the hell out. Years from now, she will realize it's even more coercive than she thinks now. Of course many students will perform well in a highly structured environment where you are carefully monitored and coerced and badgered into submission. Even the military can temporarily tame its free thinking recruits. But that is not authentic change. And it does not encourage individual thought, honesty (because your "story" must comply with their version of your past), or INDIVIDUATED support. All the wacky lingo and "tools" do not translate into the real world.
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Thank you, Shanlea, for your excellent points. Of course, you're right....I would get her out, but I'm powerless to send her to a better school, because I don't have the funds, and she is reluctant to leave without a plan in place for her next step. Her father and grandmother are not convinced that she shouldn't stay at KGS (which was a CEDU school until recently, and still use the same program). We will be having a conference at the school later this week. My daughter and I will be the only ones on "our side of the table" so to speak. Wish us luck!
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I know from personal experience that these conferences are highly manipulated. I am sure they are already "coaching" her father and grandmother.
My own experience was that they manipulated my parents with lies, had my parents--atypically--lie to me, and told me a bunch of crap about my parents to perpetuate the cycle of mistrust. They also used the whole "dead, insane, or on drugs" line with my parents, telling them I was a druggie prior to CEDU. I was not a druggie prior to CEDU and in fact, that had nothing to do with why I was sent there. The funny thing is you start to buy their bullshit as a survival mechanism from all the badgering.
Anyway, the important thing is to trust your gut. Also, I agree that it is helpful to have an effective exit plan. Serb mentioned Rock Point as a not for profit, and some schools have scholarships for those in need. Is there any way she could go home to you, and finish at an alternative school of some sort?
After I finished CEDU, I was lucky enough to find a small, private school run by high school teachers who were also college professors. The whole environment was more conducive to my learning style. I know this may not be an option in your case, but I also know there are many community resources that people don't even know about.
I wish you both much luck. By the way, it may be helpful to come up with a strategy before the meeting so you will be assertive without being reactive. Sometimes people will push your buttons to put you on the defensive and undermine your confidence. I'm sure you are much more savvy about these things than I am; I tend to be overly trusting and I'm always surprised when someone pulls a "fast one."
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The above post was mine; I forgot to log in.
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i just was released from king george yesterday my parents and i came t oa conclusion after 5 months that it was a really bad place that was total brainwashing and not organised. the rules changed on a weekly basis they seemed to have a higher staff turnover rate then mcdonalds!! no body new what was going on. It is very much a cedu knock off but if you ask them they will tell you other wise. it fucked up my life. Ive seen kids there who were perfectly fine fuck up becuase of the oprresive nature of the program. True, it is very much a guilt based guilty untill proven innocent place. They have cedu style workshops that are exacly the same as the ones they used when owned by cedu now they are owned by universal health services and it has only gotten stricter you can only have 1/2 hour on the phone per week with your parents and that less then the average prisoner in a jail. who gets 30 minutes a day on the fone. its a half assed program and a half assed education as well. sadest part is is the kids who buy into it and are brain washed into believeing its evry mind rapeing trick. I know i was there just a day ago
-----max
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hey i know you and tell your daughter i wish the best for her and i will miss her, looking foward to getting her call.
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its me above max again dont wanna seem like a stalker or anything anyways good luck i know you guys will find a ways out.
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Hey Max, it's good to see you on here! Did Kira tell you about this website? Can you tell me what you think is Kira's state of mind at KGS now? Do you think she's been brainwashed? She actually apologized to Karen for writing a post here.....!! I told her she doesn't need to apologize for expressing her feelings. I'm worried that if she stays there much longer, she will have a tough time readjusting to the "real world" and REAL academics when she leaves.
How do you like your new school, and how is it different from KGS?
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Oh she will have a hell of a time adjusting to the real world and if she plans on going to any decent college she will have a hard time adjusting to those academics as well. The combination of academic stresses and social stresses created by a KGS education will make her college experience considerably more difficult than most everyone around her.
Choose to listen to me or not, this is the truth I have found.
- A real KGS graduate
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Oh, I believe you, "Anonymous"; it's Kira's father and grandmother who are sold on KGS. They don't put as much time or thought into the subject as I do......
When did you graduate from KGS?
It would be helpful if you could possibly articulate your points in a bit more detail, and then I could share them with the people who need to "wake up" in this matter. Thank you for taking the time to do this!
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On 2005-10-31 15:43:00, Anonymous wrote:
"Oh she will have a hell of a time adjusting to the real world and if she plans on going to any decent college she will have a hard time adjusting to those academics as well. The combination of academic stresses and social stresses created by a KGS education will make her college experience considerably more difficult than most everyone around her.
Choose to listen to me or not, this is the truth I have found.
- A real KGS graduate"
She will definately have a hard time adjusting to the real world and real academics! Hopefully, her problems end there, but for many people they don't.
I had reoccuring nightmares about Cedu for months after I split. Worse, I was afraid to sleep. I was afraid of being dragged out of bed by escorts again, and taken back to hell to complete the program. I would often wake up 2 or 3 times a night with my fists clenched, and ready to fight. I was alway on edge.
I was completely paranoid.
Eventually, I started seeing a therapist, and he really helped me sort out the mess Cedu made of my head. Also, I really liked my new school,
I had great friends, and a very caring & supportive girlfriend. These factors, and most of all: time, helped me heal and move on after cedu.
I was lucky. Some people never do get over the trauma Cedu inflicted on them. I personally knew several kids who committed suicide shorty after graduating Cedu. I'm not suggesting that this will happen to your daughter, but I will say that when she does finally leave King George, Kira is in for some tough times.
Whatever you do, don't expect her to simply deal with real life on her own and come out of it okay, lots of program parents make that mistake, and it's often a costly one. Despite what KGS staff have told you, the "tools" they gave your child are completely worthless! Beleive me, Kira won't have a clue when she graduates!
You're daughter is going to need all of the support you can give her. Make sure that you're there for her, and be sure to Listen to what she says.
On a final note, I don't think it's wise to wait until graduation, since KGS won't teach her anything useful anyways. My advice to you, get Kira the hell out of there As Soon As Possible!
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Thanks for the input, SOS. If it were up to me, Kira would be out of KGS and in a different school, but: #1: She is 18, and #2: I am without the funds to pay for her (private)education. She wisely knows that she needs to be in a structured school with a lot of hands-on help for academics. She doesn't need a "program" school, but her father and his mother (who pays the bills), don't understand this, and Kira is too scared to leave without their support. So, my hands are effectively tied. I suspect my ex-husband is pleased with this aspect of the situation, as well. He still has power issues with me, and that is a big part of the problem. In a way, Kira is caught in the middle of a power struggle between her parents, and on top of it all, she is NLD. If you know anything about that, the "big picture" and inference are a challenge for her. I'm worried about her and her continuing enrollment at KGS. Like you say, I'm here for her, and will continue to support her, no matter what. But my advice is being ignored by the people in control---KGS and my ex-husband.
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Oh man, that's tough. If my earlier comments seemed insensitive to you, please forgive me, it really wasn't my intention to come off that way.
I don't know what NLD is, but I assume that it is a learning disability. If that's the case, then a cedu knock-off like KGS definately is NOT the best place for your daughter. From the way you describe her, Kira sounds like she has a good head on her shoulders, and she doesn't want to take unessessary and potentially harmful risks. I certainly can't blame her for that.
In a sheltered and highly biased environment like KGS, I sincerely doubt the Kira has had a fair opportunity to view any of the other options available to her. I doubt she even knows that other options exist.
Schools like KGS highly discourage their students from thinking independently outside
the norm group think. It's no wonder why Kira is scared to leave.
I've seen what Cedu staff do to convince kids who have a shot at leaving into staying.
Right now, KGS staff are grilling Kira non-stop trying to influence her to stay. She's hearing the "if you leave early you'll end up dead, insane, or in jail" line repeated to her over and over and over again. I know this because I've personally seen it happen to kids before. KGS staff aren't just pressuring Kira privately. They're dedicating entire rap sessions to her. Kira's friends are being lined up by KGS staff one by one, and are encouraged to tell Kira what she means to them, and how bad it will hurt them if she leaves. KGS staff will do this to make Kira feel guilty for wanting to leave. KGS staff will try to impress upon Kira that it's unfair for her to leave early, because she will be betraying all of her friends who "fought" alongside her. The pressure to stay will be enormous,they will put Kira through emotional hell.
I saw Cedu staff treat dozens of kids the same way. If these tactics don't work in their favor, then KGS will do everyhting in their power to isolate Kira from the rest of the school, bans, restrictions, you name it. They'll treat her like a disease, to be contained, so the rest of the student body
won't be contaminated.
The saddest thing is, KGS staff don't want Kira
to stay because they genuinely care about what's best for her, believe me they don't. All KGS cares about is your husband's money. They will traumitize Kira and put her through whatever emotional hell they have to, just to insure that those tuition checks keep coming.
On a final note, I am absoulutely disgusted by the way that your ex-husband is using Kira to settle his own personal vendetta against you. Regardless of what his issues with you are,
Kira and what's truly best for her should always come first. It's so sad to see that even though the man is a father, he still hasn't grown up enough to realize this. It's too bad that there's no "program" for people like your ex-husband, because he sure could use the lesson.
Please know that my heart and prayers are with both you and Kira. I wish you only the best, and I truly hope things work out for both of you.
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look if she's really close to graduating high school, as in less than 6 months, then i'd say just let her stick it out. if she's how you describe her to be, she might have a really hard time going back to high school as an 18 year old for a year. most of the friends I had at KGS that had to go home and do another year of high school when they only had a few months left at KGS didn't end up finishing. but then again, they could've just been dumb. but I stand by the fact that graduating that program really makes the next few years hard. I have to suggest the same thing as son of serbia. I'm not sure where in Massachusetts you're from, but I was born and raised in Marblehead. I graduated KGS but hadn't finished high school yet, so I did sort of a combined second semester senior/post graduate year at Northfield Mount Hermon out in Northfield. That's a really good school. It's very structured academically and so are all the schools around its area.
It's too bad your hands are tied. My mother was in the same position as you. But there are so many good boarding schools in new england for any price and any location. It would definitely be in Kira's best interest if you could convince your ex husband of a transfer.
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You guys are great! You're the only ones I can talk to who actually "get it." I've told Kira so many times that the best thing about KGS are the kids who go there! You're all the best! I think the reason(s) so many of you end up in programs like CEDU are because you're smart and sensitive, and more often than not, find yourselves in an environment that doesn't meet your needs, and so you "act out" in ways that gets attention all right, but not the kind that you truly needed in the first place. And I'm sure there are many parents out there who just "don't get it", like Kira's father. And to top it all off, his new girlfriend is a "program" devotee, from another school like KGS, with cloned thinking. Now he spouts off using the same terminology. It makes him feel smart. You're right, he needs an emotional growth course for adults!
Yes, NLD stands for Non-Verbal Learning Disorder, or disability. I prefer Navigating Life Differently. Either way, it makes it extra-hard for a sweet person like Kira to survive in a situation like the one she's in at KGS. They say she is "learning", but we all know how different life will be once she's on the "outside", and that is my worry for her. That, plus the "crap academics", as one ex-KGS student described them to me after he transferred to a more "normal" boarding school.
Do any of you know anything about Marvelwood Academy in NW CT?
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Unfortunately, Kira needs another year and a half's worth of high school credits. Much too long to stay at a place like KGS!
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If she needs another year and a half, then you should definitely check out other boarding schools in New England. Some of them are even designed specifically to offer the same academic opportunities to students with learning disorders such as NLD. I can't say enough about how good some of those schools are in your area. NMH, Wilbraham and Monson, Exeter, Andover, Deerfield...and that's just Northern MA and Southern NH. Connecticut has some excellent schools as well.
I know it was hard to sell my father on a transfer. It never worked in the end, but sometimes it seemed like we were close when we'd present the academic advantages of those other schools in new england. Everyone has their soft spot.
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I went to visit King George and met Kira. She was a delight. She is outspoken and appears to be a great kid. I thought I would send my son to King George but I have read so many negative things on line that I do not think that I am going to do it. I am going to post the letter I just found and I am curious to know what you think of it.
King George School
(place) by jrn (9.7 hr) (print) ? 2 C!s Mon Feb 24 2003 at 22:31:51
The King George School is an emotional growth boarding school in Sutton, Vermont founded around 1997. (Emotional growth is a euphemism for therapeutic boarding school). I hope my experience there in 2000-2001 will help to explain what living at King George is like.
I will not begin at the beginning. I don't even remember it. Instead, I will tell one day of this strange life I lived.
I wake up at about 7:25. I am supposed to wake up at 6:45 every morning, do morning exercise, shower, brush my teeth, shave, clean the sinks and surrounding counter with simple green, clean the mirror with Windex, sweep the sink-and-mirror area floor, mop it well with simple green, and do countless other things that I don't remember. These are all rules we're expected to follow. Someone knows them all, but they're not compiled anywhere.
My routine is quite different. I am lucky to have a lax dorm head, Mike. Our dorm is dorm E, called Alvin Ailey, and nowadays it seems to be the only one where people get along. We hear all about everyone else's problems in communication classes, but that needn't concern Mike and me. We are good friends: we talk about any beautiful thing that comes to mind while our other dormee just listens. My sleep in this dorm has been unusually peaceful.
Last night the conversation melted from Bach's fugues to the Vermont Youth Symphony orchestra summer session (his band camp) to the Center for Talented Youth (my academic camp) to girls to "A Clockwork Orange" to public school life to Ishmael to the King George life to me leaving tomorrow and him staying for at least another year. We talked for a while, I showed him photographs, and this morning I have a short conversation about something from last night. I pack up my laptop, take a three-minute shower, brush my teeth for a minute, wipe the sinks and mirror, pacify the faculty member worried about the time, sweep the floor, make my bed, and go outside. It is good to be able to wake up late.
I wear jeans, sandals, a t-shirt of hemp fabric, and a collared linen shirt with slits so I can wear it untucked. I should wear a belt, but hey, it's my last day: what can they do? Mike and I go outside, find people from the other dorms waiting for us and complaining, and walk up towards Eddy, the Educational Building.
I drop off my laptop at the fence and suddenly go the wrong way, along with everyone else, downhill towards the girls' dorm. It's about a mile away and the girls walk to school every morning; recently, some of the girls complained enough to get us to walk the path too. We go down the road, complaining ourselves the whole time, meet up with the girls at the bottom of the hill, and turn around again! None of the guys like this state of affairs.
Eventually the ordinary day is starting. I put my computer in my computer cubby and grab a book from my academic cubby, making sure to keep the rest of the cubby straight in case the cubby room heads decide to confiscate its contents Then I skip down the eddy hall to the dining hall (for I mayn't run), grab an apple, and help the table heads set their tables. One morning I had gone to the theater, where pre-breakfast meeting is held, before I went to the dining hall and wasn't allowed to grab my morning apple. I've never made that mistake again.
Soon the pre-breakfast meeting starts. We sit down "theater style", facing the stage, where the student leader takes roll. Everyone who has anything to say makes a drawn-out announcement on what they want or what we should do ("find my jacket", "perform random acts of kindness", etc) while we wait and whisper and hope that the student leader's name-takers don't give us extra chores. We go to breakfast; I rush to the student fridge, grab a bag of bagels, push through the crowds of others who seek the same, place the bag on the counter, grab a plain bagel, and wait in line for the toaster. Soon it is my turn to put my bagel into the toaster, and I carefully regulate the speed, for others have different yet equally strong preferences on the doneness of bagels. It inevitably burns; I put peanut butter on it and lay it on a small plate.
Once I track down morning faculty and request permission to sit outside as politely as I can, I rush to the door and lean back. As it falls open, the sounds of breakfast melt away; slowly I make my way to the wooden bench at the empty picnic table where I get my bliss for the day, thinking on what has happened, what will happen, what is important, what is thinking, and slowly letting even thought melt away. Others join me, we talk, but peace is retained.
My solace is suddenly disturbed when the student leader comes out and calls me. "Neider! You need to do prewash!" Everyone here calls me Neider, and I have done prewash (spraying off and scrubbing dishes before they enter the rather weak washing machine) two or three times daily for several months now. It may seem dirty, stressful, tiring, and fairly unrewarding, but I love it. But anyway, I must go. There might be a backlog of dishes if I don't start now.
I stride to behind the garage-door window in front of the dish washer and put on an apron with one hand. I turn on and fill the dishwashing machine with the other, then start stacking dishes, clearing food off plates, sorting dishes into piles, and adding dish soap to the silverware within a couple of minutes. I grab a rack from under the washing machine, rack the plates in rows, and spray food and grease off of plates as them come. When there is no plate ready to rack I spray the silverware. Once the plates are spotless, I open the machine, push the track in, slam it closed, and start on another rack. This continues; I am constantly spraying, scrubbing, sorting, yelling, pushing racks, and keeping the drain of the prewash sink unclogged. I catch enough spare minutes while washing other dishes to soak and scrub pots and pans before they need to go in, so I achieve my goal of always having something washing in the machine. Exhausted, soaked, and covered with nastiness, I ask the student leader how I did, ask if he needs anything else, and leave content. My mind's peace during prewash is almost as strong as during breakfast outside.
Once I tried to make my entire life as satisfying as prewash, breakfast outside, and camping trips to Utah. I even asked my mentor (who reads my mail to make sure it's appropriate, supervises my phone calls, determines consequences for my actions, and generally supervises my emotional growth) for help, and I put my heart into the assignments I received (such as "Describe what home is to you"). Nothing came of it. To find home here was futile.
Ever since I've been here I have been seeking this same sense of contentment. When I first came (I remember it vividly), my parents drove up to a strange building, and I wasn't paying attention to anything because we had been driving around and looking at schools all day. I had asked the same question many times, many ways: "Why are you sending me away to boarding school?"
I had received the same answer, many times, many ways: "We can't explain how, but we're trying to help you. You wouldn't succeed in public school, the private schools around wouldn't accept you, and Dr. Anderseen recommended this." When I angrily found and began to read the report Mr. Anderseen had written on the subject, my parents had snatched it away just as angrily back. "We don't want you to misunderstand," they had said with intense false compassion. "We'll take you to see Dr. Anderson and he can explain," Mother said and Father agreed. Father occasionally leaked some small detail from it about how my brain worked, and I would wrack my mind for a reason that this necessitated boarding school. I still don't know. What does thinking analytically but thinking I think conceptually have to do with my needing to be sent away? What does "ADHD, combined type" mean, and where does it fit in? Why does an English score about 30% below my math matter when both are far above average?
Eventually I got to see Dr. Anderson again, and he talked to me as a 5-year-old. I could only pull two pieces of information out of him. One was that ADHD, combined type means I can hyperfocus in some circumstances but I am attention deficit hyperactive in others. If this is indeed the whole ADHD business then I don't see how the diagnosis should change anything; we already knew that I could focus on programming and chess to an extent that "Jonathan, it's time for bed!" wouldn't disturb but it could take me hours to start writing an essay without getting distracted. The other was that the only way that I could read the report about how my mind worked that had determined my life for the next year would be if my parents let me. They didn't until a couple of months ago.
So, as we walked out of the car to go the the Clark House (main office), my mother said something to the meaning of "if you don't cooperate and tell them you want to go here, you know what could happen." I did know: she could send me some place worse. I did cooperate, somewhat sincerely, because compared to the other options I had seen, this place seemed great. For months afterwards, I continued to cooperate out of fear, and soon I had convinced myself that I liked the school, but disliked certain rules. I continued to rationalize: the rules were always going to be there; this was good for me; I was learning to exist in a society that wasn't made for me and form my own semblance of society for myself. For some reason the people, both students and faculty, were amazing; through some of them I achieved great things, like learning to snowboard and mountain bike, and camping in the Adirondacks and Utah. I told myself that this was what King George should be and what I should make it, and that when I was frustrated I was doing my work in resolving my conflict with society.
This drove me forward, and it was a year packed with one-sided progress, but I never could get rid of that occasional feeling of oppression and needed for escape. I learned the joys of running, programming, swimming alone, and sticking my head in snow. Yet the need for escape only grew stronger. I became a hairpin trigger, ready to snap at any moment. I was assigned a self-study involving homework, manual labor, strange written assignments, solitude, and suspension of privileges, so I could snap and get it over with.
I tried very hard, and everyone could see how hard I was trying. When I wanted to go to a summer camp called C.T.Y., where I would be doing academics and being social in the hands of John Hopkins University (while at Loyola Marymount University), they were willing to oblige, as long as I kept up with the classes I was missing. I said my goodbyes, finished the sociology paper I had been working on, and an hour later, left for C.T.Y.
There I found home. I fell in love, did biology at an appropriate pace, got a nickname I liked (Cole, because I looked like a girl's cousin of that name), relaxed, and learned more about life in three weeks than I had learned in my year of emotional growth. It took no struggle to feel at home there, because my life was structured around me. Even when the R.A.s said that I couldn't travel off campus and I couldn't sit in trees, I actually could and actually did. I felt freer than I ever had before.
When I returned, I resigned on my quest to find a home at King George. I found a home at the picnic table outside, at the prewash station, with a group of people that by the rules were a clique who shouldn't hang out together so much. That last month was the most bearable month I had there; I let myself go, met people away from the context, broke rules, and talked about what I wanted without thinking about appropriateness.
I live my last day with one thought constantly in my head: just one more day. During what should be class periods, I program my lasting legacy on the school, a program to help Lauren (my mentor, and the assistant to the academic dean) with faculty schedules. During lunch, I eat with the clique and talk about how to write a proposal to stop walking with the girls in the morning. During the last class period I hang out in the cubby room, give things I don't want away, and sift my things into my backpack to make packing easier later. On the way up to our "afternoon Head of School focus", I talk with a friend about Be Here Now and L.S.D., and the advantages and disadvantages of the drug. After the focus I practice piano for my closing at tonight's meeting. As the day is ending, I say preliminary goodbyes, and soon the closing meeting begins.
There are two closings today. One is Shannon's: she recently returned from an internship where she helped take care of orphaned bears in a large forest. As she gives a slide show on the trip, I think about the weekend the entire school spent on her father's land after the older students had graduated or transferred to other schools, and about the slide show we who had gone to Utah gave upon returning. It really was something special, to see what people did in the outside world and how we welcomed them back inside.
Then there's my closing, and people fuss over putting the piano in the right spot while I run off to grab my music. I haven't performed here since the closing to my week of self-study away from the community, but I play anyway, ignoring the many mistakes I make and pouring out all the emotion I can muster. I play a Sonata in G by Beethoven, the one I play to impress people, then I play a Prelude and Fugue in C minor, then a short reflective piece, then a Prelude in E Minor, and the crowd still calls for encores. My skill at piano is not very great, but they love it here; they don't get exposed to any virtuosos or anything. I continue to play until my music disintegrates.
Then I sit on the stage while my ex-mentor and my ex-self-study-facilitator try to embarrass me with a final closing ceremony. Hidden at the fringes in others' comments are drug references. Mainly, they say "you're lucky - free at last!" rather than "farewell, you've learned what you needed". People line up and all come to hug me and they give me a card like a yearbook signing page with a quote I don't believe in in the center. It's all very touching, but I'm not embarrassed and I am glad to leave.
After the closing, I go to Lauren's office and install the finally completed scheduling program. This takes about a half an hour; now I can go down to the dorm, after drawing all my stuff into a bag. I finally am allowed to listen to the jazz CD that my father sent me months ago without getting it approved and donating it to the school, so I do. Mike complains about its simplicity. We hang out, talk openly, listen to Tory Amos, and kick out everyone I don't want in our room. Gradually, everyone else goes to sleep and I am left alone.
As night continues and I pack to leave tomorrow, I find myself growing sentimental. I find my self-study notebook, the list of hugging instructions Aska had given me as a joke, the sonnet crown starting with "I will do my homework every day" and ending with "Some day perhaps I'll find a better way" that I had never finished, the cards people wrote me from after the Truth and Trust workshop, the letter on why I was here that I had demanded of my father after an argument, the picture of my ex-dorm-head Jared I had put on my bulletin board to fill up space and comply with his rule, and the quarter I had kept from the first day though we weren't supposed to have money. Together, it reminds me how much K.G.S. has taken out of me. My thoughts refuse to organize themselves enough for me to sleep, so I stay up all night listening to Tory Amos and type a random freewrite and put it, white on black, on the background on my laptop.
The only way I could explain what I saw in myself that night was to compare it to a piece of terrible amateur piano composition I had written, a hideous repetition of B natural and C in various simple rhythms layered upon itself. The world around me was a poison, corrupting any simple, innocent thoughts and converting them to a blend of psychoanalysis, Eastern philosophy, logic, and metaphor. My view of the world had, in a year, become irreparably crazed; never again would I be able to hold a simple opinion without worrying cynically about all the evil there is in any implementation of an idea, in any action.
Maybe I just grew up a little. I know one thing: the King George School did not accomplish what it set out to accomplish. I, like most other students who went through a year at King George, still have the problems I came in with. I am still rebellious, and I still do not do all of my schoolwork. I fear that this means I am not exactly succeeding at the school I attend now.
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Thank you for posting, and for your kind remarks about Kira. She is a great kid, and I'm so worried that her KGS experience will in some way diminish her.
Where did you find this letter?? I appears to be nearly three years old, and from what I gather, KGS has changed quite a bit in the interim. For example, no personal computers were allowed until very recently, and Kira still doesn't have one up there. I believe the head of school, Karen (did you meet her? If so, what was your impression?), was not there at the time the letter was written. I also heard the place was dysfunctional at that time, but in a different way from its present dysfunction.
I hope you'll post again. Your input is valuable to me. Thanks again.
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P.S.
Where did you decide to send your son? If I had it to do over again, I would choose a non-therapeutic but well-structured "second chance" boarding school closer to home.
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I thought I'd give an update for anyone interested:
My daughter signed herself out of King George School just before Christmas, and was very excited about the prospect of enrolling at a more "normal" boarding school. It's now February, and to make a long story short, she has not been able to transfer because #1: The powers-that-be at KGS have given out very negative and obviously skewed "information" on my daughter to any other school that has inquired about her, and #2: The academic credits she received at KGS were insufficient for her grade level. The upshot? She will need to wait until SEPTEMBER to enter an academic boarding school, esentially REPEATING the year she spent at KGS! On top of that, she will carry (hopefully, not for long) the stigma of the erroneous and unprofessional "diagnosis" made by the unqualified staff at KGS! We are currently working on getting a truly professional assessment from a qualifed therapist in our local area, who recognizes the obviously biased one given by KGS.
Parents beware!!
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Same thing happened to me when I tried to transfer from Boulder Creek to a normal (and fairly prestigious) boarding school in Massachusetts. My credits were insufficient, and the recommendations they sent over made me seem like a ticking time bomb who was going to burn the campus down.
Beware is right! Parents, quit being jackasses...if you're going to pick CEDU, you'd better realize there's no going back.
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How old is your daughter and what grade is she supposedly in? My daughter was halfway through junior year in high school when she essentially dropped out which would necessitate her repeating the entire year. Now she wants to go to a structured school which would allow her to complete high school. We were hoping she could do junior and senior year in one year at King George. Would her diploma be valid? Would colleges accept it?
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You'd be much better off sending your daughter to a real bording school or college prep school. King George is not a real school,they prioritize "Emotional-Growth" exercises and workshops over real Academics. King George DOES NOT adequately prepare kids for college.
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Unfortunately, I don't think my daughter would get into a "real" boarding or prep school due to her terrible junior year. Did you go to King George? How long ago? Did you go on to college, or were you unable to get in? Their literature gives a whole list of colleges to which their graduates were accepted. Do you think they had to do postgrad work somewhere else?
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On 2005-10-22 05:25:00, Son Of Serbia wrote:
"
On 2005-10-21 16:56:00, Anonymous wrote:
"Did you attend King George?"
Hell No! I was at Cedu Running Springs, the original mind-fuck factory. I am however familiar enough with King George's methods, to honestly say that it's as worthless as the rest of the Cedu scam shacks! KGS isn't worth your money, trust me.
If you're looking for good schools in Vermont, try the places I mentioned, specifically Rock Point School. You won't be disappointed, and your kid will thank you for it later."
what years did you go to rock point? my sisters went there. they loved it. I grew up in bvt. went to rma 89-92
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parents,
I think you must remember that it is not all important that your son or daughter gets into a prestigious college prep school, or should be worried at this time about college at all. There will be time for college or votech school, or whatever, in time. Just do the best you can for them right now. There is no race. If they can't get into a "real" boarding school, who cares? Put her/him in your local HS or a local private school.
Speaking as a parent, you placed your child at KG for a reason - I would certainly have not placed my child in an EG school if she had not needed it. I knew, and you should have known that EG schools do not adequately prepare kids for college. That is not why you sent them there.
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On 2006-05-19 18:41:00, Anonymous wrote:
"Speaking as a parent, you placed your child at KG for a reason - I would certainly have not placed my child in an EG school if she had not needed it. I knew, and you should have known that EG schools do not adequately prepare kids for college. That is not why you sent them there."
You're an idiot. If you read the posts here at all, then you'd know that this parent was not responsible for placing her daughter at King George at all. Her ex-husband was behind it, mostly because he wanted to spite his ex-wife.
EG schools are not an adequate place for anyone, and no one needs them (despite what the EG criminals say). Parents place their kids in EG schools for a variety of reasons, but your dreaming if you think parents don't want their kid to be prepared for college. In fact many parents put their kids in EG "schools" for exactly that reason, because they fear that their kid wouldn't otherwise get into college.
EG consultants and administrators exploit these fears, and the alleged college success rates of these "schools" are a key marketing tool. Anyone whose ever been in one of these places knows that the academics are a complete sham, EG programs couldn't prepare someone to tie their shoes, let alone succeed in college. Still the EG criminals insist that they are academically sound,as well as the only alternative to children winding up dead/insane/or in jail. They've been using this terror tactic to con parents for decades, take it from me, it simply isn't true.
The truth is that the so-called "emotional growth education" is worthless. They rely on failed theraputic techniques that were developed by cults,and which have long since been defrocked by evey self-respecting psychologist in the field. EG "schools" favor this approach instead of giving kids a solid academic education, and teaching them real life skills that they can use. These institutions
simply don't work, and in the vast majority of students, the harm that these programs cause far outweighs any perceived benefits.
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hey...i can say some stuff about KGS...i was at CEDU Running Springs *HS* from 2002-2004 then went onto normal boarding school...by my first month of senior year i had dropped outta school cuz i was doin too many drugs...so my parents send me to King George...i used to be a cutter and hadnt done it for a long ass time... i started again when i got there....i also was serious watch because i almost punched a girl...basically with KGS is that if a kid with some serious mental issues (i'm a paranoid/manic schizophrenic) needed help or some other issues, dont send them to KGS...the only thing i got out of it was a hs diploma...a lot of staff didnt want me to go to college for fear of relapse...haven't yet and i'm doin well! woot...so yeah....just say no to KGS
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Are there any parents of kids currently at King George who would like to share their feelings, positive and negative, about the school? Also, any recent students...since UHS took them over? My child is there now and I'd like to hear some opinions of others in a similar situation.