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Messages - Defiant's mom

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World Wide Association of Specialty Programs and Schools (WWASPS) / Why doesn't someone contact Dear old Dr Phil or Oprah
« on: February 17, 2006, 11:44:00 AM »
Don't be fooled by Oprah.  She is selectively "outraged."  I think she has a hidden agenda, but I don't know what it is....

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CEDU / Brown Schools and derivatives / clones / Whats the deal with King George?
« on: February 16, 2006, 04:25:00 PM »
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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CEDU / Brown Schools and derivatives / clones / Whats the deal with King George?
« on: November 14, 2005, 10:12:00 PM »
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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CEDU / Brown Schools and derivatives / clones / Whats the deal with King George?
« on: November 14, 2005, 10:07:00 PM »
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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CEDU / Brown Schools and derivatives / clones / Whats the deal with King George?
« on: November 02, 2005, 07:06:00 PM »
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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CEDU / Brown Schools and derivatives / clones / Whats the deal with King George?
« on: November 02, 2005, 06:56:00 PM »
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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CEDU / Brown Schools and derivatives / clones / Whats the deal with King George?
« on: November 02, 2005, 09:50:00 AM »
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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CEDU / Brown Schools and derivatives / clones / Whats the deal with King George?
« on: November 01, 2005, 09:49:00 AM »
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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CEDU / Brown Schools and derivatives / clones / Whats the deal with King George?
« on: October 31, 2005, 05:10:00 PM »
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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CEDU / Brown Schools and derivatives / clones / Whats the deal with King George?
« on: October 25, 2005, 01:01:00 AM »
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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CEDU / Brown Schools and derivatives / clones / Whats the deal with King George?
« on: October 24, 2005, 10:42:00 AM »
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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CEDU / Brown Schools and derivatives / clones / oh, the scandals
« on: October 24, 2005, 12:08:00 AM »
Hello Anonymous,

In answer to your question, KGS helped Kira for a while, but I think "to everything there is a season", and for her, that season is past, and it's time to move on.  These programs are not meant to be long-term solutions, and it seems the average length of stay is six to eight months.  The kids there are soft-core, which is why we chose the school in the first place. Most of them are real sweethearts, like Kira.

I doubt they will let you speak with Kira, but it's worth a try.  I know she was a tour guide in the past, but I think that's changed.  I could be wrong.  I'm not let in on a lot, esp. now that they know how I feel.  I always speak my mind, and as Kira mentioned, that's not always welcomed.

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CEDU / Brown Schools and derivatives / clones / oh, the scandals
« on: October 23, 2005, 11:57:00 PM »
That quote by Jefferson is remarkable!  Thank you.

Btw, yes, NLD is Non-Verbal Learning Disorder (or Disability).  Or it could be Navigating Life Differently.  It's on the high-end of the Autism Spectrum, similar to Asperger's Sydrome.  My daughter is brilliant in some ways, but developmentally impaired just enough to cause many problems that have been mis-diagnosed and just simply misunderstood.  Her frustration has been at the root of many, if not all, of her acting-out behaviors, including drug use.

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CEDU / Brown Schools and derivatives / clones / oh, the scandals
« on: October 22, 2005, 12:35:00 PM »
Unfortunately, my daughter is back at KGS for the time being, and can't respond to your messages, but I've told her she got some great feedback.  I will be going up there this coming week for a "family conference", to discuss her situation with staff, and this meeting will finally include Kira and her father and grandmother, who pays the bill.

(No, she didn't get kicked out of her former high school.  Her biggest problem is NLD, but not many institutions of "higher learning" know how to handle it....)

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