| Author | Message | ||
| Colleentinker Registered user Username: Colleentinker Post Number: 5455 Registered: 12-2003  |
Well, Pheekióthey think it's necessary for the reasons you stated: sending them to academy is part of the indoctrination process. Further, by sending kids to academy away from the influence of "the world" (and also parents), they hope to get those kids paired up with Adventist potential spouses. Also, they move them on toward Adventist colleges from the SDA academies, and prepare those kids with further religious indoctrination as well as degrees and "connections" that will hopefully prepare them for jobs either in church institutions or, if not in the church, in professions that will yield good pay that will thus enable that person to become a financial supporter of the church. The irony of the Adventist academy phenomenon is that on the one hand, the kids are emotionally bonded to the SDA culture as a result of being "confined" with peers on fairly remote campusesóbut those kids have a very high rate of attritionóoften from active church participation and very often from any inclination to know Jesus and serve Him. Adventism becomes their cultural identityósort of like secular Jewsóbut knowing Jesus in truth is often very distasteful to kids who've spent their youth in SDA boarding schools. Some, to be sure, seek after some sort of spiritual experienceóbut more often than not those experiences end up being a pursuit of some sort of "Holy Spirit mysticism" with new-agey overtones, or they return to a focus on following Adventism, forcing Ellen to mesh with their postmodern view of religion. It's quite sad, actually. Adventism works very well in today's postmodern world. The idea of absolute truth is passeótruth, people say, is whatever is true for you. Our call, as people who have come out of Adventism, for people to return to the absolute foundation of the Bible as God's unerring revealed word, is very unpopular in our culture at large today. Adventists have a sort of "double blinder" onóboth their Adventism and the postmodern mindset consider absolute Biblical truth to be outmoded. Colleen | ||
| Sabra Registered user Username: Sabra Post Number: 418 Registered: 10-2001 |
lucybugg, we are neighbors! I live in Hixson, almost Soddy, don't get a chance to post much anymore but I am so glad of this post. It's about time someone stands up for those kids, I hope it changes something, I was worked to death and never got any of the money, still wonder where it all went. | ||
| Lucybugg Registered user Username: Lucybugg Post Number: 9 Registered: 2-2007 |
Sabra, I live in Spring City and work in Dayton. I lived in Hixson from 1993-1999. I'm glad to see someone from my area! | ||
| Sabra Registered user Username: Sabra Post Number: 419 Registered: 10-2001 |
well, thought I posted but it's not here! Lucybugg, we are neighbors, I live in Soddy! Sorry I don't get a chance to post much but I'm so glad for this news story. It's about time someone speaks up for these kids. Boarding school is a terrible, convenient way to get rid of your kids and the SDA's let you do it with a good conscience. So glad to be out of the cult. Praise God. It's like the abuse of it all is catching up with me at once. As a parent now of teenagers I can't imagine what my mother was thinking other than she wanted rid of me and it's so wrong, the church, the system, the cult, the members, it's wrong, just simply abusively wrong. Hope you are all well, love you all, Sabra | ||
| Wolfgang Registered user Username: Wolfgang Post Number: 133 Registered: 10-2005 |
we lived on dayton mountain for a bit and i worked at dayton hospital once a yankee a;ways a yankee i had to come home to michigan some strange folks upthere on that MT | ||
| River Registered user Username: River Post Number: 544 Registered: 9-2006  |
Pheeki: ************************************************* I wouldn't send my dog to the academy I attended. And we paid for that crap!! Top dollar! ************************************************* Thanks for the chuckle, I needed that. I know it really isn't funny for you but the way you said it was funny and I really needed a good laugh today.  River | ||
| Colleentinker Registered user Username: Colleentinker Post Number: 5464 Registered: 12-2003 |
Sabra, it's good to see you again! Colleen | ||
| Cy Registered user Username: Cy Post Number: 62 Registered: 1-2005  |
This has been a very interesting thread, and it really brings up a lot of thoughts and emotions for me. Academically, culturally, and spiritually, SDA academy was so deficient. But, I wouldn't be here at this point in my life if God hadn't lead me through it. To be honest, I jumped at the chance to go to academy because I wanted to get away from farm work. If you've never lived on family farm, perhaps you can't imagine the typical 5:30am to 9:00pm workday. (Sorry, mom & dad, but I did want a life outside the farm :-) I missed so much with my family for those three years, though. My parents quit farming, and it was so weird to sit down to dinner with them at 6:00pm (intead of 8:00 or 8:30) during home leave! My siblings grew from little kids into teenagers, and I never really got to know them as people like I think you would if you were together during those years. I encountered so much wrong at academy. Drunken parties and pot at night in the dorms; dysfunctional faculty; substandard curriculum; and all the rules (most of which I managed to break at least once). I did learn some useful skills and meet some good people at academy, but I didn't begin breaking out of my bindings, spiritually or emotionally, until several years after academy. I praise God for what He has made of me since then, and the path that He prepared for me. A now-departed SDA "saint" used to rant about what a disgrace it was for the Iowa conference to have closed Oak Park Academy, for which Ellen White had personally chosen the site. I just think it is a blessing that it, and others, are gone. God willing, more kids will be spared this experience. Guy | ||
| Colleentinker Registered user Username: Colleentinker Post Number: 5467 Registered: 12-2003 |
Guy, your post rang an old bell in my head, too. That "dysfunctional faculty" part... As I've said before, my first experience with boarding academy was as a faculty member. By the time I had been there about three or four years, I began to realize that there were some serious problems with some of the faculty. I was so naive in many ways, but I remember thinking that the only way anyone could stay long-term as a faculty member at a boarding academy wasówith a few exceptions, possiblyóif they had some sort of dysfunction themselves. From my persepctive now I realize that the problem was probably not just the boarding school environment, because I've seen some pretty dysfunctional people at day acadmies, too. But you're right about the fact that a lot of faculty members were pretty poor role models and teachers. I think it's likely hard to find truly healthy people who are deeply immersed in a culture and religion of deception. Even if they are unwittingly deceived, they are affected deeply by it. I speak as one who was a neurotic mess! My worry and anxiety quotients were out of bounds until I realized I could rest NOW in Jesus! Colleen | ||
| Sabra Registered user Username: Sabra Post Number: 420 Registered: 10-2001 |
Hey Colleen, Good to hear from you all too. I enrolled in Celebrate Recovery at church last September and it's about a year long program. Guess I didn't realize until lately how detached I am and it's because I never had anyone in my life to count on. Being secluded in a dorm full of girls at 15, up at 5:00 to work like a slave in a nursing home or sewing factory (I did both) is like something out of a 3rd world country. At the time it seemed normal, but I was a kid, what were the adults in my life thinking? Sure wasn't any positive spritual experience either, don't remember a single person that really seemed Christ-like, well, maybe a couple of teachers. Cy, of course we wouldn't be where we are without it. God uses evil for our good and His. Praise Him for bringing us out. | ||
| Colleentinker Registered user Username: Colleentinker Post Number: 5470 Registered: 12-2003 |
Sabra, good for you. God is faithful, as you've already affirmed. So glad you're backówe'd love to be part of your "support group" as you let God heal your heart. Colleen | ||
| Dennis Registered user Username: Dennis Post Number: 1000 Registered: 4-2000  |
Cy, I remember the "dysfunctional faculty" as well. In fact, I was tempted to complain to the principal about a couple of them while a student at a boarding academy in North Dakota. However, I never did being the principal was dysfunctional as well. Dennis Fischer | ||
| Bobalou Registered user Username: Bobalou Post Number: 51 Registered: 2-2005 |
Hot off the wire Spring Valley Academy in Dayton, OH is letting go 5 full time teachers for the 2007-08 school year. They have a $250,000 budget shortfall. There has been, for the last few years, a decline in enrollment from over 400 to below 300. The administrators have stated "We believe the stratigic plan is not jeopardized by these necessary changes." I believe what they are not saying is that they will be over taxing the teachers that remain to the breaking point. They are very uncaring for the welfare of those teachers. How could the plan not be jeopardized? If I were a parent with kids in Spring Valley I would be looking elsewhere immediately. Doesn't seem like SDAs are paying much attention to their beloved prophet. | ||
| Colleentinker Registered user Username: Colleentinker Post Number: 5473 Registered: 12-2003 |
Dennis, your comments re: your also dysfunctional principal just made me laugh! Bobalou, I believe your assessment of the situation at Spring Valley is probably correct. I remember, as a part-time faculty and the wife of a full-time faculty at Gem State Academy, that it was assumed that I would do my part. Even though I was only receiving 1/3-time pay the first two or three years before they upped it to 1/2 time (in addition to teaching contract music lessons), they all assumed I would carry a full load of evening and weekend campus supervision. Weekend supervision was really quite dreadedówe had to be with the students all day Saturday and during the free times on Sunday. That meant we had to eat in the cafeteria, go on the Saturday afternoon walk, attend vespers, attend the Sat night "whatever" was going on, and sit on campus on Sunday morning or afternoon. We had to do supervision duty every six or seven weeks. In addition, I sponsored the yearbook for three years, two years as a co-sponsor, and one year as sole sponsor. Only years later did I learn that in public schools, teachers are paid a couple of thousand dollars as a stipend if they do a major sponsorship such as yearbook. When I think about the hours during the evenings and weekends I spent in the yearbook room and developing pictures in the darkroom, I am quite amazed at how much time it took. I was pretty naive then, but I did realize, as the five years I spent there progressed, that as a part-time faculty member, I was surely donating a lot of work for them. It's a pretty consistent fact that once you look beyond the public facade of an Adventist organization, there's usually a lot of chaos and dubious business practices. Ellen's counsel has never been able to "fix" the way Adventist schools actually operate. Colleen | ||
| Cathy2 Registered user Username: Cathy2 Post Number: 260 Registered: 2-2006 |
Colleen, Did you ever have to put any couples 'On Social', while you were supervising students?  Do they still do that? For even holding hands. I went to Campion Academy long time ago. Cathy | ||
| Snowboardingmom Registered user Username: Snowboardingmom Post Number: 238 Registered: 11-2005 |
This has been an interesting thread to me. I'm probably actually one of the few people who actually really enjoyed boarding academy life. In fact, as an Adventist, I used to think that it was one of the best things about Adventism. I thought perhaps this "difference of opinion" was a result of my school being better or something. But actually, my school sounds just like everyone else's school! Now, I see the reason I liked it so much wasn't because boarding academies are great, but that my school "dysfunction" was nothing compared to my home "dysfunction". I actually had a lot more freedom at boarding school than at home (and my school was very conservative and very strict!). I had never understood how some kids got homesick--I had no problem "adjusting" to being away from home! Actually, many of my friendships that I formed during those years (both with faculty and my classmates), really shaped who I was as both an Adventist, and just as me. I'll always be grateful for that for very different reasons. As far as shaping me as an Adventist, academy living really gave me a good background in true adventist doctrine, and dorm life gave me a sense of true adventist culture. Without either of these "indoctrinations", I'm not sure if I would later have come to realize just how "cultish" Adventism was. As far as shaping me as a person, I did gain some good skills (academically and socially). I really learned to be independent, and I do feel as if I recieved a good education and formed a lot of good friendships (MANY of which I still keep in touch with to this day). Things are different now, and I see things very differently, but still, I do have many fond memories of Academy life. From a faculty standpoint though, I do believe that the faculty are practically "abused". The amount of extra time they put in (like weekend supervision, faculty family visits, driving homeleave buses, etc.) is really crazy. I'm not sure how they keep their sanity, and don't become burned out. Not to mention, at the academy where I attended, they were required to live on "Faculty Drive". I didn't really understand the long term implications of this, until one of the faculty members who was retiring talked to me about it. She had never been married, and had served the school for years and years, paying rent for the house on faculty drive, and therefore unable to build assets or home equity for herself. Now, as she was retiring, she was faced with the dilemma of where does she move to? All those years of rent would have bought her a house by then, and yet, she was forced to move out at retirement, and her only options were to continue renting somewhere else or buying her first home at the age of 70. But yes, academy life is very different, and probably not normal nor healthy. I remember talking to some never-been-Adventists about it. Not only were they surprised that parents would ship off their children at 14 away to school, but they were surprised at the lifestyle of our little "commune". Terms like "social" (punishment of at least 2 weeks where you couldn't talk to your significant other, or opposite sex person involved if you had been caught doing things as innocent as holding hands or hugging), "hours of free labor" (which you were assigned to do a certain amount of free labor as a punishment--I got 2 hours of janitorial work once for whispering to my friend in chapel), or fines for $50 for things like being caught listening to music (we weren't allowed CD players, walkmans, etc), "shake downs", where the deans would, unannounced, search rooms for things that weren't allowed. I got in trouble once during a shakedown because they found my tape player (hidden in my bean bag). Others got fined for beef jerky, Pepsi, gum (we weren't allowed chewing gum either), and other innocent things. Occasionally (especially in the boy's dorm), there would be more severe things found (drugs, alcohol, etc). But overall, it was generally the small things we were made to feel guilty about. Actually, the more I think back on it, and write about it, the more unhealthy it seems. Funny how that happens. Things that used to seem so normal, now are like, "Wow, that was really odd." | ||
| Snowboardingmom Registered user Username: Snowboardingmom Post Number: 239 Registered: 11-2005 |
Oh, forgot to mention. We had a Burger King about 15 minutes from school. One of the most rebellious things I ever did was sneak out with a friend in her car, and get a Whopper (a real one not a veggie one!). I never got caught (that would have gotten me suspended). What a rebel, huh?! I should have known. That was just the beginning...it's those types of repeated rebellious acts that will cause you one day to completely backslide!! | ||
| Snowboardingmom Registered user Username: Snowboardingmom Post Number: 240 Registered: 11-2005 |
One more thing (the more I think about academy, the more I "see" things now that I didn't before)...the way the student work system was set up automatically sets up a somewhat "caste system". For instance, for those students who needed more financial assistance, they had to work in places like the mill or factory, the dairy, etc. type of jobs because they paid more. The "richer" kids, got to have easy desk jobs (like at the library, music department, reader for the teacher). It was interesting to see how that worked. As a result, the "popular kids" vs. "outcasts" tended to be marked by their jobs. Not just because of the jobs themselves (although that played a definite part of it), but because the harder labor type of jobs also required more hours so there was less time for their studies and social activities. | ||
| Colleentinker Registered user Username: Colleentinker Post Number: 5475 Registered: 12-2003 |
Cathy, I can't remember ever putting anyone on social. If I caught students doing things they weren't supposed to do (I'm not talking here about BAD thingsóbut things like holding hands, wearing pink nailpolish, etc.) my method of dealing with it was to ask them to stop, reminding them it was against the rules. One time in faculty meeting I had the bad judgment to speak up when they were discussing dress code. They were insisting that every one of us needed to be alert and follow the proper disciplinary procedures (I can't remember now what those were supposed to be) if anyone came to class with holes in their jeans or noticable fingernail polish, etc. Well, I was increasingly restless because when class started for me, I was immediately faced with somewhere between 32 and 36 students about 15-16 years old. I had to get them quiet, take record, start class, and then teach ENGLISH to a bunch of kids who mostly had little interest. Quite frankly, I never noticed holes in jeans or nail polish. So I said, "Sometimes I just don't notice those things." Whereupon one older faculty member looked at me and said with NO humor, "Then you are part of the problem." Grace, my experience going away to college was for me what academy was for you. Colleen | ||
| Dennis Registered user Username: Dennis Post Number: 1001 Registered: 4-2000 |
Yes, Burger King can definitely be a "bridge" out of Adventism (smile). At one point, Ellen White wanted the Adventists attending California campmeetings to sign "no meat" pledges. However, the "brethern" protested and the idea never materialized. This morning, on his radio program, John MacArthur strongly denounced religious systems that teach that spirituality is achieved by what you eat. He even mentioned vegetarianism, and religious systems that teach against marriage (i.e., likely referring to Adventism and Catholicism). Dennis Fischer |
