Character First

by Joseph W. Gauld

Book Overview

The story of Maine's famous Hyde School reveals the secret of its success as an educational institution, discussing the school's emphasis on "character first." This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1558152628
• ISBN13: 9781558152625
• Release Date: January 1993
• Publisher: ICS Press
• Length: 179 Pages
• Weight: 1.05 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 6.3" x 9.2"

Customer Reviews

Hyde Saved My Daughter's Life

I am the parent of a Hyde School graduate and, having successfully completed the mandatory Family Education program, a proud graduate as well. When I found out about the Hyde program in an online chat room for parents of teens in trouble, I bought this book. It was like a lifeline to me. I was so fed up with the superficiality of contemporary American culture. Here was someone willing to say that high values and effort are important in life. In my heart, I knew that the easy A's my daughter got at public school were more indicative of a failure of the schools to hold her to a high standard of scholarship than a sign of her accomplishment. She went off the rails in her early teens. She calls those her "terminal years" as she's realized she was taking huge risks. I didn't expect her to live to eighteen. Hyde School was the first place where she was challenged academically. They give an effort grade as well as an achievement grade. The effort grade is expected to exceed the achievement grade. With much struggle, she gained insight, compassion, and confidence in her abilities. She was well-prepared for college as she had great tools and study habits.

HYDE

This is a great book for everyone to read, however the Hyde philosophy won't be fully understood by just reading the book. The full experience comes from emersing ones self into the process. During my senior year there, Laura and Malcom Gauld came out with "The Biggest Job" and Joe was working on a text book. Both are good reading. It has a few anecdotes that many can realte to. I find that they have a new meaning each time I read them.

hyde

Joe Gauld's goal was to reform American education when he founded Hyde School in Bath, ME about 35 years ago. His idea was that only about 12% of students had the aptitude to really succeed in the current system, which emphasized top grades leading to a great college and eventually making a lot of money. The other 88% of students were relegated to second-class status or worse. Furthermore, he believed that success in life was not created by high aptitude and a prestigious job, but rather by character traits that would lead to fulfillment of each person's unique potential. To date, the Hyde schools have expanded to two boarding schools (Bath, ME and Woodstock, CT) and two inner-city public charter schools (New Haven and Washington, DC). It has also spun off teacher training programs and a nationwide parent training program. The parent program is described in a new book by Joe's son and daughter in law (Biggest Job We'll Ever Have : The Hyde School Program for Character-Based Education and Parenting -- Laura Gauld (Editor), Malcolm Gauld; Hardcover, to be published by Scribner's in Feb. 2002.As a parent of two children at Hyde, I can say from experience that what this book says is what the school actually does. For me, the Hyde experience has revolutionized the way I think about education, parenting, and other related efforts, such as psychotherapy and family counseling. The present, majority system is doing it wrong. Joe Gauld had the vision to see the truth, and he set up a system that does it right.

Excellent perspective for any parents with teenagers.

Joe Gauld's practical experience and pragmatic system helps parents evaluate their own family's values. The book is a fast read. It engages humor with real life sad examples of families and teenagers who turned their lives around. The school expanded to two campuses, the second in Woodstock, CT.