The Biggest Job We'll Ever Have: The Hyde School Program for Character-Based Education and Parenting - Hardcover

Gauld, Laura; Gauld, Malcolm

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0743210581 ISBN 13: 9780743210584

Publisher: Scribner, 2002

Synopsis

The president and director of family education at the Hyde School, which emphasizes attitude over aptitude, effort over achievement, and character over talent, demonstrate how parents can enhance their children's education by improving family dynamics.

About this title

About the Author

Malcolm Gauld is the president and chief executive officer of the Hyde Schools, overseeing Hyde's two boarding campuses in Bath, Maine, and Woodstock, Connecticut, and public schools in New Haven, Connecticut, and Washington, D.C.

Reviews

The formation of character is an elusive thing; despite concerned parenting, good schools and all the best intentions, parents worry about everything from insubordination and bad grades to hard drugs. According to the Gaulds (authors, teachers and alternative education proponents), the "biggest job we'll ever have" is developing positive habits of mind and behavior in our young. According to these authors, it is hard, it is doable and it is never too late to achieve "exceptional parenting." This how-to book offers 10 commonsense principles of character education, enlivening them with anecdotes gathered from thousands of parents and children, as well as with their own family stories. The authors accompany each rule with family exercises and activities, some of which seem contrived (e.g., writing down strengths and weaknesses; keeping a log of "mandatory fun activities"). The authors are relentlessly upbeat all the stories here are triumphs, implying that if parents simply apply the Gaulds' formula, they will achieve "personal and family excellence." This book falls into the camp that claims that the problems of society are with individuals, mostly due to flawed parenting. Hence, solutions lie in "fixing" the individuals and their families. What's missing from this perspective (and from this book) is an analysis of the social, economic and cultural factors that may cause the alienation, boredom, underachievement and family dysfunction that constitute "poor character." Scholars and educators hoping for an in-depth understanding of the complex dimensions of character education will not find it here, although families seeking a self-help boost and some informed coaching may find useful tips.

Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

Expounding on the theme that we are untrained for the most important job most of us will ever do--parenting--the Gaulds, directors of the Hyde School in Bath, Maine, advocate reconnecting family values with education. Parents are a child's first teachers and, as such, are in need of essential skills. The school's successful methods center on establishing 10 priorities to guide parents in developing their skills. The priorities are based on three simple principles: attitude over aptitude, effort over achievement, and character over talent. Part one examines the fundamentals of character building, while part two explores the 10 priorities to developing good parenting skills, starting with valuing truth over harmony. The book parallels the school's parenting program, the Biggest Job, aimed at helping parents recognize the difficulty of parenting, its enduring importance, and the fact that successful parenting is doable. Vanessa Bush
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Since its founding in Maine in 1966, the Hyde School has provided an educational alternative for students having difficulty in the public school system. Hyde leaders Laura and Malcolm Gauld here tell the story of the school's success by focusing on the character education at the core of its philosophy and on its commitment to involving the entire family in the educational process. Readers interested in learning about classroom life at Hyde will be disappointed, however, as this book focuses more on the parenting lessons that Hyde provides both on campus and as part of its "Biggest Job" workshops. As the authors write, "parents are the primary teachers and the home is the primary classroom." Hence, this book is more about parenting than it is about schooling. Followers of recent calls for virtue-centric education, such as those by former U.S. Secretary of Education William J. Bennett, may be intrigued by the Hyde model (which has recently been adopted by a public charter school in Washington, DC). It may also prove appealing to the many advocates for an increased role for parents in the education of their children. For all collections. Scott Walter, Washington State Univ. Lib., Pullman

Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

Edition details

• Publisher: Scribner
• Publication date: 2002
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0743210581
• ISBN 13: 9780743210584
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 304