Rudy Bentz and the Swift River Academy

Well Ned,

I can see a few points of agreement, with which, I think, everybody who experienced Mr. Bentz, and the school, will be familiar and agree.

That the major “therapeutic” element of this type of school, did involve: “sweat, blood, tears, screams and humiliations.”

Perhaps you should tell the uninformed reader what the “ILE” – or “Fulltime,” as we knew it – refers to? What were the specifics? And what caused you to be on one?

What is an I.L.E.? I’ll leave it to anyone who can answer that riddle.

You say you have a young child, (congratulations), who always wants you to pick him up, and that sometimes, you don’t; I don’t recognize the analogy to that of sending adolescents and near-children to isolated, remote mountain-top cabins, where forced daily and nightly labor is the penalty for:

Singing even a note of an “un-approved” song,

Or for looking at someone, or God forbid, talking to someone, who you are “banned” from interacting with – usually because you are good friends;

Or from expressing a romantic interest for a peer – not acting on it, but just the act of admitting it.

It was for these ‘terrible’ acts,’ that students at the Cedu school were forced into daily and nightly labor, in the field, in the dirt, in the horse manure; on the stony back of a mountain filled with briers, snakes and scorpions; or over a sink, for the rest of the night, scrubbing blackened, carbonized pans with corrosive cleaners and broad, jagged steel wool.

Do you see the difference between occasionally not picking up your child, and the reality of life at an abusive, unregulated ‘therapeutic’ boarding school such as this, staffed by admitted drug addicts, some of whom also regularly admitted to – and regaled us with stories of – committing incredible acts of violence, such as homicide and child abuse?

Is there a slight difference there?

That you enjoyed, or did not mind, being forced to snuggle with adult men and women who were your teachers and therapists – “smushing” – is something to consider. It’s not for you, as an adolescent, to have formed a complete opinion of the act, given the ease of manipulating an adolescent.

But it is for you, as an adult, to ask yourself if you feel that it is appropriate, ethical, or legal, for 30 to 60 year-old, un-trained, un-liscenced, non-professional, former or recent drug and alcohol-addicted “counselors”, to be cuddling with the students in their care.

If you were able to, as you say, “take the good” from the program, and not turn into an abuser yourself, then all the best to you. You might have a little humility, though, in allowing those who did not enjoy the experience, to speak their minds.

Ned, I’ve come up with a shorter answer:

You say you liked parts of the program. Others say they did not (by the truckload). Would you stop them from criticizing?

Meaningful, experience-based criticism tends to make what’s good become better, and what’s not good become obsolete.

The principle of competition, and free-markets. I think it applies here just as well.

Some other points of view [Here].

You can add yours, for the record.

A clip from the book. I recommend reading it, to see if you recognize some of the tactics and “therapeutic” exercises. As well as the feeling that one man, with no training in psychology, therapy, or child-development, is sternly lecturing, belittling, debasing, isolating, controlling the movement and communication of, and personally attacking, children in his care – and, to some degree, their gullible, willingly naive parents.

“What it takes to Pull Me Through”

Hi Ned,

Again, thanks for your consideration. It was certainly a strange experience. My major goal has always been to un-bury this odd bit of hidden history, for pubic view, for ourselves and then again, because these schools go on and on, they exist today without regulation, and could really use some transparency and public review.

Here’s to ‘truth in advertising’ as a basic principle we can all agree on. I do appreciate your re-consideration of the material and ideas on display here.

Liam

You sound really, really healthy Jennifer.

What are you writing, by the way?