Bonners Ferry, ID -- (SBWire) -- 03/26/2012 --One of the myths or misconceptions that parents use to “scare their misbehaving children” is to threaten them with “military school if they don’t straighten up.” Also along the same lines, is the wrong perception the media has generated, a misconception that has never gone away since the 60s, when it was “socially uncool” to be at a military school during the wake of the Vietnam war. Today’s guest on Parent Choices for Struggling Teens, hosted by Lon Woodbury, was Al Heminger, the Director of Admissions for the Howe School in Howe, IN, dispelling the common myths of military schools and the visions of a boot camp setting with yelling and screaming by some very large drill sergeant.
The Howe School in actuality is a small, co-ed, residential boarding school that follows a military model that focuses on academics, athletics and leadership development. Through three major steps: character development, knowledge and application, this 127 year old program works with “bright but lazy or underachieving students” by putting them in positions of leadership, holding them accountable and assisting them with mentorship. These are the building blocks of their leadership structure. Al shared that many times “alumni will call and talk about the advantage they had going into college, not just with academics, which Howe takes very seriously, but with leading their peers, whether in the dorms or classroom. These are the precision leadership skills that will make them successful.”
By working on time management, study skills, ‘getting the work done’ and focusing on academics, a military school can be another option or step down school for a student that has successfully completed a wilderness program or therapeutic boarding school. Because a military school offers structure and predictability, a student who is struggling with leadership will receive “a lot of time and experience leading peers”, in addition, for those needing structured discipline, a merit/demerit system will teach students to do the right thing and to be a good person, as Lon put it “a natural cause and effect.”
To listen to the full interview on Academics in a Therapeutic Setting go to http://www.latalkradio.com/Players/Lon-031912.shtml on LATalkRadio.
Lon Woodbury as an Independent Educational Consultant is the owner/founder of Woodbury Reports Inc. and http://www.strugglingteens.com. He has worked with families and struggling teens since 1984 and is the host of Parent choices for Struggling Teens on LATalkRadio Mondays at 12:00 Noon, Pacific Time, Channel One.
Al Heminger is the Director of Admissions and Head Football Coach at The Howe School located in Howe, IN and has been with them since 2009.
Prior to his work at Howe School, Al was a public school teacher in Virginia, taught college courses at Olivet College and Liberty University, holds a certificate as a athletic trainer (ATC) and has worked with several professional teams, in addition to serving as the Assistant Athletic Trainer at both Olivet and Liberty. Mr. Heminger holds a BS from Manchester College in Athletic Training and a MS in Sport and Exercise Psychology from the University of Idaho.
Woodbury Reports was founded in November 1989, by Lon Woodbury, MA, IECA, CEP, as an Independent Educational Consulting firm to help parents of teens making poor decisions select a private, parent choice program that would help return the family to normalcy. Through interviews with parents, communication with professionals who know your child well, and then thoroughly researching viable options, we can help parents make the right choices that will help your child get back on the right path. For more information about Woodbury Reports Inc., call 208-267-5550, or email to lon@woodbury.com, or visit the web site http://www.strugglingteens.com.
The Myth of Military Schools
The myth that military schools are for misbehaving teens and that the mission of military schools is to take kids who are floundering and using a military structure to provide quality academics and leadership skills in preparation for college.