Brehm Preparatory School
Tuesday, November 9th, 2004
Brehm Preparatory School
1245 E. Grand Ave.
Carbondale IL 62901
618-457-0371
admissionsinfo@brehm.org
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We are seeking to place our daughter at the Brehm school can anyone tell us if this school has a strong academic school program as well as a theraputic program? Our daughter had been at New Leaf Academy but it was not a strong LD school program it was more for students who needed emotional growth issues, so we had to take her out. We don’t want to make any more mistakes on finding the right school program. We welcome any advise Diana R.
Diana,
New Leaf and Brehm are very different schools. New Leaf is as you describe it. Brehm is a school for kids with more complex learning disabilities.
That doesn’t say whether it’s a good fit for your daughter though. How have you come to consider Brehm?
Diana,
Our daughter atteneded Brehm during the 2006-2007 academic year. The curriculum was not academically challenging for her. We were very disappointed with this progrm for many reasons, especially the behavior of other students. Be very careful–the supervision of students was not what we had anticipated.
We are looking for a residential school for our 16 year old to be son. His history is complex–mostly diagnosed with PDD nos, some aspergers, compulsive and often impulsive. Impulsivity has gotten him into trouble since he has poor judgement. He is sld (learning disabilities) and does very well in a language based school. He was asked to leave Pine Ridge School in Vt. which we loved for him. He really needs pragmatics language infused into a school program with tons of social skills reinforced and quite a bit of supervision in residential (dorms). He is a sweet young man who wants to do well and tries hard. We are hoping to find a residential high school. How is Brehm Academy? Anyone have any opinions about Cedars Academy? Wasnt terrible impressed.
Thank you for your help. We are anxious to have our son placed soon since he has been out of Pine Ridge since November and our school district is giving him “home instruction”. Whatever you can offer is so greatly appreciated. Grove School in CT and the Learning Clinic in CT would not accept our son because of his impulsivity.
Toby Carsons
Toby,
Without asking for too much personal information about your son to be public, it’s notable that both Grove and the Learning Clinic, both places for kids with more serious behavioral issues would not accept him. His impulsivity must be pretty severe.
That, coupled with his being asked to leave Pine Ridge, makes me wonder if Brehm is even in the right category. I don’t know Cedars.
Good luck.
Sandford,
I hope you are wrong. Our psychiatrist who has worked with our son and family believes that his impulsivity should not be confused with the fact that he is not ODD, aggressive but good natured, caring and determined to work hard and achieve for himself. His social skills are really lacking and he can get compulsive and act without thinking. H really needs pragmatic language skills as well. Judgement is lacking. He is of average intelligence and we would hate to put him in a school with TBI or autism, or even behavioral severe issues as a big population when those are not his issues.
I wish I could be more detailed about the situtaion with Jared but can’t in this forum
Do you know kids that go to Brehm? Are parents out there happy with this school for pragmatics, social skills, and academics? Is supervision in the dorms good?
Toby Carsons
Toby, feel free to contact me offline.
I understand that his impulsivity is neurologically based and intertwined with a lack of social thinking/reasoning skills. Brehm as far as I understand, definitely does work with kids with complex learning disabilities who need some pragmatics component to their day.
Toby,
How would you qualify “good” supervision in the dorms? Our experience with the “tier level” system to reward positive behavior was that it was not enforced to the degree we were led to believe. Our daughter was exposed to numerous situations while at Brehm that, quite frankly, rather shocked us, especially considering the cost of tuition and the amount of supervision the administration claims the staff provides. I would encourage any parent considering placing a child there to spend a fair amount of time on the campus, in the dorms, AND on the “rec outings.”
Dawn
Sanford,
What number do I contact off line? Don’t have a number to reach you. Please let me know, thanks.
Toby Carsons
Safran,
Believe it or not we visited Eagleton School and saw incredible supervision. If you would like to talk, please email me at tscc48@yahoo.com. I would love to talk with you.
Toby Carsons
Toby,
Click on my name and that brings to you my Bend Learning Center site, complete with contact info.
Thanks,
Sanford
Toby,
…and if for some reason it doesn’t, number is 541 383 3208
I found brehm to be a very good school and helped me a lot. things i learned there 4 years ago i still use in my everyday life.
Our child attended Brehm for four years, and recently graduated. We, and close family and friends, are impressed with the positive changes in behavior, abilities, and academic strength displayed. Frankly, I don’t know how things would have turned out had it NOT been for Brehm School. The support, supervision, and help that our child received has, we believe, made a huge difference in her life, and ours. We strongly recommend Brehm School.
Toby,
My daughter just graduated from Brehm after attending for four years. She has Aspergers, processing problems and speech problems. Each year while at Brehm I have seen the faculty and administration strive to work with her to improve her skills. Academics is not a problem for her and Brehm provides a system by which children are tested and placed in classes at their educational level. Although one parent suggested it was not challenging, it provided enough background for my daughter to score a 25 on the ACT college entry test. I certainly didn’t teach her that math! I felt the pragmatics and speech training were superior. The dorm parents are mostly young men and women, some going to the local college. At first I was disappointed that they didn’t have more “parent” types but I realized that young people this age were able to socially educate in a way a parent could not. After attending graduation with us, a friend who is a college professor wrote me that he had “never seen a more meaningful event. You could tell the faculty was involved and that the students were taught to care and respect one another.” For my child Brehm was a good fit. If your child had severe acting out issues don’t hesitate to ask Brehm how they deal with it.
I hope this gives you some additional insight.
I have a 16yr old son with aspergers. He is average intelligence. He spent a year in residential treatment at Sandhills in New Mexico. He does well in school, but still difficult at home. I am considering Brehem. He does not like taking showers… fustrates this Mom. Needs Pragmatic learning and Lots of Counseling. What can you tell me ?
Dear Betty,
I think I know the Sandhills center your son went to and hope that it helped him. It may be that his behavioral issues are too much for Brehm but you should contact them directly.
Just be real honest about his ups and downs, his strengths and weaknesses. They’ll give you an idea of whether you should pursue further.
We will make a trip there again… also have looked at Montcalm in Albion Michigan. They a dorm cottage where just asperger kids share living space…but their classes are with all kids with disablities. Do you know of this? How does this compare to Brehm’s school?
Betty,
I don’t have professional experience with Montcalm other than some reports I’ve read, which have been positive.
Especially in this economy I would really ask lots of questions of potential schools as there may be higher than usual enrollment pressures.
From what I can tell, Montcalm has history serving kids with behavioral issues and this may or may not be a good thing for your son’s needs. They are able to use positive peer culture and I think a decent level of psychiatric support on campus.
Brehm on the other hand has a longstanding track record in serving educational needs of perhaps a gentler less socially competent student. I would imagine they’re more grounded in educational pedagogy than emotional behavioral emphasis.
You might also want to look at the Little Keswick School, in Virginia, which I write about here at this website www.ldresources.org/2007/01/21/sanford-shapiro-looks-at-the-little-keswick-school/ as well as the Deveraux Glenholme School in Washington CT www.theglenholmeschool.org/.
Best of luck.
Sanford
Betty,
How well did the Sandhill center address his issues?
Sanford
sanford,
Sandhills is a really good placement for kids who have attachment issues or as John, Aspergers. They are only taking younger kids now. I think up to 15yrs. Very theraputic with lots ofs support. John also had bowel issues. He was born with Hirschsprungs disease. He was operated on when he was 2mos old. He has bowel control, but sometimes does not pay attention to his body. This has been the biggest problem for us. Sometimes he can go for months with no problem. Then he soils and we have to get him back on track. Many places do not deal with this issue. His emotional ablilities are lower, yet he does great in school. We need emotional growth and help in teaching him to be responsible for himself.
Betty
We are looking at Brehm this weekend for my son who has learning issues. He also has bipolar/ADHD, but these don’t seem to affect his learning as the meds can keep him in control. We are also looking into Maplebrook, and Gow in NY the following weekend. We are from CA where there aren’t any schools (that I have found) near us. I would appreciate any feedback on these schools. My son has A’s and B’s in a regular middle school, but that is with modifications/alot of ‘mom help’.
Cathy,
Brehm and Maplebrook and Gow are pretty different. Can you explain more of what your son’s learning issues are?
Have you been using a placement specialist/educational consultant to help guide you?
I checked into getting one, but $6000 seemed way too much money. My son has auditory processing, dysgraphia, dyscalcula…If he hears it, he retains it. Here is a quick note off of his IEP:
overall cognitive abilities are functioning withing the average range. Both his thinking ability and verbal ability were average. Relative weaknesses were noted in cognitive efficiency, processing speed, and short-term memory, which all fall in the low average range. Visual-motor skills were withing the below average range with visual perception being average. Processing weaknesses were noted in motor coordination. Phonological awareness and phonolgical memory skills both average, while ability to rapidly name numbers and letters was in low range.
He looks like an average kid, has friends at school, but not at home, nor do his school friends call.
Thanks for any help.
I have ‘shyed away’ from therapeutic schools because he never used alcohol drugs, been a truant problem, always gotten good citizenship at school. I looked at Boulder Creek and it looks like a good school too, but like I said before, I don’t want to introduce behaviors that aren’t a problem at this time.
Cathy,
The info you provided is helpful. It gets closer to understanding his needs. However I’d still encourage you to look at an ed consultant for at least some guidance. I would really encourage you to contact Caryl Frankenberger in Branford CT if you’re serious about looking a east coast schools. I think you’ll find a completely different price structure.
The thing is, and forgive my repeat statement, but the schools you mention are different enough from each other, it makes me think you need major tuning of your list. If you want her contact info let me know.
You’re going to need to share the testing and report of your son as a starting point. I’m happy to give any free information I can in this forum as I also know LD issues and schools, but am hesitant to go too far with you at this point without knowing more details.
Here’s some starting points however that I hope are useful: Gow is a pretty traditional looking and acting school for pretty bright kids with learning disabilities, mostly dyslexia, that will respond to and tolerate intensive Orton Gillingham intervention. Brehm and Maplebrook both work with children/students with more global learning disabilities (less specific, more encompassing than “just” dyslexia). You can read about my visit to Maplebrook here at this site.
Good luck.
Is Pine Ridge still around? When I checked their website, they said that ‘for information about the future of Pine Ridge…”
Also, I would be happy to contact Caryl and see how she handles looking for schools. I would also love a school on the West Coast or closer to CA, but haven’t found any…are there any???
Pine Ridge is closing, or closed.
Caryl’s contact info: Caryl Frankenberger ADDRESS: 1 Whitewood Dr
Branford CT 06405
TELEPHONE: (203) 481-8476
Look at the schools listed here on this website. You can go to www.ldresources.org/2007/09/24/ld-schools-categorized/ here to look through some western schools that might fit his profile.
Thanks. I had already contacted Caryl, and had already looked through the schools on this website. I don’t see any LD boarding schools on the west coast.
Yup, the schools on west coast that might be appropriate are day schools.
Sanford
I have a son who is in his second year at Montcalm in the Asperger’s cottage. I have been pleased with both his emotional and academic growth. We are looking at going to Brehm for high school.
Jo Ann
Jo Ann,
Can you tell us what worked well at Montcalm for your son?
The living situation is fairly structured. There are always two staff for the house, which usually has ten boys there. There is also a low turnover in staff. The main therapist for the Asperger’s group has been there for at least 10 years, I believe it may be more like thirteen though. The house staff has a low turn over rate as well. My son has formes a strong bond with most of his staff and for teenagers I think that is important.
The kids have group daily. They work on interpersonal relationships, getting along with each other, conflict management, sharing space, etc. The kids work on being responsible for themselves and also for holding each other responsible for commitments to the group.
Thay all have daily chores. They cook, usually on weekends with the assistance of their staff. They have an allowance for hygeine shopping that they are responsible for.
The class size is small. It is about 10-12 kids. They are run like a one room school house with the kids at different levels.
Most importantly though is that he has made friends with whom he wants to stay in touch.
I don’t know if this answers your question, and it may be more info than you wanted. For background, we are from Louisiana and were referred to Montcalm by his MD. He had been in one other residential treatment center prior for behavioral purposes, that one in Texas.
He is really at Montcalm for school purposes and I’ve been pleased.
Jo Ann
That’s great and helpful for a lot of folks I’m sure.
Where else besides Brehm are you considering? Are the public school options worth considering?
Montcalm has a relationship with Brehm. Most of the guys wind up goig to Brehm or Grand River, which is a an all male boarding school for underachieving young men. Grand River has support but is not specifically for any particular “type” of kid. So actually Brehm is the only one.
Public schools here are not an option. My son had a disasterous year prior to starting at Montcalm and we almost lost everything that had been gained in Texas. I had gone at the beginning of the year and sat down with all of his teachers as well as the school psychologist who had done his original testing. I had to fight over following his IEP. When teachers did follow it, particularly during testing, it was made clear that he was “different”. My advocate thought I had a good enough case to sue but I wanted my son to have a good education without the stigma that would have occurred. In the end I just wanted a good education for my son in a place where he felt safe and valued, and to date it’s been possible.
I have a 17 year old who will be a junior next year. He is a high functioning Aspergers with LD (slow processing speed, working memory, attention problems) He is very social, unlike most aspergers. He has friends in and out of school, in fact the last psychologist wasn’t sure whether to classify him as Aspergers, but, he fits the profile with his obsessions and inability to read social cues & some inappropriate conversations He needs help to work through social situations in a positive manner and needs to become an advocate for himself. He was attending a high school here for high preforming students. The students were quite ecletic, and anyone could find a place to fit, although he still had some social issues, he was basically quite happy. Unfortunately, he could not keep up academically and he did not meet the required GPA to come back. Alot of his academic problems are due to not finishing assignments.
We are considering Brehm. We visited last year and again this year. We had some concerns this year about him fitting in. Do you have any thoughts. We live in Louisiana and there is one high school that has the NILD program “Discoveries”, but we do not have many resources for the social aspects
I have a daughter who is preparing to graduate from New Leaf Academy in Bend. She has early onset Bi-polar disorder, fetal alcohol effect, attachment disorder (although that has gotten a bit better) and pretty severe deficits in processing. She’s 15 but functions much younger emotionally and cognitively. Despite her challenges, she’s remained very innocent. She has found lots of success at New Leaf. She seems to feel like she fits in. In a traditional school or even traditional home setting she can’t keep up with the pace and gets lost and acts out.
Our Ed. Consultant is considering Brehm. She also mentioned Copper Canyon in Arizona. We live in Nevada and would like for her to be close to home, but realize most of the schools are back East. We want our daughter to learn life skills and vocational skills, but don’t want her to be introduced to behaviors that she is not mature enough to handle. Our consultant says there are very few schools for kids like our daughter, but I wonder if there are others out there we may want to consider.
I am currently a student at Brehm Preparatory, I have high functioning Aspergers Syndrome…Yet I seem to find a social disconnect at the Brehm campus. When I first arrived I was extremley impressed only to find an intense dissapointment after about two weeks.
What I find so shocking is the Dorm staff’s inability to watch over the day to day activities and the sheer innapropriatness and immaturity of their actions. Several act like they are still in high school although they are having a child. Since arriving I have seen and been treated by the staff team as if I was a rotting fetid piece of filth rather than a fully concious and functioning human being. I have seen an extreme amount of hypocrisy and lack of responsibility taken by the staff team in dealing with day to day problems. I have seen and experienced a good deal of emotional damage done by the dorm parents alone.
The students are so sick of the campus that they rebel for fun, because they are bored and have nothing else to do, so they cause problems. This in turn creates a emotionally and physically unsafe environment for students to learn and grow while developing social and learning habits that will help in the future. The feel of the campus once one walks on is a sense of deep despair and hoplessness due to these innapropriate actions.
The school work is very simple and basic even at the peak of the classes they teach I still find it challenging to find a challenge in the school work. As a friend of mine said “This school rewards those who do nothing through lowering the standards, while those like me and you (Sic) who are extremley motivated get punished by having to sit with the structure.” This school quells any form of motivation and creativity that may have originally been.
I cannot urge enough that Brehm is the number one place that you do not want to send your child. Especially since there is always the hefty non-refundable $65,000+ bill. What I mean when I say “plus” is that not all of the charges are placed down, that price is tuition alone. There are many fees that are not metioned such as for club activities, allowance, REC’s, etc.
All in all when given the choice between Brem Preparatory and other schools…look at the other schools first.
I have a 15 year old, soon to be 16 year old son who is currently in an early college program but due to the lack of supports has “quit” in the middle of the term. Although he has an active IEP that has not be implemented, it is inapproprite for his needs. He has aspergers, dyslexia, and auditory and visual processing disorders. He is sweet but can at times be obstinate and quite socially immature (ie playing ring around the rosy). He is also very innocent and naive, which I actually enjoy. His life motivation and obsession is 1) the outdoors (mainly water and climbing) and 2) construction. He struggles with his visual processing and spelling so much that he can’t pass a typing course. He is easily frustrated and lashes out (new behavior as is “quiting”) but does eventually come around and appologize. His greatest difficulties are in executive function skills (study, time management, organization) and writing. Are there any schools that accept a dyslexic aspergers kid that has a good brew of outdoor recreation? Am I dreaming? The outdoor components, even of his early college program, is what motivates him …. but he lost that motivation when he got sick and missed all four weeks of his outdoor program weekends. He’s working on his eagle scout…he’s not SUPER bright but the early college program was better than the “dumbing down” he got at his high school by placing him in a living skills class. (Current GPA is 3.25).
From Oregon
I haven’t visited in awhile but read the comments from Keanu and from Katie and MJ. What I do know about Brehm is they offer a course in executive functioning that is across the school year as well as across the grades. They work with teaching the kids how to break down assignments into doable segments, with each segment being an assignment. My son is taking keyboarding this year as he has never been aroung computers. they are also working with him on Macspeak as he does not write well but speaks quite well. My understanding is that one of the goals is to teach and expose the kids to the technology and let them decide what works for them.
The school does have psychological support but it is not a residential treatment center. Some of the kids are younger ecmotionally than what you think based on their age. I don’t know that your daughter would be out of place. There more boys than girls though and that may be a consideration.
As to the comments posted by Keanu, I have a good relationship with my son and if the staff were inappropriate he would tell me. He is happy, likes the school, and has made friends. The dorm staff have been responsive to problems and pay close attention to the kids. I was there for Parents weekend over Halloween and the kids had a great time. There was no sense of despair, unhappiness or rebellion. I took three of the kids to play laser tag and received no bad vibes. Many of the kids stayed in our hotel and they all seemed happy.
Keanu is right about the fees, allowance,etc. The tuition for this year was $59,000. In some cases the school system may pay part of it. Part of it may also be deductible on taxes but that is a matter for accountants.
I apologize for my blunt behavior in regards to this education facility. From what I have seen out of this school over the last two years is that the way the children are treated is horrid. My son tells me all the time he feels as if he gets paraded around and shipped from place to place as if he’s a sheep headed to the slaughterhouse. The amount of sex and violence that happens in the school that is generally covered up by the staff is ridiculous. A fight club in Dorm 1? Several students on outings to go and have sex? A student giving another a blowjob in a closet? Not exactly professional behavior when all they do is suspend the students briefly and try to keep it quiet. When I was told about the Fight Club in Dorm 1, Room 6 was covered up I was furious. I walked in there and found there was still blood in the cracks of the floor. My son and others from what I hear through the grapevine are constantly getting pressured and bullied to make wrong decisions. I would not recommend this school to anyone lest they want there kid to end up a reckless gangbanger on the streets one day.
Virgil,
What have you done with these serious concerns and allegations? Have you made formal protests to the school? What happened when you did?
Sanford,
I have made many formal protests, the truth is they refuse to do anything about these “situations.” The school has blown it off as if it was no problem, for that reason I pulled my son and I am having him home-schooled. These atrocities have caused many problems for my family, I want to do the best I can by allowing everyone else that this is not the place to go. Since being away from the school my sons behavior has improved considerably, he has stopped the smoking habit that he was allowed to continue at the school, and has become less violent with-in the month. I know my son well, in fact I consider myself a very strong family man, he was’t like this before going. he didn’t used to have problems or issues with authority until he started going to the school, nor’ has he been very impressionable. I’ve seen this once out of him, and it was seven years back in a high stress situation, over an extensive period of time, with many different people telling him what to do while I was overseas.
As said the school just ignores it and brushes it off as if it is nothing. It is a very large problem that I would like to make parents of students aware of.
Sounds like it was the right thing to pull him then for you and him.
Will you homeschool him for the remainder of high school?
Fight Club! Yikes; that sounds horrific. Are you certain?
I will be continuing to homeschool him for the rest of the year, as a regular school will not work because the curriculum doesn’t suit the needs of his LD.
I am also very sure of a fight club, I treated it with skepticism until I heard it from some more of the Dorm 1 boys and Dorm 2. I checked the room, there was dried blood in the cracks, on the walls, and on the celling. I’m shocked a lot of the boys didn’t follow the first rule of fight club. I started believing after I had it confirmed and had seen the room for myself.
There’s a “first rule” of Fight Club?
I apologize, that was a joke I got from watching one of my sons movies that was about a similar club. But it was not a school mandated club. It was something the older boys cooked up for the fun of it. When they got caught nothing was done about it. No suspensions, no tier drops, nothing.
So Virgil, has your experience with Brehm soured you on boarding schools for your son or will you look around again?
I would have begun looking once more but until my next extended break from work, I would be unable to. My son graduates this upcoming summer in a home-school program. I think there are some great boarding schools out there, unfortunately Brehm ranks awfully low in my opinion.
I am very ashamed to call myself a member of the Brehm Student Alumni. In the time I was at Brehm, I was mistreated, misused, and intimidated on a daily basis by staff and administration. My affiliation with Brehm has caused more emotional pain than I have ever suffered in my twenty-two years of age. I have finally gotten over my four years of depression which have stemmed from being at Brehm. My parents at the time thought that I was fine because it seemed as if I was happy, but I was in fact not. At Brehm students are herded from one location to another, forced to go through so much structure that it becomes damaging. I dropped out of college due to being unable to take care of myself. The staff act like children, and the administration pressures students to make choices that the students do not want to make. While there I had a boyfriend who was one year behind in school, Brehm kept me from contacting him because they wanted him to be “inward focused” it has caused damaging effects that still continue to ripple through both of our lives. I lost him due to that school. I still remember being fresh and bright, ready to get help for my A.D.H.D. In the end I came out depressed, I didn’t want to go to college. Brehm has ruined my early adult life. I strongly recommend that you do not send you’re children here. The structure makes them lose their sense of self as well as makes them depressed when they realize that they are incapable of taking care of themselves after being coddled for so long.
Parents beware — This may be a good school depending upon your child’s specific needs however like many boarding schools in this economy they will take on issues they are not prepared to deal with. They also have a no refund policy on tuition so consider this carefully. There is a broad range of intelligence levels and LDs represented here as well as Aspergers and Autism spectrum students. The curriculum is very undefined in middle school and no transcripts exist until high school. The majority of the staff are very caring and supportive here; however the Director has his own array of challenges/LDs or whatever (OCD, AD, etc.) and can be very erratic and is fairly universally disliked by the student body. They like to talk about when he is “off his meds.” We managed to just avoid him our first year but not so fortunate the second year. Supervision is definitely lacking given the make up of the student body and my child was exposed his first year as a 13 year old to chewing tobacco, cigarettes, marijuana available on campus as well as being treated to a sexual exhibition by two older girls who then encouraged him to join in. All such problems are handled “hush, hush” under the table to avoid any undue publicity. Kids are allowed to “check off” campus at a certain Tier level and wander the local mall or whatever. I don’t let my child do that at home. They have now changed the policy so parents have to sign off on that type of freedom. There is a somewhat theraputic nature to the program and the therapy staff is good. We brought in outside help as well. There is a very well defined manual of rules, consequences, and expectations but they are not uniformly enforced resulting in the kids not taking them seriously enough. We were strongly encouraged to return for a second year and then asked to leave with no notice after my child hit another child. No one was hurt, other student and parents were accepting of the apology. No excuses; just not handled well at all. So, if your child is well controlled and just needs academic support, this may be your place. If your child has a spectrum of “issues” related to their LDs do not believe that they are willing or equipped to deal with the whole picture. They use this holistic whole child approach as a marketing tool but it is not real.
Jeri,
Sorry to hear of your and your child’s experiences. You bring up some seriously good points:
“This may be a good school depending upon your child’s specific needs however like many boarding schools in this economy they will take on issues they are not prepared to deal with”
– Present economy exacerbates this- Especially if your child’s behavior is impacted by processing, ie is a “complex child” your due diligence should include in my opinion, determining under what situations kids have not worked out, been asked to leave, etc.
– A realistic exposure to the school, by prospective parents, of some of the more challenging behavioral issues ( that they see as potentially problematic), under what circumstances (such as being able to “check off campus).” Asking them if they can handle that type of situation and how will enable of better tracking system and at least potentially, sets up a better way for you to hold them accountible.
That might sound risky given that parents think they’re trying to “get their kid into a school” but the riskier business is the alternative. Your job as parents is to find the right fit.
Not that this is all on you. I totally agree the school bears the same responsibility but their behavior you cannot control.
Was your child asked to leave during the first year there or second?
Hope things have improved since then.
Sanford
I do find this to be an evident truth that a student will be exposed to these things irregardless. What I do find disturbing is that as a student I had found the major truth to be is that Brehm gave the illusion of having a rule then up held it strictly for about a week then disregarded it completely afterwards. It became the brunt of many jokes about how students could get away with near anything if they just gave it a little time to sit. The standards for upholding their own rules are ridiculously low. I am still struck dumb pondering how an establishment this poorly ran still continues to remain in existence. From the poor living conditions to the way that the Admin runs the place it has become unimaginable how any parent would want there child to remain there. Simply put Brehm was just another loop that I had to jump through to graduate.
Brehm offered me little help, and inhibited me in both my social development, and my learning. Most of the times I was told to slow down on working so I wouldn’t “embarrass many students.
I will state this though, I did know Jeri’s son while I was there. He is much like a few of us there who actually developed an opinion on how poorly things were ran. He voiced his distaste on several occasions for the way things were in an appropriate manner. Brehm did what Brehm usually does in that situation and told him to quit being negative and to quit bringing others down by making them think that.
The promiscuity among the female populace there is alarming too as many students have in fact been suspended for having intercourse among other things. As always it is hushed up as to help the school retain its squeaky clean image. They do not even go as far as to lift a finger to stop this. They offer only punishment not education. They don’t even discuss safe sex practices in the event of this happening.
If you were to go there you would find that on the surface it shines but on the inside it rots.
are you kidding me Keanu i still remember you. From what i remember you seemed to enjoy it. just jumping in i know sorry but my name is haroun eikram and i am a current student a brehm. to all parents out there no it is not a perfect school it might not even be a right school ,but remember one thing every one is different. in some cases like mine brehm is the only safe haven we have left. I am not saying that is for every one though. For some others it is the worst place possible yeah i have been asked to slow down but remember people I may not have been the only one. the work is hard for some while easy for others that is the problem with keanu’s statement i that he is only thinking about himself in the school he is not thinking about other opinions so academically it is impossible to rate because it is personalized keanu your’s might have been made just for you no one else mine is mine and Jerrie your son’s would have been made for him brehm is my home when i don’t have one while it is not to others its a matter of perspective. now for the matter of the dorms i will admit that we have many problems there a large amount of the time the staff they hire do not understand the students at all they just look goo on the brehm blog their are also staff who are only there for the pay and they don’t even care about the students. it would be nice if they hire some staff that actually care about the students before they decide to buy us a frisbee golf course or it would also be nice to get some textbooks that aren’t older than i am but the funding that we have is high but the quality is to low for my liking so i will admit brehm has its flaws but it also has its charms thats all i have to say. so goodbye and keanu long time no see i still think your wrong about this place.
Keanu and Haroun,
Thanks for writing in. It always amazes me how one school (most schools) can have such different effects on different kids and families.
One thing your comments remind me of, and I hope remind parents and students who read this, is to watch for signs that you grow out of a school. What may begin a great fit can be outgrown and is important to know when to cut the strings so to speak.
As you say both say, the shininess of a place starts usually starts to dull.
I’ve had some kids and parents rave about this school and others rant.
I wonder how the perceptions range about Brehm’s post-high school porgram.
If power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely then brehm is somewhere past the absolutely corrupted. Brehm is corrupt and rotted to the core and as a parent it’s been increasingly hard to contain myself on the horror of being able to look at the apathy of the staff and administration and see obvious chaos happening on campus. THey focus only on having a good image, they cover up all of the bad stuff in hopes of maintaining the good image. Along with the price of the school you’d be better off getting your child a private tutor and some one on one therapy. This school needs to be shut down or it will continue to hurt more of our children.
Dan all i can say is welcome to the real world. i will admit that the staff are still incompetent (majority of them some are really good) at time they still are good enough and plus news flash brehm is a good place but many of the students here are only going to say the bad things about brehm because they don’t want to be here. if i was being forced to go to a school i didn’t like i would cause enough chaos to bring it down as well so naturally they are going to give you horror stories so you take them out. and also to you again Mr. Hochkiss they have increased the rules in the school ten fold this year most of the stuff that has happened in previous years has been changed. we have cameras installed so no theft has occurred their is staff positioned in mall areas so no one can do any thing their anymore and punishments have been made fairly harsher so nobody wants to any more. also in defense of the staff from last year it wasn’t the incompetent staff as much as it is the clever students. also the reason that people weren’t expelled to often is because the man running it believes that students should always have time to change their ways i will admit that sometimes the students go to far and he does nothing but thats just because he doesn’t understand that sometimes some students don’t belong in the program sadly though he has a tendency to get rid of those that really need it at times as well. to be completely honest the reason im defending Dr. collins is because he is the one who changed me completely. ill spare you all the details because I don’t want to live them ever again but ill say that i should have been expelled for what i did but he gave me one more chance and i took it. because he gave me that chance i have a whole new life. right no my G.P.A is higher than ever i have a job on mondays and tuesdays i am the student council vice president i am the future business leaders of americas (FBLA LOOK IT UP ) treasurer i have lost weight (Ok i will admit thats because I cant stomach the food its terrible) i’ve gotten stronger and i am doing better than i ever have i even am going to an FBLA speech tournament in march and this is all possible because he didn’t get rid of me back then. so if you want an example of a second chance im a dang good one so with that please tell me your opinions now so i can give my own counter opinion
you know what Mr hochkiss i completely believe in my opinion i believe it so much that i encourage you come over i know this sounds like a cheap advertisement well its not i am asking you personaly to come over to brehm within the next year and ask to see me and i am going to do my absolute best to change you mind about this place because its has been a better home for me than almost anywhere else and its not just me many other people believe it so please come over here so i can change your mind and if you are still unsatisfied then please leave im not going to encourage any further
Haroun,
I just spoke to a couple of Alumni and recent Alumni who are pretty passionate and outgoing about how bad of a scholl brehm is. I’ve seen recent reviews and I can honestly say this, I am appaled by how much stuff gets overlooked. Its a good thing I pulled my child out. The treatment of the students and the treatment of some of the Alumni is disgusting and just says that this is a school that none should go to. They teach nothing of the real world as one of the Alumni put it, one of the Alumni fortunately became very successful but it wasn’t off of education it was off of a skill he held onto and and his own personal experience. He wasn’t too happy because they ruined several of his friendships their. The school seems very oversensitive and very secretive about most things. I don’t need to come over and see it because I’ve seen enough. The school tries to make things look good and then turns around when no one else is looking and just takes advantage of the parents wallets with their huge bill and no refund and it powertrips over its students and ALumni in their attempt to capatalize on everything that everyone else has done.
I can attest to what Dan is saying, I find some comfort and solace in knowing that a school that has doomed so many is finally getting the negative publicity it deserves.
I’ve been called crazy so many times for saying what most of the parents are saying now. In truth this is a school that doesn’t deserve to be in existence for its actions against students, parents, and alumni.
It is a simple truth that this school is a perversion on the institution of education. It is unfortunate that the school started to see the students as long term investments to be used as cheap advertisement as opposed to human beings.
hellooooo people alumni you do know that means graduates. yes to the surprise of many that means they don’t go their anymore*gasp* who knew huh now take the word from someone who is currently going here take my word for this brehm has changed for all of the people still trying to insult it you have no right to at all Keanu you are gone so you don’t know the current condition of this facility and dan all you know is what others have said so how about instead o listening to a bunch of strangers who don’t even go to the school anymore and you man up and come to the school any way and see with your own eyes what this school is because im getting tired of this argument because its pointless annoying and no matter what im going to continue to defend this place
Haroun,
As stated before I have been to the school, it is appalling. I had a daughter enrolled in the school. I have heard enough from numerous Alumni about the calls and the pressure put on many of them. Please note that my research has been verified by numerous people. Next time you decide to ask me to “man up” please remember who the adult is and who I can and will report you too if the disrespect continues. As I’ve been told you are supposed to have restricted computer access. if that is true then why do you have this much?
Back to the original point, never, ever send anyone to this school.
Dan,
Everyone’s entitled to their opinions here (mine too). You and your daughter had a crappy experience at Brehm, I get that.
But, to me, your tone to Haroun is a bit harsh, and threatening him, someone who like you, at least uses his name is over the edge. He is, after all, a high school student. That doesn’t give him a free pass but his mistake was in not noticing or remembering that you do have direct experience with the school.
Holding the fact that “you’re the adult” over him, and threatening to expose his computer use does nothing to enhance your credibility and takes away from what I think is your original point.
no Sanford he is completely right i went over the line and i apologies for that i just don’t like it when people insult this school so much because its done so much for me. i forgot to realize that i went against my own point every one has their own experience and i am sorry for that. and also he is right we have restricted he is the adult and he has rights as well if he wants to tell the school that i am saying these things he has the right to i cant stop him. also i probably should also apologize about telling you to man up i forgot that you have had experience with the school and i was mildly frustrated at the time with your previous comments. i also did not know that you apparently had people tell you how this year has changed i may be wrong about every thing but till it is proven to me i hold by my opinion about this school. so now i apologize to you dan for any disrespect given to you by my previous comments. but before i go this time i would just like to say thank you Sanford for defending me even though you shouldn’t have he had full rights to do it. and Dan i would like to say one last thing i have to point this out to you for future purposes. next time you threaten to tell on me to the school you might want to get rid of the fact that you were insulting it not weeks before. now remember this i meant no disrespect at all you can still do that if you found that last comment disrespectful (plus you could have gone to someone else beside the school) i meant none of it i was just pointing it out. oh actually you couldn’t have gone to someone else besides the school. if my memory serves correct the first amendment allows freedom of speech and i was just stating my opinion. oh actually one last thing i find you final comment a bit harsh Dan remember this school is better for some and worse for others. all i can say is your daughter couldn’t take it i am not calling her weak willed nor am i calling her stupid but maybe it wasn’t right for her i had strayed from my point before on how it differs for different people and i regret saying what i did before. so once again Sanford thank you for helping me but i must say that i was wrong for what i said and he had every right to tell the school what i have said. good bye and i hope you accept my apology
Man i really need to shorten this kinda stuff i repeated some of this like three times sorry guys so last thing in can say (yes i know i am talking again) COME TO BREHM ITS A GOOD PLACE!!!! (depending on your child)
Haroun,
and taking accountability for what you feel was overboard.
I see you’re examining the things you’ve said (there’s alot
Good for you; now that’s what I call manning up.
Clearly there are kids and adults here for whom this school has been a really terrible fit and there seems to be an equal number of people, adults and kids who gained some good experiences at Brehm.
couldn’t have said it better my self sanford that was perfect every thing i wanted to say but without the sarcasm
So glad to have found this site. I had been looking at this school for my twin sons who have disorder of written expression and problems with organization. They are of high intelligence, but each is struggling at school for different reasons. One of my sons cannot put thoughts on paper. The school they are in now has a language support program with a writing class. The teacher told me she had never had a child like him who could not even be prompted to write. The other child cannot manage his assignments and has many missing and late papers. It is creating chaos at home. From what I have read it looks like Brehm would not be a good fit. Right now they are not behavior problems. That is my problem when I look at what is available. I don’t want them to be exposed to a poor social environment. They need structure with support and some remediation within a school setting that can challenge them academically. I was also looking for a program that offered music. I guess I am asking too much.
Haroun,
Thank you for your apologies, it was inappropriate on my part. Complaints that are justifiable yet I pointed towards you as a representative instead of the lodging them with the school was inexcusable.
I am also defending a young man who is an alumni of this school from Chicago that I’d heard about among the alumni community. I wanted someone who is fresh out of the school opinion. He didn’t really like the school because it didn’t set him up well for after the structure but the good news is that he has become increasinly successful as a fighter and has aspirations which he did admit the school gave to him albeit in the form of spite and anger. He’s involved in several advocacy groups for children with LD’s and dedicated to helping however he can. His story is quite inspiring and i felt compelled to defend any position he held. as a result. He has asked to remin anonymous in any case as he doesn’t want to be directly involved in any of the schools matters aside from giving his honest opinion when it suits him.
dan you have no idea how much i know about who your talking about i have not only met him i still speak to him to this day frankly if it is who im almost positive it is then yeah he is doing well i know that so its good but i also know why he holds such bitterness to this school as much as i don’t enjoy saying this he is not focusing on a bigger picture of other people he is thinking more along the lines of his personal experience which was not the best i know that because he was a good friend last year he had many problems with staff with students and teachers due to the fact that he wanted to be completely free me i feel the same way he did every day this school is for people who want some freedom but still need a structured life as well he needed complete and total freedom sadly that was him only if most other students had that freedom they would abuse it i take no joy in saying this but if your son or daughter needs to have absolute complete and total freedom with nobody making sure they are doing what they need to then send them to public school but if they like me need occasional redirection to what they need to do then this is a great place to be also Teri i may not know you or your kids but frankly aside form the music problem they seem i decent fit over here we have a system that has the students write the homework they get in a book and they have two hours set aside every day except friday and saturday for study hall in that time students must finish all of their homework and have the dorm staff check it themselves before the student is allowed any free time at all if the student is responsible then he/she may do study hall in their rooms but if the student is not deemed responsible then they must have it in the kitchen or the lounge under the watchful eye of the staff in charge at the time. also if your son/ daughter has missing assignments then we have something called after school content support that is when students go to a class during recreation time and finish any late homework with the help of tutors
also i should say for the recreation time you can always have a personal lesson set up for them or have them request a new rec be set up for all students who want to do something only last week they introduced horse riding classes on i think it was mondays and fridays they have buses take students to a ranch to well ride horses and that happened because parents requested it and one other thing their is a wide variety of classes that you can take in this school some more challenging than other’s we are sorted to each class according to are strengths and skill’s in each topic on person may be put in higher level math while also be put in lower level reading or vise versa heck if you really want a challenge then you can actually take classes in a local college john a logan me personally plan on doing that next year so thats all i have to say
Hmm. I guess I could join in on this. I’ve been going to brehm for almost three years. My first year at Brehm was chaotic. I hated the school with a passion. I was also a part of the fight club that was stated at the beginning of this thread. And at the end of the year half the school was sent home or away for an incident involving huffing aerosol including me. Most of the kids were expelled. Luckily I was allowed to stay. Since then, I have made major improvements. I am now a senior, and I have decided to stay for a super senior year at Brehm and take college courses at John A. Logan.
My homework has improved, my social skills, communication between peers, and coping with my anger and how to manage my emotions. Im currently receiving all A grades.
I definitely agree with the others that Brehm has some pretty bullcrap rules, but I have learned to deal with them. Main reason for me being a lot better: Staying out of drama and being stress free. Brehm is like a sh-t-magnet for drama. =D
Overall, every place has its ups and downs and Brehm is no different. It just happened to be the right place for me. =]
hey marty nice to see you joined in and marty you are also a really good example you came into brehm the same year i did and i gotta say when i first met you you were scary but now you are a lot better you still tell stories of before i remember them so their we have one more student as an example and not i never said that all the rules were good frankly i still want my cell phone on weekdays yeah their are rules that really are only there to annoy students so yeah that ill admit is pointless
Marty,
Pretty amazing turn-around for you. I’m impressed that you can be so open about the whole thing.
Without stating the obvious most schools if not all, will have some rules that students find unnecessary. The trick is in dealing with your grievances in a way that you don’t get dragged down.
The art of negotiation is a great skill to develop!
Haroun,
he never mentioned anything about lack of freedom, he talked a lot about getting the schools act cleaned up and wishing it could be a place he didn’t have to look back at with contempt. He talked about wanting to do good for the school but kne itwould never happen with the current administration and current parents association. He did talk a lot about how he wished it could be a place he could send his children too if he ever decided to have them. He mentioned alot about wanting to buy out the school one day if possible with other peopel who shared the same beliefs and turning it into something more, something with a cohesive staff and student environment as opposed to the student vs. staff situation that the school was constantly in.
I’m curious to know wether or not we know the same person, it was horribly difficult finding hime despite me living in Chicago. I had to go to one of his fights to actually meet him and set up a lunch appointment with him.
no i am absolutely positive i am not going to say the name because he wants to remain unknown as you said but what your telling me are exact words from him that ive heard before and i will admit that the administration isn’t the best but they do their job
also sanford the art of negotiation is a good skill if the people that you are negotiating with will actually take you seriously and listen for more than thirty seconds
Yes, it’s a two way street. I totally agree. Adults need to learn the skill as much as anyone.
Well said Haroun.
thank you