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

by Laura Gauld; Malcolm Gauld; Marc Brown

• ISBN13: 9780743210584
• ISBN10: 0743210581
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2002-02-26
• Publisher: Scribner

Summary

ATTITUDE OVER APTITUDE. EFFORT OVER ACHIEVEMENT. CHARACTER OVER TALENT. For families, educators, corporations, and communities, The Biggest Job We'll Ever Have is nothing less than a new paradigm for reconnecting education with core values. With more than thirty-five years' experience at Hyde, an organization of internationally known, award-winning schools and programs, Laura and Malcolm Gauld argue persuasively that true education for our children springs not just from seeking good grades and achievements but from reestablishing a true commitment to character, attitude, and a sense of purpose. The Hyde program emphasizes ten core beliefs -- the school's 10 Priorities -- that address how families can find the right balance between character and achievement. The results have been nothing short of astonishing: Children of all abilities and from every background have succeeded far beyond any expectations of them, both personally and academically, thanks to what they and their families have learned at Hyde. Unlike other education books that focus on the child, The Biggest Job We'll Ever Have focuses on a child's primary teacher -- the parent. The Gaulds explain that parents have an enormous impact on how their children approach education and life. They describe how parents can enhance their children's education by improving family dynamics and introducing honesty into all aspects of family life. And they detail the 10 Priorities clearly and logically, so that any family can embrace them. But that's only part of this book's appeal. Perhaps its true power comes from the dozens of Hyde parents and students who willingly share their own remarkable stories -- honest, funny, sad, moving, provocative -- that attest to the transformational power of the Hyde philosophy. Being a parent and a child today isn't easy; so much that we thought was important simply is not. As parents and educators, Laura and Malcolm Gauld believe that the way to motivate kids and build stronger families is to focus on identifying what is truly important. In The Biggest Job We'll Ever Have, they do exactly that.

Author Biography

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.

Table of Contents

Foreword	7	(4)
To the Reader	11	(8)
Part One: Character: Some Fundamentals
``Character Is Inspired; It Is Not Imparted''	19	(6)
``You're a Bright Kid Who Doesn't Apply Himself'' and Other Hollow Phrases	25	(6)
The Hyde Schools: Our Laboratory	31	(8)
Why Things Are the Way They Are	39	(8)
Unique Potential---the Key to Our Destiny	47	(4)
Do You Live on the Right-Hand Side of the Page?	51	(10)
Part Two: The 10 Priorities
Get Your Priorities Straight	61	(4)
Truth over Harmony	65	(30)
Principles over Rules	95	(22)
Attitude over Aptitude	117	(24)
Set High Expectations and Let Go of Outcomes	141	(30)
Value Success and Failure	171	(14)
Allow Obstacles to Become Opportunities	185	(24)
Take Hold and Let Go	209	(18)
Create a Character Culture	227	(18)
Humility to Ask for and Accept Help	245	(16)
Inspiration: Job 1	261	(18)
Conclusion	279	(12)
Acknowledgments	291	(2)
Index	293