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Posted
September 18, 2004
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J. Steven Alter
j.alter@comcast.net
Wilmette, Illinois
August 28th, 2004
To the Editor:
I am saddened and dismayed to learn of the lawsuit filed against John
Dewey Academy and its leadership. While I recognize and accept that the
scope and details of the lawsuit are newsworthy, I am nonetheless troubled
by its nature and content, and the defamatory consequences that will
doubtlessly be endured by the academys graduates, students and faculty.
In the interest of honest and full disclosure, I am a graduate of John
Dewey Academy (Class of 92). After twelve years in academia and investment
banking, I returned to John Dewey Academy, and have spent this summer
working with students and doing my best to contribute and give back to
my alma mater. This summer has been a very intense, deeply fulfilling
experience during which I have had the honor and opportunity to share
in the growth and renewal for a small number of very special, bright
yet destructive adolescents. I have come to care about all these dynamic
students, and have a special fondness for many, and do not wish for these
students to suffer or be diminished by actions that, in my opinion, are
motivated by the base and avaricious aims of an embittered former student
and his family.
I write in the interest of these students, and in defense of the academy
and its faculty, because these are worthy of my support. The academy,
its students (both prior and current) and its faculty have permitted
me great successes and indeed a life that I would have surely forfeited
were it not for the John Dewey Academy. Be not mistaken, were it not
for my experiences at John Dewey Academy, I would now be in an institution,
in jail or dead.
Why? Because, when I arrived at John Dewey Academy in 1989 I was an
angry, frightened, self-loathing adolescent who had all but given up
on himself (as many others had already.) By this time, I had already
struggled with the suicide of my sister, the attempted suicide of my
parent, and the divisive and destructive divorce of my parents. I had
been in treatment since the age of five, and had become jaded and cynical
with regard to psychologists, psychiatrists and social workers. I had
been institutionalized for nearly three years at the renowned Menninger
Foundation in Topeka, Kansas as well as facilities in Illinois. I had
failed out of my sophomore year at my high school and, as a result, I
had been recommended for remedial, special education classes. I engaged
in a multitude of self-destructive behaviors and had generally resigned
myself to a life of failure and (at best) mediocrity. I felt helpless,
hopeless and powerless to change.
But John Dewey Academy was unlike any place I had been before. Contrary
to my prior experiences, the onus of responsibility and accountability
was placed squarely on my shoulders. I was expected to grow up and behave
in a moral and responsible manner. The students and faculty, including
Drs. Bratter and Steiner, demanded honesty and integrity, and consistently
raised their expectations thereby facilitating my own drive to achieve
and succeed. I was not treated as a failure, or as damaged goods; rather,
I was confronted on my poor decisions and forced to take ownership of
my choices and actions. Contrary to my past endeavors, therapeutic and
otherwise, I was empowered. I was empowered to take control of my life
to eschew the patient/victim mentality through which I had resigned
myself to any number of disorders and diagnoses that essentially stripped
me of choice, self-determination and (most significantly) personal accountability.
Once I accepted that I was personally accountable and responsible for
actions once I engaged in positive, productive decision-making and
chose to change my life for the better I quickly excelled personally,
emotionally and academically. Upon graduation, I attended University
of Chicago and will be completing my MPhil with Honors in Political Science
and Economics at a prestigious university in the United Kingdom.
The point that I am endeavoring to make is that while I may have been
capable of change without John Dewey Academy, the school, my community
and the faculty served as necessary role models for integrity, honesty
and decency. They provided a safe and supportive environment that, while
stressful and demanding, encouraged and facilitated a renewal a true
and achievable opportunity to overcome my past failures in favor of a
meaningful existence and a lifetime of success. I owe a great deal to
John Dewey Academy, Drs. Bratter and Steiner, and the others who invested
in me when other had given up and written me off as a bad investment.
Therefore, it pains me to witness this sincerity, humanity and integrity
called into question through what I believe are unfounded and rapacious
claims. It may be that these events occurred, but I categorically reject
the notion that members of the school, and in particular Drs. Bratter
and Steiner, were aware or had knowledge of these behaviors. Had such
activities been revealed or disclosed, the school, its students and faculty,
would have demanded the immediate resignation of the Ms. Hampton and
the expulsion of Mr. Helfand. There would have been no discussion, no
negotiation, and most certainly no complicity on the part of Drs. Bratter
and Steiner.
Indeed, it should be noted that the academy asserts three (3) cardinal
rules that extend to all students, faculty and staff whether on or
off campus. These cardinal rules are simple and unyielding no drugs
or controlled substances (including nicotine and alcohol), no violence
and no sexual acts between members of the community (this includes students,
faculty and staff.) These rules are not merely handbook entries, but
are core tenets of the therapeutic community. That such behavior may
have occurred is reprehensible on the part of the parties involved. To
believe that such actions would be tolerated by the community is plainly
absurd and thoroughly inconsistent with the very nature of John Dewey
Academy.
In my opinion, the lawsuit brought by the Helfands is tenuous, unsupported
and motivated by greed. This is an unfortunate matter, but more destructive
than the sheer nuisance of the lawsuit is the toll it may take on John
Dewey Academy; it endangers a school that is dedicated to assisting young
men and women achieve control and success in their lives a school which
has helped countless students in its short history, and continues to
empower angry, gifted adolescents to be productive and successful members
within their communities. It is unfortunate that Mr. Helfand chose to
engage in destructive behaviors after (and perhaps during) his residence
at John Dewey Academy, and it is also unfortunate that these actions
contributed to his expulsion from college I extend my empathy to his
family for this tragedy and encourage Mr. Helfand to again take control
of his life but to claim that John Dewey Academy, or its faculty, are
responsible and liable for these actions and behaviors again strips accountability
and responsibility from those involved. It perpetuates the notion that
Mr. Helfand is a victim and unable to control himself. Helfand made choices,
admittedly poor choices, and has incurred consequences accordingly. That
he or his family are unhappy with these consequences is understandable;
that they have chosen to place blame for these action on John Dewey Academy,
its dedicated faculty and students is unconscionable.
Sincerely,
J. Steven Alter
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