[ Replies to this Post ] [ Post a Reply ] [ Generation eXers Board ] [ exFamily.org Home ]
Posted by MG on May 12, 2010 at 11:52:44
In Reply to: Re: I guess you would need some dialogue with posted by Ananda Nobre on May 11, 2010 at 16:21:00:
Hi Ananda,
Reading about your childhood in the late 80’s and early 90’s as a child first in Brazil and then Argentina brought back a lot of memories of my own. I’m not an SG but I was in Brazil in ’89 for more than 3 years in one of the Family’s school combo home. (Maybe if I describe some of my memories it will help bring back some memories that have blocked)
I was a full-time teacher in this school and very involved in the whole operation. Our school had children up to Jett age, which was from about 9 to 13 years old. We didn’t have a teen group, as the teens went to the teen Combo in Rio, where it was supposed to be better for them … separated from their parents in their own peer group, supervised, trained and taught by people that had a supposed “anointing” to be teen shepherds.
And separating children from their parents also was done in the School-Combos. Children stayed with their group and teachers all day until 1 to 2 hours of “parent time” after dinner in the evenings. This was how it was done not only in the combo I was in, and in Argentina, but world-wide in all Family schools, because the model on how to organize a school combo came from the top, Berg, Maria and Family leadership. There were a lot of publications on how to do it, and a lot of videos too. It seems like most of the videos came from a big combo in Japan which was called the Heavenly City School.
As soon as a child was about 1 1/2 or 2 years old they didn’t sleep in their parent’s room anymore and they joined the toddler group, there were also separate groups for YCs (younger children), and then there was the OC (older children) group, and after that the Jett group or pre-teens. In a combo each group had their own room to sleep in, usually bunk beds, in some of the combos these bunks were triple. One of their teacher-shepherds slept with them in the same room.
Combo life started with devotions after breakfast, then some JJT (that was Jesus Job Time), house chore work, then school. School time would begin with studying Family publications, quite often Berg’s endtime prophecy teachings, etc. After there was school, learning the 3 R’s, reading, writing and arithmetic. Most schools used the Super Workbook as a textbook and Uncle Dan’s math videos. If you were 3 in ’86, by the time the Combo schools were in full swing from ’89 into most of the 90’s then you would have been first in a YC group then an OC group. You might remember the Super Workbooks and Uncle Dan. In fact he was in Argentina and maybe he taught you mathematics in person.
I was a brainwashed FG, and as a teacher I’m responsible for brainwashing SG children in the Family schools I was part of. I’m sorry for it, I don’t have any excuses, I take responsibility, and I apologize once again. I’ve taken action whenever I could, for example sending an affidavit for a legal case to help an SG win at least partial custody for his children that his ex wife was keeping in the Family.
For a long time I didn’t have a good relationship with my daughter, who left the Family before I did so that she could go to University. It took some time, but things are better now.
I hope this helps. I have a son who a little older than you, he’s been out of the Family even longer than his sister, he’s got a good job now, but remains single like his sister. His memories from the school combo in Brazil are about swimming, playing football, and things like that. We did have a big swimming pool.
I don’t know if any of this helps you at all and I wish you the best.
Thanks for posting here.
[ Replies to this Post ] [ Post a Reply ] [ Generation eXers Board ] [ exFamily.org Home ]