Anyone interested in seeing items from ATI's EXCEL?

[formergothardite]

So the thread about Wisdom Booklets got me wondering if I had any of my EXCEL things left, so I made my husband drag boxes down from the attic and low and behold I do! Not a whole lot, but things like schedules, Bible memory and character quality pages and the weekly performance worksheet that the group leader filled out and mailed to my parents. I also have a picture of me posed with Bill Gothard. LOL. Anyway, if anyone is interested in seeing them I'll try and figure out how to work our scanner and post them.

[FaustianSlip]

Gah, posted to the wrong thread. That's what I get for having too many tabs open at once.

I'd definitely be interested in seeing the EXCEL stuff. The whole ATI thing is morbidly fascinating to me.

[cate]

I'm interested, too!

[emmiedahl]

Totally interested here. I used to homeschool and I was pretty damn good teacher (if I do say so myself). I'd like to take a gander at what they consider an education.

[luv2laugh]

I'm interested!!!!!!!

[clibbyjo]

Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhh, I DO homeschool,is this something I need for fall? :)

[emmiedahl]

Also, they sound boring as hell. One of my pet peeves with school (now that my kids are in it) is that 'can they make learning any more tedious?' When we homeschooled, we had some serious fun, all day every day. I wouldn't buy things until we held them in our hands and evaluated the fun factor. It was more for me than for the kids. I had to teach three people=three times the work=it had better be enjoyable.

[synchroswimr]

I'm absolutely interested!

[loveandwar]

Me! I'm interested!

[formergothardite]

EXCEL is Gothard's eight week training program for girls to teach them how to be proper, godly women. You live at the Dallas training center for eight weeks and there is very, very little of what anyone would call education, mostly attempts to make you feel guilty for feeling any sort of emotions that aren't sweet. During the 90's they had it twice a year and the first couple of ones were not as strict, but they ended up with one girl (she was over 18) running away with her boyfriend and a bunch of girls getting up on the roof or hanging out windows being wild and crazy. That all happened right before I went and they were super strict.

It might be Monday before I am able to get it scanned and posted. If I can figure how to blur out faces, I'll post some picture of trying to play sports without running (according to Gothard running can ruin your baby making organs and is bad) and in long skirts and tennis shoes. Also, the very hideous tapestry vest I was forced to make and wear. My lack of sewing skills didn't help it any.

[Guest Anonymous]

EXCEL is Gothard's eight week training program for girls to teach them how to be proper, godly women. You live at the Dallas training center for eight weeks and there is very, very little of what anyone would call education, mostly attempts to make you feel guilty for feeling any sort of emotions that aren't sweet. During the 90's they had it twice a year and the first couple of ones were not as strict, but they ended up with one girl (she was over 18) running away with her boyfriend and a bunch of girls getting up on the roof or hanging out windows being wild and crazy. That all happened right before I went and they were super strict.

It might be Monday before I am able to get it scanned and posted. If I can figure how to blur out faces, I'll post some picture of trying to play sports without running (according to Gothard running can ruin your baby making organs and is bad) and in long skirts and tennis shoes. Also, the very hideous tapestry vest I was forced to make and wear. My lack of sewing skills didn't help it any.

I doubt that (justifiable) lack of enthusiasm helped either.

[formergothardite]

That is true! The sad thing is that it turned out better than my quilt, which not only never got finished, but the half-finished part looked so horrid that, during the display of quilts, mine was displayed in an area nobody looked at.

There was a woman there at my EXCEL who was 28 and a former nurse who quit it all to be a stay at home daughter and serve her family. Her family had gotten into ATI after she had gone to college, and the Lord called her home away from the ebil work place. She would get up and give speeches about how horrible working was and how dating was the worst thing anyone could do. I found out later that after a year or so of this she moved out, went back to work and started dating.

[xDreamerx]

I'd like to see it too! Maybe you could just edit the pictures if you can't blur them, with paint or something and cut out or colour over the faces.

[GenerationCedarchip]

So the thread about Wisdom Booklets got me wondering if I had any of my EXCEL things left, so I made my husband drag boxes down from the attic and low and behold I do! Not a whole lot, but things like schedules, Bible memory and character quality pages and the weekly performance worksheet that the group leader filled out and mailed to my parents. I also have a picture of me posed with Bill Gothard. LOL. Anyway, if anyone is interested in seeing them I'll try and figure out how to work our scanner and post them.

I'd be interested. ATI is so different from anything I've had exposure to that I also find it kind of oddly fascinating.

[Visionoyahweh]

Count me in! I'd love to see them.

[MamaJunebug]

Yes, please!

[Aeryn406]

Absolutely! It'll be really cool to see the actual, first hand material! One of the other FJers said once that they felt like an anthropologist and I can see that comparison now. It feels cool to be able to see things that you know are supposed to be kept "secret & special".

[marmalade]

I'd love to see this archive, but BE CAREFUL about this. See if there is any way to make the thread "private,: ie. for members who have joined BEFORE the thread goes up - only. That will protect from all the lurkers and fundie hatas (we know you're out there) who would gleefully register to see what's behind the magic curtain.

[formergothardite]

I would edit out all names, dates, and anything that could be personal. If it is stuff that they handed out to me and mailed to my parents talking about me could I get in trouble for it?

[FloraDoraDolly]

I'd like to see it too! Maybe you could just edit the pictures if you can't blur them, with paint or something and cut out or colour over the faces.

Or if you want to get creative, substitute the Gothard attendees' faces with photos of messed-up or obnoxious celebrities.

[kaetrin]

formergothardite, when were you at EXCEL? I was there... I forget the exact year off-hand but I'm pretty sure it was the second class.

OMG the walking round and round (no running!) in circles at that weird little park. And the attempts to play soccer: if you wore a full skirt, you got all tangled up in it when you tried to kick the ball, and if you wore a straighter skirt, you couldn't move or fell down and split the seam open. AND the hideous tapestry vests. AND being required to fast on Sundays when the ice cream cone factory across the street was baking waffle cones.

I "lost" all my materials years ago but I'm sure yours will remind me of things I've forgotten.

[marmalade]

I was more worried about copyright laws. Even if it's changed over time, I'm sure he's protected it as his intellectual property. Be careful (or pm interested parties). That stuff, seen by the wrong people could cause problems by people who want dischord here.

[DamnPrecious]

I would be interested too.

[formergothardite]

formergothardite, when were you at EXCEL? I was there... I forget the exact year off-hand but I'm pretty sure it was the second class.

OMG the walking round and round (no running!) in circles at that weird little park. And the attempts to play soccer: if you wore a full skirt, you got all tangled up in it when you tried to kick the ball, and if you wore a straighter skirt, you couldn't move or fell down and split the seam open. AND the hideous tapestry vests. AND being required to fast on Sundays when the ice cream cone factory across the street was baking waffle cones.

I "lost" all my materials years ago but I'm sure yours will remind me of things I've forgotten.

I think mine was EXCEL four or five. Since I might be posting pics, I don't want to be too specific so no crazy angry fundie finds out the name of the girls and posts them. There was a ton of drama right before I went with a girl running away and other girls hanging out the windows and getting on the roof being wild, so they had us on a tight leash. They would try and get us to tattle on our roomates for disobeying and they were constantly dropping by the rooms, dragging out every item and going through them to make sure there was nothing to indicate that you were even thinking of doing something bad.

And fasting on Sunday! I hated that. And walking around and around in the little cirlces at the park, but not too fast. We didn't get to play soccer, just frisbee, and there was even debate over that. Good times I tell you.

[fundies_like_zombies]

what is EXCEL and why are people sent there? is it like a boarding school?