hi there, I’m an HA alumni that graduated august of 08. my name is Jeff and i would like to share one particular incident that happened while i was there. if you’d like to publish this, be my guest.
I want to start out by clarifying that the HA isn’t all bad, i did get some good things out of it and overall I’m glad i went, although I never want to go back. before I start the story i would also like to share that east Texas was probably THE WORST place to establish the honor academy. its hot and humid, there’s red ants everywhere, and i had to throw away all my white clothes after I graduated because of all the red dirt there. even Oklahoma would have been better, i wish they would have just stayed there. I just had to get that out.
alright at the beginning of the year i was placed in kcrew, which I wasn’t too happy with because as a soon found out kcrew was where they put everyone that was too socially awkward to work in the call center. just for the record I am not socially awkward and I could have been a great success in the call center or financing or something. But I was probably the only one on kcrew that was lucky enough to get promoted throughout the year. now some people (HA staff) might argue that every position in kcrew is just as important as the rest, but lets face it, certain people got special treatment depending on what position they held, and all the interns knew that. so i started at the bottom of the barrel with the job of cleaning the cafeteria twice a day, and either serving food or washing dishes. but with enough persistence, after a few months I was moved up to working on the salad bar team, which was great because I got to chop vegetables all day and hang out with the prep cooks, who were at the top of the ladder. than with even more persistence and a few more months I was promoted to prep cook! which never happens. it was great because as a prep cook i could get away with pretty much anything.
so on to the bad part. once or twice a month we would have a facilities meeting where kcrew, custodial, and grounds crew would all meet and listen to Mr. gunder(sp?) talk about how great his grounds crew is. it was really boring for the kcrew people so it wasn’t uncommon for one of us to skip the meeting and sleep in since they were first thing in the morning. and normally no one got in trouble for it because the staff wouldn’t notice only a couple people missing. so one Friday, during the summer, like mid July, all three of the prep cooks, me being one of them, decided to “sleep through their alarm” and miss the meeting. apparently it was really important for the prep cooks to be there because we got in trouble by the head honcho herself, Mrs. Olin. so she started going off on us about how the meetings are important and all this stuff, and she’s not one to fly off her rocker when she’s upset, so its not like she would say anything she didn’t mean or didn’t think about saying before she said it. I don’t remember most of what she said but the one thing that totally blew me away was this, after saying all this stuff about us missing the meeting and how we were being rebellious, she told us, and she was staring at me when she said it, “I wonder if you’re really a Christian” WHOA, HOLD THE PHONE!!!!!!!! she flat out questioned my entire salvation in Christ, my love and devotion to the Almighty God! after surviving 11 months at that place already, all because i missed some stupid meeting. that’s not even all of it. that was my first time getting in serious trouble at work. there were a couple minor things but they weren’t a big deal. like i said before I was also the only person to move up the ladder from the very bottom to the very top, so i thought i had it in good with Mrs. Olin. but after that one incident, with only three for four weeks left til graduation, she tells me that if i slip up at all in the next few weeks, even a little bit, she would get me dismissed!!! after an entire year of being an amazing employee, despite working for free, she’s willing to dismiss me that easily.
That’s just one of many things that happened over the year, that now that I think about it has caused some lasting damage of some sort. I’m seriously considering going to my pastor for counseling on the issue.
22 comments:
mybowsandarrows said…
Hey Jeff… (my name too).
I was an intern 03-05. I was on K-Crew for two years because I had extensive foodservice experience prior to enrollment.
A young lady on K-Crew during my time as GI expressed a similar concern about “social awkwardness” or even for those who have mild mental issues (Cerebral Palsy, etc.)What I explained was that some people ARE more suited for simple tasks like K-Crew work. That’s just the way that the physical world works. And other folks, well, they may not be socially awkward, they may be the most eloquent intern in existence… so are they too good to work in the kitchen? On the flipside, I have heard Mr. Hasz admit publicly that it’s possible people DO get placed in the wrong ministry placement and that should be remedied as fast as possible!
As for “climbing the ladder…” it’s true… if you’re good/faithful at what you do, you get advanced. That’s the way ANY job works. But the attitude of advanced people getting away with stuff it wrong on their part… higher “status” or position = more responsibility NOT more leisure.
BTW… I hated those meetings too. 😉
October 14, 2009 12:40 PM
mybowsandarrows said…
…if I may add, I’d love to hear more about your K-Crew experiences! 🙂
October 14, 2009 12:41 PM
Anonymous said…
I’m just gonna be TOTALLY honest. K-Krew fully got the “socially awkward” rep. It was not ok. I was in ATF and we fully had the rep of being “less qualified” then the Mob or GE. haha. I just didnt really get it. And I dont know how it really even happend. But it really was like, if you were on K-krew or ATF you were “weaker” than everyone else, or you didnt have that “flare” the rest of the ministry was looking for. For real. It was really like that. What a lie from the devil!
I’m sorry you had to go through that Jeff. I always thought K-krew was the best ministry placement anyways. I tried to get moved there. Friggen Teen Mania. lol. People are such sinners!
October 14, 2009 1:45 PM
Mike said…
This post is a perfect example of typical Teen Mania thinking. If you ever dare to show the slightest bit of free thinking, the higher ups have no qualms whatsoever about laying on the guilt thick, even going so far as to question an intern’s very salvation. When I went in ’99 there were no preconceptions about kcrew. It’s nice to know they’ve actually gotten even more judgmental and elitist. My question: when you were confronted about missing this meeting, did the topic of forgiveness ever even get breached? I doubt it. Christ preached forgiveness and grace. TM preaches enforced perfection, at the expense of all those who don’t fit “the system”.
October 18, 2009 1:29 AM
Anonymous said…
This is David Hasz, my heart is saddened when I read your post Jeff. I wish you had talked to me about your concerns when you were here. Clearly not all the socially awkward folks got put on the K crew – you were there. I work very diligently and hard to respect and honor ALL interns regaurdless of social skills, or other gifts for that matter. I do work to put folks in areas they will succeed, I am not sure who stack ranked the ministry placements or decided that a GE caller was better qualified than an ATF caller etc. Why even fight over these things or make these distinctions – that is what leads to legalism etc., and certainly leadership is not assigning these values. What a shame that your blog has generated not grace and mercy but rather slander, gossip, and not all things good. If you ever really want to talk about this, please email me at david.hasz@teenmania.org and I would be happy to address your concerns. To all others I say let’s press on to know Him in all His mercy, grace and love. I am sorry you other alumni felt a push toward perfectionism when really I was trying to push you toward accompplishment and using the gifts God has given you.
October 19, 2009 10:00 AM
Recovering Alumni said…
On the contrary, Dave, my blog has generated quite a bit of grace and mercy (just not directed to you). I have heard from many former interns that this blog has been a place of healing and freedom for them on their journey. Grace to free them from the legalistic bonds placed on them.
As far as slander is concerned – that is defined as an untruthful statement. I have not knowingly published anything untrue. I invite you to point out any false statements.
As far as gossip is concerned – I believe that speaks more to motive than actual words. Is it gossip for an abused woman to talk about her experience with the goal of healing and warning others?
I think you are probably sincere in your intentions. Sincerely misguided. Why do you ignore the vast amount of evidence that interns are hurt by your ministry year after year?
October 19, 2009 11:08 AM
Recovering Alumni said…
Dave,
After further reflection, I think your statement is a flat out lie.
“I am sorry you other alumni felt a push toward perfectionism when really I was trying to push you toward accompplishment and using the gifts God has given you.”
I can clearly recall you quoting the verse in the NT that says “Be ye perfect as I am perfect.” And then expounding on it by saying that God would not have put that in the Bible if it weren’t attainable. So you have clearly and purposely promoted perfectionism. Why lie about that?
October 19, 2009 11:18 AM
Anonymous said…
Is that really Dave Hasz? I would think someone so influential within TM would post from a real site (web or blog, instead of “anonymous”) and know how to spell words and structure sentences.
October 19, 2009 7:53 PM
Anonymous said…
Now I really am wondering if this was ACTUALLY David Hasz…
Well, If it was him or not I want to comment on this phrase-“and certainly leadership is not assigning these values.”
I have a few quotes from a couple of my boss’s and interns on the issue of ‘Stack Ranking ministry placements.’
“I don’t know about these days but when I was an intern the ATF callers were the REALLY bad callers.” former Manager. who had been and intern 5 or 6 years before me.
“I had to put all the notes in Word from the interviews… It wasn’t pretty, I was even a little hurt seeing what my boss’s said about the poor new interns, they were pretty heartless.” – A girl in my core. she worked for G.E.
I over heard a conversation of the directors of G.E. and ATF. – ATF had sent over 15 interns to GE for the summer missions.
Director of ATF to Director of G.E. – “Hey, what happened to those 15 callers we sent you?”
Director of G.E. – “Don’t you remember? They were all terrible callers. We sent them to marketing.” (I had heard about these 15 callers. I knew most of them. They told me all they did was play online all day long.)
Mr. Hasz to the Mob (the department that called the future interns)- “Now, I know you guys care about the spiritual well being of the people that you are calling. and yes, that is important, but you have to remember that you are working for Teen Mania and your first priority is to try to get people to come to the Honor Academy.”
It was pretty bad. And I understand how Teen Mania works and stuff. It’s just pretty cut throat. I didn’t know when I went there that It was going to be like that at all. I would recommend no one go to Teen Mania. or get out as soon as possible. It’s just not good for your spirit. They lie to you about a lot of things just to get you to go there and then you’re seriously manipulated.
October 21, 2009 1:06 AM
g said…
oh GOSH. i was there ages ago, but my boss told me how they did ministry assignments and showed me my scores.
there are ppl watching the new interns from dawn till dusk that whole first week…rating them…then there’s a draft system. certain departments get the first picks. and of course they go for the higher-ranked people first.
one of my main and lingering issues w/ the ha is that no matter how often “no fear of man!” or “kill performance mentality!” is preached…all the unspoken structures of the program reinforce it. the smart/accomplished/pretty/cool/whatever kids are AA’s in HA, or work in GE…and to some extent, that’s just the way it is. if the ministry is going to run on volunteer labor, it would be stupid and unwise to not make the most of it.
October 21, 2009 11:49 PM
Anonymous said…
Interesting statement about the push to be perfect, RA. If perfectionism were attainable, we wouldn’t need Christ to die for our sins, would we? We could just be perfect ourselves and get to Heaven that way.
This leads me to question if David Hasz thinks he has obtained this level of perfectionism. If he could manage to be perfect himself, he could just die for the world’s sins. Why even be a Christian if you can get to Heaven on your own? What a majorly screwed up view!
October 24, 2009 10:43 PM
Anonymous said…
Haha you are the people who just complain through life and your so picked on. I go to the HA and it’s nothing like this. You just have a bad case of self pitty
October 26, 2009 10:07 AM
Anonymous said…
lol. to the last Anonymous- ask your boss how you got picked for your ministry placement…
October 28, 2009 3:59 PM
mybowsandarrows.wordpress.com said…
There is an interview process I remember. And so what if an intern is assigned to a ministry placement based on their interview scores… this basically how the real world works.
The question on whether or not if the comment from “David Hasz” was actually him or not is irrelevant – Matthew 18 basically states if you have an issue, talk to the person about it. What’s stopping you from emailing Dave if you have a problem with him? What’s stopping anyone from emailing their former manager/supervisor (if they still have the same contact info, obviously)?
As for the comment Mr. Hasz said in regards to HA MOB callers – that is their job’s first priority. They need to be successful in blending spiritual guidance with that of course, but as far as the job goes… that’s the priority. The same with any other job that has priorities.
As for “perfection…” biblically speaking there is a moral perfection that Jesus brings to our hearts with salvation. Not a physical or mental perfection – but a wholeness that comes from our repentance and faith in Jesus! Hallelujah.
Jesus’ call for us to be “perfect” isn’t about making sure you meet with your accountability partner every day, making perfect calls, or running a mile, but it’s having the right heart and motive towards God.
My two cents. 🙂
Jeff O
Inter 03-04, GI 04-05, Staff 06,08
October 29, 2009 10:30 AM
Recovering Alumni said…
mybowsandarrows,
“Jesus’ call for us to be “perfect” isn’t about making sure you meet with your accountability partner every day, making perfect calls, or running a mile, but it’s having the right heart and motive towards God. “
If that is truly the way that TM feels, then it is very poorly communicated. Why the heavy emphasis on works then? Defending your graduation? Graduating at different levels? Etc.
October 29, 2009 11:20 AM
mybowsandarrows.wordpress.com said…
It’s always been my understanding that HA is not just a bunch of Christians… but an internship with policies and rules and requirements. Sure, my spiritual life and the way the HA is supposed to run coincides at many points being an intern there. It’s supposed to.
IMO” common sense dictates It’s up to me to make sure I’m not blending the two unneccesarily, and up to leadership to make difference clear if the line becomes too blurred.
Jeff O
October 29, 2009 3:47 PM
Recovering Alumni said…
Wow, Jeff, that is a very interesting theory. I’ve certainly never heard that view consistently articulated from HA leadership. The supposed “point” of all the rules, policies and requirements is an enhanced spiritual life. Are you saying that is not the case? If so, what are the rules for?
October 29, 2009 4:36 PM
Diane said…
Hi there.
I was an August intern of the class of ’00, and I was K-Crew to boot.
I have to say, although I may not particularly think me and TM are best buds now, I still had a positive experience while I was there – partly because I was very legalistic at the time and was in love with rules.
But it was also the first time I ever heard the idea of Jesus being my Husband, so I looked at that year as a honeymoon of sorts.
Since I worked Breakfast Crew, I had to be in the kitchen by 6 am – or 5:30 am on hot breakfast days. This meant I was getting up at 3:45 am some days, so I could shower and have my QT before work.
I think being on K-Crew sheltered me from a lot of the painful experiences other people had, namely because my schedule was so different and our K-Crew was such a tight-knit group (me and three other members are still very close and keep in regular contact).
Anyway, in response to the “socially awkward” label: after WE got our job postings that first day, a few of the girls on the crew cried. Because they were pretty and popular and not used to manual labor.
But, in the end, they made the best of things – and our crew became the best crew they’d had in recent memory (we got plenty of comments from the January interns and GIs). We were cheerful and kept our kitchen spotless (we scored 100 on a couple health inspections).
But deep down in our hearts, some of us wondered why we were there. Several of us were actually really smart.
In fact, I went on to graduate cum laude from an Ivy League University. And just got my Master’s degree from a Big Ten college.
I never got a Carpe Diem, but faithfully cleaned that cafeteria every day, taking pleasure in making sure even the napkins were put in their holders the right way. And me and my friends tried to play interesting music that was different than the mainstream (although we got confronted a couple times on the old “speed metal” rule).
Anyway, I don’t see myself as socially awkward. Or most of my friends from K-Crew (O.K. – there were a few really weird ones on there… but still).
I guess I just wanted to defend myself and my friends. Maybe things have devolved since then (as I’ve sort of heard they have), but during my year, K-Crew really was the place to be.
November 2, 2009 11:50 AM
Lauren said…
“I think being on K-Crew sheltered me from a lot of the painful experiences other people had”
Let me just give a shout out to the K-Crew. When I was an intern (and I worked in Finance), the K-Crew were some of my most favorite people. They seemed the most grounded in reality, and I really appreciated them. Maybe what you said about being “sheltered” is why.
However, I will not deny the stigma of K-Crew. I remember the overall feeling of it being a lower rung. And I remember the MOB being the cool kids. B-shift was always so wild and adventurous in my mind. Haha!
April 26, 2010 4:45 PM
TMgoth said…
How twisted is it that I felt my self-esteem wanting to rise at the idea of GE being somehow in the realm of the elite interns… (I never knew GE was considered anything special.)
“You mean I was special???” *sniff* my little psyche said…
Oh boy… I’m not done with this, am I?
April 29, 2010 1:35 AM
Programming4Life said…
I have to give a shout out to KCrew as well. Diane, I was security during your internship, and ya’ll kept this fat-boy fed when I would work the graveyard shift, and when we returned from Christmas break, and I was couped up in the booth for a few days alone! Ya’ll are one of the few good memories I have, and that includes the tears in some of your breakfast shifts eyes the day I left the HA. I’m glad you were able to walk away from that year with a good experience.
-Josh
April 29, 2010 8:13 AM
layne said…
Jeff,
I’m actually really glad they established HA and TM in East Texas. My fiance is from East Texas and was a Tyler, TX local during my SA year. If it wasn’t for the Garden Valley location, I’d have never met him. So that’s one good thing. I still hate the fire ants, though.
April 29, 2010 9:51 AM