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Dear
Bob,
Every summer, we have new staff who come to camp somewhat naive about
the demands of being a counselor. No matter what we tell them about the
long hours and the demands of working with campers, we feel like we haven't
quite prepared them for the summer ahead. Do you have any advice or thoughts
that we could share that might help counselors realize the awesome responsibility
and opportunity they have working with our young people?
- Wondering in Wisconsin
Dear Wondering,
Nothing replaces experience as a teacher. I suspect many camp directors
feel like you do, that no matter how well they have prepared their staff
they could have used one more day! And despite your training efforts,
there will always be some counselors who will say, "They never told me
it would be like this!" That having been said, there are some thoughts
I can share with staff.
Becoming a Memorable Counselor
As a staff person, think back to when you were younger. You probably
knew adults - teachers, relatives, coaches, scout leaders, etc. - around
whom you felt safe, nurtured, encouraged, or basically cared for. You
probably also knew adults around whom you and your friends felt unsafe
- adults who were critical, unpredictable, moody, or just made you feel
wary, ashamed, or like you were a burden. Your campers can tell just
from being with you and sensing how accepting and genuinely happy you
are to be with them which category of adult you fall into.
Having spoken to thousands of campers over the years, I know that what
leaves a positive impression on them are counselors who sincerely enjoy
spending time with them, listen to them, and play with them. Campers
also said that staff members who keep things emotionally safe and teach
them something new or who lead them to be more successful are particularly
memorable. That something new can be anything from how to make a new
friend, to how to hold a lacrosse stick or put the right spin on a basketball,
to how to use a new tool or how to overcome a fear of trying new things.
Notice that nowhere in this list do you find campers who say their favorite
counselors are ones who let them do whatever they want. Though campers
will often pressure you to let them do what they like, counselors who
cave into this pressure are not only not memorable but may be compromising
the physical and emotional sense of safety among campers. It is ironic
that campers often ask to do the very things that later make them feel
unsafe or out of control. One of the hardest things to remember when
you are surrounded by children all summer is that you are the adult and
that it is your sound judgement that often means the difference between
a safe activity and one where a child gets seriously hurt - physically
or emotionally.
Getting to Know Campers
Let me also share a few survival tips. Children who are strangers to
one another need time to become comfortable before they can truly get
along, cooperate, and perform at a high level. The time you take to get
to know your charges and help them get to know one another will pay later
when you are trying to guide them through clean-up or some other cooperative
activity. Likewise, campers who know each other very well, either from
past summers or from home, may need new challenges to grow beyond old
loyalties and cliques.
One particular caution has to do with working with teens who know each
other well from past years. If you are new to camp and the teens are
long-time veterans, you will find that they will ignore you at first
while they reconnect with one another. Do not force yourself on them
early in the session. Give them a chance to renew their friendships.
After perhaps a day, once they have reconstituted themselves as a group,
they will turn their attention to you. That is when you can begin the
process of getting to know them and letting them know you. (Teens, by
the way, are usually not shy about asking questions. Just remember that
you do not - in fact, should not - share all the intimate details of
your private life with them. Win them over through your interest in them
and your willingness to enter their worlds.) The patience you exhibit
with teens will pay off. Forcing yourself on teens, especially as a female
counselor working with teen girls, will only backfire.
You Are the Adult, So Keep Your Cool
Remember that as a counselor, there is a double standard when working
with campers. If a camper uses rude or inappropriate language with you
or engages in hostile behavior, you cannot react in kind. You are the
adult. Losing your cool or yelling may make you feel better momentarily,
but campers will come to resent you or respect you less for it. Besides,
yelling will not accomplish your long-term objectives.
With older campers, state your expectations clearly ("Guys, it's clean-up
time and we all know what our jobs are, so let's go!); stay out of the
battles or traps they may set for you ("Awe, come on! We're tired! Can't
we skip clean-up this morning?"); and restate your expectations and then
detach. Detach means to not take things personally and get into a power
struggle with your campers. Remember, any consequences of misbehavior
on their part are theirs, not yours!
Use games, countdowns, contests, songs, or group challenges to engage
younger campers. The more fun you put into the summer, the more you and
your campers will get out of it, and the more enjoyable your job will
be as a caretaker of children. One wonderful advantage of camp over most
other settings working with children is the tremendous variety of activities
at your disposal with which to engage campers. Your impact will be most
felt out on the ropes course, down by the waterfront, out on the climbing
tower, or working in groups on a craft project. This is where you will
help children learn all those little lessons of life, like learning how
to wait, how to help out, and how to overcome a fear or support one another.
This, indeed, is where camp gives kids a world of good.
Originally published in the 2000 May/June of Camping
Magazine.
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