For the past two summers, I’ve spent my time around kids as a camp counselor, and I wouldn’t want to spend my time off from school any other way. I can honestly say within the past two summers, I’ve learned just as much from my campers and coworkers as I have from two years’ worth of college. Camp may be a break from reality, but it’s more “real life” than the actual real world. Listed below are eight things you learn from being a camp counselor.
1. A Positive Attitude is Everything.
When you only have 30 hours off a week and you work 15 hours a day, it’s easy to get tired and grumpy; when you’re irritable, it’s easy to get yourself in a funk and have a bad attitude. When you start the week off with a bad attitude, the rest of the week only gets worse. Having a “positive mental attitude” can change everything about a week of camp and a week in normal life. Being positive allows you to see the good in every negative situation, helps you overcome challenges, and inherently makes your day better.
2. A Small Smile is a Powerful Thing.
Along with being positive, smiling at someone can make their day. When a kid is feeling lonely or homesick, a smile can make them feel welcome and wanted. You never know what situation someone is going through, but a smile is one small thing that never hurts and only helps.
3. Words Are a Powerful Thing.
Working with kids is by far the most challenging job I’ve ever had, and if I’ve learned anything it’s that words matter, and they’re not easily forgotten. When my campers evaluate me on Friday, I’m always surprised at the comments they leave where they quote, word for word, something I said on Monday. A lot of times, it’s positive or encouraging words that really helped them through a tough situation that I really didn’t think affected them so much, but sometimes it's things I said that upset them that I never realized where hurtful, like mentioning how fun my campers from the previous week were, or how I wish other campers would come back to camp. Campers have taught me how truly important it is to think before you speak.
4. Respect is Earned, Not Given.
One thing that I struggle with most, especially with older campers, is gaining respect. Most campers come in with respectful attitudes, but then again, some don’t. Gaining their respect doesn’t mean yelling or being harsh with them, but rather treating them the way I expect them to treat me. You can’t ask others to do something that you wouldn’t do yourself.
5. Patience is Key.
Camp may be fun, but it’s nowhere near perfect, and a lot of times campers don’t understand the logistics behind anything that’s going on. They want to know why we can’t go back to the cabin right this minute to get their water bottle, or why they can’t go hang out down by the lake without a lifeguard or counselor present. It is in these moments when my campers are asking continuous questions that my patience and tolerance grows, helping me to easily handle frustrating situations and people.
6. Everyone Has Something To Offer.
When you work at a camp with 100 plus kids and 60 plus staff, you run into a lot of different personalities and talents, and you suddenly realize the quiet girl in the corner is extremely creative and a natural leader, or the super loud talkative boy is a great listener and can relate to a lot of personal problems. Camp really allows you to see the good in everyone no matter who they are, where they come from, or how old they are.
7. Time Management.
Outside of camp, I only have to worry about myself, but during summer, it’s a totally different story. College may have taught me to wake up, get ready, and be somewhere in five minutes. However, camp has taught me how to wake up early, get dressed, and then get fifteen additional people up and ready as well. Camp has taught me how to stay on schedule, and the importance of being on time. After camp season, I have no fear of 8 a.m. classes.
8. Always Be Yourself.
The most important thing I’ve learned from my campers is to always be myself. When you’re working with children who aren’t afraid to say anything or aren’t old enough to know any better, you learn a lot about yourself. They can tell when you’re faking happiness and pretending to be someone you’re not. The easiest way to connect with children, and anyone in general, is to be yourself. A piece of advice that I tell my campers: you might as well be yourself because everyone else is already taken.
