My dad, his sister, and both of my grandparents are teachers, so when I applied to work as a summer camp counselor for children ages 5-12 at a gym nearby, I thought it would come natural to me. My cousin, who helped me find the job and who has worked there for four years, told me that it was something I’d be good at, but warned me that it was hard, and there would be many times that I would be frustrated. However, at that point I just really needed a summer job. Finishing up my fifth week as a camp counselor, I realized that working with kids is not as easy as it looks, and that there are many lessons you can learn by dealing with kids on a daily basis, especially when they aren’t your own.
One of the key things I learned this summer is that even though my specific group of campers are ages 7-8, the level of knowledge varies based on what their parents or adult figures explain to them. When I talk to my campers, I’ve learned to choose my words carefully. One afternoon, a camper noticed a maintenance worker fishing the coins from the Main Street Fountain out of the water. The camper turned to me and said, “Hey, he’s taking our wishes.” So instead of explaining to the 7-year-old that the maintenance worker’s job is to clean the fountain, I told him that he’s actually a wish collector who is collecting their wishes to take to the wish master to help make their wishes come true. It worked.
We’d also like to think that children are so innocent that they don’t understand what’s going on in the world around us. While playing a game of basketball, one of my campers said, “Raise your hand if you don’t like Donald Trump,” and I even heard a couple of them discuss politics while waiting in line for the bathroom. I never know what the kids will say to me or other kids next, and it truly makes the job interesting.
One of the hardest parts about working at a summer camp is being the disciplinarian. One of my weaknesses is being mean. My coworkers and I like to call it “putting on your angry eyes,” and it may be tough for us, but if we don’t establish rules and sitting campers out for certain activities when they misbehave, then we have more problems than we need. Countdowns become your best friend, and establishing games like “whoever picks up the trash the fastest is line leader” helps the day go by faster and certainly helps your voice. It also helps when you aren’t afraid to use your whistle, especially when the kids aren’t quiet when you have instructions to give them.
My favorite part about camp is the connection you build with the kids, even the ones that give you the most trouble. A pair of twins went on vacation last week, and when they came back to camp, they gave me the biggest hug and told me about their adventure at Sea World. One 7-year-old asked me if I was proud of him that he hadn’t been in time out today, while another little girl made me a rubber band bracelet to match hers. I may come home with a headache on some days, but nothing beats when the kids miss you on your off day or show they trust or like you.
As I move forward into my final weeks of camp, I’m glad I took on this experience. Yeah, my first day was rough (I took a three-hour nap when I got home), and there are good days and bad days, but working with kids teaches you a lot about them and about yourself. For example, I now know that if I ever want to be a teacher it’s definitely going to be at a high school, because even though I love my 7-8 year olds, I would rather play sports with them than have them in a classroom. Everything in life is about trial and error, and this summer job is a true factor of what that means.
