Most of us have been to outdoor school as a sixth grader. We remember all the fun times we had, being outside, being with friends, the good food, and the game we all played t the end of the week. Sometimes we have so much fun that we're determined to come back as a counselor. I was that kid. In sixth grade, I loved outdoor school and I wanted to come back later and experience it again. However, being a counselor is a completely different experience.
As a counselor, you miss one whole week of school, which means one week of missed assignments that you have to make up. It's a week where you're completely disconnected from the world you know for a week. Instead of being surrounded by your peers, you're surrounded by sixth graders, and you're away from home, so you have a completely different schedule. You have less free time than you normally would at home, which means less time to do homework. Most of the day is with the kids, whether it's in the cabins, meal time, or extra time for them. You get to know the kids pretty well ad gets to experience everything that you once did, but you have a different role.
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Overall, being a counselor wasn't too bad, I got the same experiences I loved as a sixth grader, and I learned a few things. I learned how to budget my time. With the limited break time that we had, I learned how to use my time to my advantage. Instead of using my phone, I did my homework. I felt completely disconnected from the world, but it was a needed experience. I learned what life away from home was like. Even though I was only a half hour away from home, I was still away. Next year, I'll be away from home for much longer than a week, but I might as well get a little adjusted now. I learned t have a greater appreciation for teachers. This week, sometimes it was hard to work with the kids. Yeah, we had fun, but sometimes it can be hard to get kids repeatedly focused and on task, or even get them to be quiet for a short period of time. But the teachers kept on going, being patient and continuing to work with the kids. I learned that not all kids are easy to work with. As easy as that is, that's not how it is. Each kid is different, and some you'll like better than others, but you can't disclose this towards the kids. I learned that you need to adapt quickly. I was only at outdoor for one week, but I had to quickly adjust to the new schedule, then get ready to quickly adjust out of it so I could be ready for real school the following week.
Outdoor school was a great time, full of great memories and lessons. I would recommend this experience, and it's a time to learn about yourself as well. It's a time where you learn to enjoy things while they last, and compare experiences of your sixth-grade year to now.
