posted
Ok this seems pretty straight forward, but I'm looking into being a counselor at some sort of camp this summer, does anyone have any experience, or stories to tell. What sort of experiences do they really want? I have quite a bit, all i keep finding is "minimal kid experience, intrest in outdoors" I know Mack might know something in this area, and probably others too. I really am most interested in being a cabin counselor, but I have quite a bit of intrest and experience with horses and in crafts.
Posts: 5362 | Registered: Apr 2004
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Ok Icky, thanks, you're one of those target people, since you have a similar job to what I want after college (only I want younger kids).
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I was a daycamp counselor for Four years in San Francisco.
The nice thing was it was active, entertaining and steady work. The hardest part of the job is the parents and coworkers.
My co-workers, some of them, had problems with drugs/ drinking, and this sometimes interfered with their work at the camp (coming to work intoxicated etc). This was probably the hardest thing to deal with. The other thing you msy prepare yourself for in a situation like mine was, in a very lowrent sort of camp in a city, is that alot of the parents were unfortunately not very good parents.
There were alot of nice kids, but a fair amount of little ones with major problems because of their selfish parents, who were either on drugs, abussive, apathetic or absent entirely from their lives. This made the job a bit depressing, and I was ready to go when I did. Nevertheless, I can say there were times when I knew I made a difference to a few kids in the long run, and that was a good feeling too.
Posts: 9912 | Registered: Nov 2005
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If it's young children, seriously, resist the urge to homicide. It's inevitable. Do not give in. It leads to paperwork.
And always have kleenex. Trust me, someone will always need a kleenex. Keep a packet in your pocket at all times.
Posts: 767 | Registered: Oct 2003
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posted
I was a head counselor for two years at a sleepaway camp for boys in South Carolina.
I had never had any camp experience at all when I was offered the job. I had, though, taught Sunday school, been a United Way Big Brother for two years, and done other volunteer work with United Way and through the Catholic Church. I could also talk a good game.
I think the necessary thing is to be a big kid inside--in all of the good ways, and hopefully none of the bad ones. (In other words, you are still the grownup, and you have a responsibility to keep the kids safe.)
Most of the cabin counselors worked a specific activity during the day. Ironically enough, I feel that head counselor was the only job I was qualified to have. I had good organizational skills and was comfortable weilding authority. But, as in most aspects of my life, I'm a generalist, not a specialist. So I would have been mediocre at best running any kind of activity.
-o-
You know the pay really sucks, so you have to be doing it because you think it's fun. With that in mind, I would recommend going whole hog while you're on the clock. Once I was done inspecting cabins and checking on all the activities, I could have gotten away with lounging around for much of the day. I never did, though. When I was done doing the things I was responsible for, I went and found a group of kids to join--and not the same bunch all the time. I basically went and assisted one of the people "under" me. My feeling was, hell, I'm getting paid to play with kids. If you can't get up for that, and be enthusiastic about that, then you really need to be somewhere else.
Unfortunately, unless you are extraordinarily lucky, you cannot make a career out of this, and so it's just a fling for when you are young. But I heartily recommend the experience.
I have tons of great memories and would love nothing more than to reminisce, but I could stay up all night and write a book that nobody except perhaps you would be interested in . . . so instead, I'll say let me know if there's anything specific you want to know about.
posted
There are so many different kinds of camps... I mean, I work at one, and my job is to be in charge of the musical direction for a junior broadway show.
So there are various options, depending on what interests you! Posts: 7877 | Registered: Feb 2003
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I was a sleepaway camp counselor and also worked at a day camp. it's trying and takes a lot of endurance. Especially for the really young kids. As long as you remember that the experience is for them, and that your needs are second to theirs, you will make an excellent counselor. The patience and care that I learned as a teenager working with wee ones has really made me a better person. I was a pretty good person to start out with, but i dare say that being a camp counselor in my youth has possibly made me one of the greatest people in the history of the world.
Posts: 1156 | Registered: Jan 2004
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posted
I'm mostly looking into girl scout (a few others) residence camps in the midwest, most ask for general counselors for cabins, and activity counselors, I'm pretty qualified in both horses and crafts. It does sound incredibly fun, and I understand the pay isn't the main part, the experience is. I'm an elementary Ed major, so it's probably the best summer experience I can get and I'd like to do it for two years (after sophomore and junior year in college). And really the pay is probably ten times better than petsitting like I did last summer.
Thanks to everyone who has replied.
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posted
I was a counsellor for one summer and have volunteered at odd counselling sessions since. I have tons of stories, none of which I should start typing out at nearly 2am.
Best experience of my life.
I'll leave you with a tip, though. If you need to kill some time and have a bunch of boys, nothing entertains them more than smacking sticks against trees.
posted
sticks, trees, boys, oh that could go so many ways (and it's 3 am here), but yeah I can see that.
Posts: 5362 | Registered: Apr 2004
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posted
start with the first thing to pop into a bed that doesn't involve stealing some sort of mascot like thing, I think I heard that story (obviously I have no clue what I'm talking about)
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I'm sorry. Romantic relationships. The relationships I had with my fellow counselors were great and I still talk to many of them.
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If memory serves (and it has been a while since my camp days), you may need to brush up your lanyard skills. I recall everyone making lanyards all the time. I'm not sure why.
Of course, this was back in the day when 8-track tapes were cutting edge. Perhaps the campers of today have moved on.
Posts: 10397 | Registered: Jun 2005
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I can make friendship bracelets, and lanyards (sort of), and knit and sew, and am a master at tie dye, I've done photography, and ceramics, I ride horses, I know so many camp songs my friends scream, I like night hikes, and hayrides, sleeping in a tent is fun, I can tell unfunny ghost stories people laugh at, I can swim, and like low ropes courses, archery is not my thing though.
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Just posting to say I will be posting some stories, but I have some other things I need to finish around the house first. Posts: 14745 | Registered: Dec 1999
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How old are the campers in question, breyerchic? I have experience with campers between 12 and 18, or thereabouts. And oh, the stories, the STORIES...
Posts: 4313 | Registered: Sep 2004
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Keep your eyes out for a guy by the name of Jack Carpenter. If you see him, tell him I say hello, ok?
Posts: 6213 | Registered: May 2001
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I dunno, PC . . . I had an ongoing flirtation one summer with the nurse's assistant, and it livened things up a but. (But then, it never really got physical.)
-o-
quote:start with the first thing to pop into a bed . . .
One thing to keep in mind is that children are trying their best to kill themselves. No, they aren't suicidal, they're just...unaware. Let me illustrate.
I spent three summers as a camp counselor at an all girls sleepaway traditional summer camp. First summer, I was a run of the mill cabin counselor. Second summer, I was a cabin counselor but also assistant boating director. Third summer, I was the boating director (no cabin of children, just in charge of the entire boating area and activities. cabin was easier.) This incident happened during the second summer.
I was overseeing boating and keeping an eye on the sailboats on the lake and on the clouds and weather (storms moved in fast. Everything was going fine, until a counselor behind me said, "Hey, Jamie? Should we send this kid to the infirmary?"
I look behind me and down to the child in question, asking, "Why? Wha--holy s***!"
Since we had ten year olds at boating at the time, that expletive caused no end of giggling on the part of the girls. However, it was justified, because the child had an egg on her forehead. Now, I always thought it was just cartoons or an expression when folks said they had an egg on their head after they hit it. Nope, entirely true. Child had Mount Vesuvius on her forehead. The bump was huge. So after a moment of staring, I said, "Um, yes. Yes you should."
I got the story from another counselor. Some of the girls had been swimming in the area and the girl in question had swam into a canoe.
Let me repeat that. She swam into the stationary canoe. o_O End of story: the girl had a mild concussion.
But the campers aren't the only ones who are trying to inadvertently kill themselves. Counselors, too. One of our counselors claimed to know how to sail (this was also my second summer). She did, in fact, know how to sail. So she took two campers out on one of the sailboats and sailed around the lake nicely. Then came time to sail back into the boating area and put stuff away.
Counselor could sail. Counselor could not stop the sailboat. Counselor neglected to mention that part and forgot about it herself until she was heading in towards the shore and some Very Big Rocks. Counselor panicks. Counselor shouts, "ABANDON SHIP!" and bails, leaving two very bewildered girls to then crash into the rocks on the sailboat. (No one was hurt).
The boating director at the time spoke with the counselor in question. Asked why she left the two kids on the boat alone to crash into the rocks. "I told them to abandon ship," the counselor said, as if it would be completely obvious at the time to jump off the boat.
The following summer, each counselor who claimed to know how to sail were given tests to make sure they could do so. And that they knew how to stop (there are two ways. Three, if you count capsizing).
We also ended up saving a life that summer. A child had an operation a month before camp and we had an alert on her in case stuff went wrong. She was fine for the first week and was fine when she got into her kayak that afternoon on a day during the second week. While out on the lake, she started puking. Her counselor did a double take and realized that the kid was puking blood. Through already arranged signals, the counselor alerted the counselor that was on watch, who sent another counselor to call 911. Then the watch counselor got into the rescue boat and got the kid into the boat and brought her back to the dock. By that time, the paramedics had shown up (camp was very close to the hospital), got the kid and took her to the hospital. We were later told by the docs that the kid would be fine, and that had it been even 5 mintues longer, she most likely would've died. o_O
And I've got many, many more stories where those came from.
Stuff to keep in mind:
Have a sense of humor. Folks are right, you've got to have a mind of a kid. At the same time, keeping the sensibility of an adult.
If you've got young campers, you're their hero. Always keep that in mind in how you conduct yourself. Older kids, you're a role model.
If a kid acts up, humor is a great tool. It'll diffuse a power struggle. It will also throw a kid for a loop when you give them an unexpected comment or answer to not-so-good behavior. For example: The favorite boating activity of all campers was tubing. And when you're tubing, the faster you go, the better. One night, my campers refused to settle down and even pretend to sleep (that's right, pretend. It's camp, they can pretend and then whisper and whatever, but just keep it quiet and not apparent). Anyway, I finally asked them what their activity at boating tomorrow was (I already knew). "Tubing!" they shouted.
"Right," I said. "And who drives the boat?"
Them. "You do."
Me. "Exactly. If you don't be quiet and sleep, I will drive you around the entire like at five miles per hour for your entire time at boating."
Them.
It worked. They settled down and slept (or pretended). Stuff like that tended to work way, way more effectively than any amount of yelling ever did.
However, have a hard and fast rule that you stick to. With my campers, the only thing I ever came down hard on was if they put themselves or anybody else in danger. That rule worked for me for three summers. Otherwise, I was completely easygoing.
Learn to short sheet a bed. Teach your campers how to shortsheet a bed. For that matter, be a practical joker. Camp is all about practical jokes. Always obey the rules of practical jokes--no one gets hurt, nothing gets destroyed or broken or whatever.
Try not to yell (discipline wise. Otherwise, camp is full of yelling and singing and shouting). Instead, intensity works wonders and if you ever absolutely have to yell, it shocks the hell out of people and brings everything to a dead halt.
Kids will want to go to the infirmary. I swear. They'll try anything. The slightest scratch or splinter and they need to see the nurse. If the contagion of IMUSTSEENURSEFORATTENTION becomes widespread, institute the rule of, "Would you be going to the emergency room if this happened at Home?" "No." "Then you don't need to see the nurse." Of course, if you aren't first aid trained, then by all means, send the kid to the nurse.
Speaking of first aid, you're some sort of weird mix of replacement mom/bigsister/aunt/whatever. Kids will get sick. You will discover strange new things about illnesses. For instance, if strep throat gets bad enough, it can cause vomiting. Kids vomit at about three or four in the morning, waking you from a dead sleep. Kids can also projectile vomit from their bunks. I had one girl in my cabin do exactly that, wake up with a raging fever, sit up, vomit onto the floor in front of her bed, then lay back down again. My co-counselor slept through the entire thing. I woke up, gave the kid a cold compress, talked to her, told her if she puked again, please hit the same spot I'd already cleaned up. She said she'd try her best. I said for her to get some sleep, we'd send her to the nurse in the morning. Two hours later, kid pukes again, and hot damn, she hit the same spot.
I was so proud. (Humor, apparently, also works in times of sickness.)
Projectile vomiting is also a matter of course. You'll witness it at least once a summer. Another time, we were on night patrol (another fantastic element of camp where you and another counselor roamed the camp and cabins at night to make sure all was well and quiet and such and you were guided by a member of head staff). I had just entered a cabin and the head staff says over my walkie-talkie, "Jamie, I want to see you do a commando roll inside that door!"
As she says that, a child sits up and projectile vomits.
My reply, "I'm sorry, commando rolls are on hold right now as a camper just puked about four feet away from herself. I think we should get her counselor to take care of this."
Head staff. "Did you say projectile vomit?"
There's lots more...so much more...but I already wrote a lot.
Posts: 14745 | Registered: Dec 1999
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posted
Okay, I only read up to the part where you said you were looking into girl scout resident camp. I spent 9 summers at my girl scout camp, 6 as a camper, 1 as a CIT, and 2 as a counselor. I had a blast, and I'm really sad that I've reached a point in my life where I just can't go back any more. It was a lot of fun, but it was also a lot of stress. Don't expect to get much sleep. I may come back with stories once I'm feeling a little better. (I refuse to go back to school with this cold!)
Posts: 1547 | Registered: Jan 2004
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Injuries always seem to be the memories that stand out the most for me- probably because they could be either high-tension or hilarious. Sometimes both.
We were playing this game with some junior highers. It was sort of like Telephone but taken to a whole new level.
Here's the idea: You give the kids some marshmellows and toothpicks. You then take some of those marshmellows and toothpicks and make a "molecule" out of them and put it out of sight.
Divide the kids up into two teams with four stages. The first team are "researchers" the second and third are "messengers" and the fourth are "builders" or "synthesizers." The object of the game is for the researchers to describe the molecule to the first set of messengers (who cannot see the molecule) and then it gets passed on to the second set of messengers who then pass it on to the builders who are trying to reconstruct it. The second set of messengers canntot see what the builders are making. The first team to finish building the molecule accurately wins.
You can adjust the difficulty level by adding colored toothpicks, colored marshmellows and making it so they have to all match (good for high schoolers). For little kids, we'd just use big, plain marshmellows and dull toothpicks.
So anyways. The kids had fun playing the game and one team eventually won. One of the builders looked up at one of the counselors and asked what they should do with the molecule. The counselor said something like "I don't know, you could eat it or smash it or something."
So she smashed it.
It's an interesting picture of modern medicine when an emergency room takes 3 hours to pull a toothpick out of someone's palm. It was only in maybe a half inch at most. The kid took it like a champ, though. Didn't shed a tear. She just kind of looked at it in suprise and said "Uh, maybe I should go to the nurse?"
Posts: 4753 | Registered: May 2002
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posted
I don't tend to sleep in the summers anyway, the last two have been spent almost entirely with friends, but this summer most of my friends are getting internships, so this was my natural idea.
Darn I really wanted to get hacked up by a maniac, but that's too much work.
Posts: 5362 | Registered: Apr 2004
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posted
I've been looking a lot more, and talked to my parents. I think instead of a girl scout camp, I'm looking at general residential programs. All over the eastern US. I'll let you guys know when I apply (which will be soon), and ask for imput on the areas of the country (I'm so untraveled). Thanks
Posts: 5362 | Registered: Apr 2004
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This past summer I was a counselour at Camp Ridgecrest an all guy camp up in the mountains of North Carolina. All summer, one of my campers was Joo Yung Lee, a Korean international camper who went by the name of Jim. Jim was 12.
At the start of camp he was pretty quiet until about two weeks in. We were messing around on the deck of our cabin until one camper did something that Jim didn't like. Didn't like at all as it turns out. Jim says "Sawyer," (the kid in question)"you are suck. F*** you." I was stunned for about 13 seconds.
Then using my best counselour skills I said "Jim, what did you say?"
"I said duck."
"No you didn't."
"Duck, F**k, Duck, F**k, they sound the same."
That was the staff motto for the rest of the summer.
Edit: If your Christian, there's a girls camp Crestridge that's a sweet girls camp.
Posts: 650 | Registered: Aug 2003
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Horses, organic garden, beautiful mountains, intense backcountry skills-learning, wonderful art. I went to the school for a year as a kid, and taught there for two years out of college.
Some counselors have worked there for decades.
Posts: 10890 | Registered: May 2003
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posted
I have been a camp counselor/director, but at a totally different level of camp. It was a day camp, small group of young children (3-8), one other person. I ran the show and made up all the activities...
For me the challenge was to keep the kids interested with highly limited resources and uninspiring surroundings.
The best way to prevent personality conflicts (arguments, bullying and fights) among children is to keep them occupied.
I'm sure, in a large outdoorsy camp, you will have no problem with that.
Posts: 8473 | Registered: Apr 2003
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Oh Ryan that's adorable! I'm not sure if I want to apply to Christian camps or not, I am, more or less, but I'd feel like I should be a roll model, which I wouldn't, at least not enough for my mind.
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Oh and Elizabeth thanks, it meets close to all my criteria, I'm not sure I'd like tents, the rest seems really fun.
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bc04, The tents are platform tents, really no different from cabins. I have major "in" there, if you ever need a word. It is a phenomenal camp.
Posts: 10890 | Registered: May 2003
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Having spent 3 full summers in a platform tent, their fine. If you don't have frames (beyond the two uprights and the crossbar) add some riggers (so it stands up straighter. Depending on the age of the tent you may want to add a tarp over the top as well (To keep it cooler and to keep the wet out when it rains excessively.)
This does assume that these are similar to the tents I've used. The link above doesn't have any pictures (I didn't look very hard.)
Posts: 1621 | Registered: Oct 2001
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The platform tents our girl scout council had were awful, they had no frames, they leaked, they were just far enough above the ground that racoons and possumms got under them, they didn't have matresses, which left us dying, but you know, I'm wimpy and looking at pretty cushy camps here. I may let you know Liz.
Posts: 5362 | Registered: Apr 2004
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bc, It is a camp/school where some very wealthy people go/have gone to be "back to the land."
It also has a good scholarship program, and the school tries very hard to help disadvantaged kids, especially in NYC, to get out in the woods.
Ironically, the most diverse school I ever went to was there, in the middle of the Adirondacks.
Many of the students.campers are children of traveling business people, like world traveling, and they want their children in a stable environment.
My dad taught there when I went, but some of the kids were living away from home at the age of nine! My son is nine, and I could no more give him up than cut off my arm. When we are talking about all the wonderful music camps on the other thread, I am fine, but when I stop to think...OUCH! Not seeing my babelets for two weeks! No way!
Posts: 10890 | Registered: May 2003
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I think the first time I spent a week away from home was at my grandma's, and I would have been 9. My mom bought me a calling card, and i called everyshe, she left gifts, I think it was harder on her than me. But now I'm 20 (ok not really, but it works, I'll be 20 friday), and I really like the idea of a summer away, and camp just seems to be the best idea for a summer. Thanks Liz.
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I may let you know Liz.
