Tina's Reflection
Keywords:
Now that camp has officially started, describe one challenge and how you overcame it during the transition to camp duties.
One challenge I’ve encountered as a camp counselor so far is the challenge to stay upbeat and in the moment for 7 hours straight every weekday. Working with the youngest age group of campers at camp has been enjoyable in many ways, but it can also be overstimulating. The way I have been trying to overcome that is by being more strict and consistent with classroom rules, so that facilitating a classroom becomes more of a team effort rather than a one-man job.
Describe your top 3 camp moments thus far and why they stand out to you.
Moment number 1 was when we did the Monster Bookmark Origami. The campers were all super excited to decorate their own monster bookmarks. Everybody asking for the “teeth, hair, tongue, etc” parts of the bookmark made me excited to see the turn-out of each of their masterpieces. Moment number 2 was when all the Junior campers collectively sang “You Are My Sunshine” aka their Graduation Song in the hallway. I was pleasantly surprised since during practices many of them would be too shy to sing as loud. That moment made me realize that the campers liked the Grad Song practices. Moment number 3 was when the campers got to draw out their domino design then build them with keva blocks. Again, the campers got to showcase a lot of their creativity and they learned how to say “please” and “thank you” in the process whenever they would come up to me for more blocks!
Being a month into camp, how do you see the summer camp experience contributing to your personal and professional growth?
The summer camp experience has allowed me to build resilience against difficult situations such as needing to problem solve on the spot as a trusted counsellor. However, this experience so far has also allowed me to talk to myself during certain situations. For example, when incidents happen, I have learned to talk to myself in the process so that I also keep myself in the right mind when delivering or executing my work to the campers without being overwhelmed by the incident at hand. This type of growth would be significant to my own growth , as it further trains me to become a more reliable teacher/staff member as well as a more reliable person at the end of the day.
Please nominate someone who deserves the employee of the month award and explain why briefly.
Edel has been very helpful and proactive around the campsite. She is always there whenever counselors and/or volunteers need support or guidance. As a campsite leader, Edel delivers her work in an appreciable way and is communicative with everybody on site to ensure an optimal camp experience for everyone.
Share photos of fun times you’ve had while at camp!
