This was a difficult week at camp. Specifically, one day that made the rest of the week seem difficult in retrospect.
Last week, we had a returning camper who had a history of behavior problems. He had been kicked out of camp four years previously. Now an upper elementary school kid, he is a lot bigger than the rest of the campers and does not always know how to act in social settings. He has trouble connecting with the other kids, and ends up antagonizing them with taunts or violence when he doesn't get his way. I had this kid in camp last year, so I was familiar with his behavior and knew how to deal with it.
However, last year he had been fairly well behaved. This year, we were constantly redirecting his behavior, trying to get him to use nicer language around the other campers, and so on. Thursday, this camper had two incidents that resulted in our head counselor making the decision to expel him from the summer camp. The first incident happened at the pool, where he lost a pool game he had been playing with some other boys. He then screamed at the boys while getting out of the pool, and retreated to a pool chair and wouldn't move. Thankfully, the pool was empty except for summer camp. I sat with the camper for about twenty minutes, trying to calm him down and get him to come inside. Throughout our twenty minutes together, he told me about his problems with anger, and how there was nothing he could do to fix it. I tried to resolve the situation the best I could, and we went inside for tennis. I could still feel a storm brewing inside the boy.
During tennis, the main incident occurred. He struck another camper with his tennis racket, and made like he was going to hit him again. The other camper told the tennis instructor, who led him away. The camper then went on to tell the tennis instructor some very violent things involving the other camper. Under these circumstances, the head counselor spoke with the management of the fitness club and agreed that the child needed to be kicked out of the camp. He was making other children feel unsafe and that was not something we could not tolerate.
This was a very difficult situation to watch unfold and to deal with the aftermath. I was working with other children during tennis, so did not see this camper hit the other camper with his racket. I felt enormously guilty, and then felt guilty for not being able to help him through his anger issues. However, after speaking with my other counselors, I knew the hard decision was the right decision. It made me feel better seeing how my coworkers and I were able to handle this situation in an effective and safe manner.
What activities worked well this week?: My coworkers and I revamped our scavenger hunt this week, and the students really seemed to enjoy it. Instead of taking pictures with different places around the fitness club, they had to work together as a team (with no help from the counselors!) and find different objects around the club (such as cafe menu, tennis ball, and so on). Not only did they love it, but they really worked together as a team and were very successful. Another popular activity implemented this week was a fitness class. It was led by one of the trainers at the club, who taught the kids some basic exercises and workout routines. They really enjoyed the class, which is now a weekly activity, and got a good workout in too!
Any room for improvement?: Each day, there are some students who opt out of swimming for the week. Since swimming is a big chunk of our day (up to 2 hours sometimes), I wanted to come up with an alternative activity for these kids, so they aren't just sitting at the pool. I decided to tell these kids to bring books to camp, so they can read at the side of the pool while the rest of the kids swim. For the younger kids, I would read to them if they couldn't read yet. This adds a learning aspect to the camp, and by picking their own books, it gives them the value of their own choice. I hope to implement this book strategy next week.
What did I do right, in terms of leadership? How can I further develop this?: One leadership skill I wrestled with this week was knowing your limitations. I previously mentioned the behavior issue we had with one camper. I was very torn up about the decision of kicking him out of the camp. I wanted to do my best to help him, but eventually realized that this was not the correct place to do so. I also wasn't qualified to help him deal with all of the emotional struggles he had going on in his life. As a leader, it is important to know when enough is enough, and when you may have to turn to someone else for help. I can further develop this by analyzing my decision making skills in other leadership scenarios. Am I helping the situation move forward, or are my actions making things remain stagnant? If so, should I try a new technique, or maybe reflect on if I have reached my limits? Something to chew on throughout the rest of my summer at camp.
Any applications for student teaching?: This week, especially the serious behavior incident mentioned earlier, had so many parallels to teaching for me. I know without a doubt that I will have a student whose behavior will test me to the limits that will require me to seek assistance from a peer (in this case, a head counselor, but in school, a principal or administrator). It was a shaky situation, since it was so extreme, but it brought with it a valuable learning experience for my future in the classroom.
Biggest takeaway from the week: Beware of runners. Seriously, some little kids can be flight risks! We had one camper this week who was so excited for swimming lessons, he went ahead of the rest of the group while we were still putting on sunscreen! I realized he was gone, and got him back within a minute; but it was served as a constant reminder the rest of the week, as I double and triple checked our camper count and made sure the "flight risk" camper stayed by my side throughout the rest of the week.
Last week, we had a returning camper who had a history of behavior problems. He had been kicked out of camp four years previously. Now an upper elementary school kid, he is a lot bigger than the rest of the campers and does not always know how to act in social settings. He has trouble connecting with the other kids, and ends up antagonizing them with taunts or violence when he doesn't get his way. I had this kid in camp last year, so I was familiar with his behavior and knew how to deal with it.
However, last year he had been fairly well behaved. This year, we were constantly redirecting his behavior, trying to get him to use nicer language around the other campers, and so on. Thursday, this camper had two incidents that resulted in our head counselor making the decision to expel him from the summer camp. The first incident happened at the pool, where he lost a pool game he had been playing with some other boys. He then screamed at the boys while getting out of the pool, and retreated to a pool chair and wouldn't move. Thankfully, the pool was empty except for summer camp. I sat with the camper for about twenty minutes, trying to calm him down and get him to come inside. Throughout our twenty minutes together, he told me about his problems with anger, and how there was nothing he could do to fix it. I tried to resolve the situation the best I could, and we went inside for tennis. I could still feel a storm brewing inside the boy.
During tennis, the main incident occurred. He struck another camper with his tennis racket, and made like he was going to hit him again. The other camper told the tennis instructor, who led him away. The camper then went on to tell the tennis instructor some very violent things involving the other camper. Under these circumstances, the head counselor spoke with the management of the fitness club and agreed that the child needed to be kicked out of the camp. He was making other children feel unsafe and that was not something we could not tolerate.
This was a very difficult situation to watch unfold and to deal with the aftermath. I was working with other children during tennis, so did not see this camper hit the other camper with his racket. I felt enormously guilty, and then felt guilty for not being able to help him through his anger issues. However, after speaking with my other counselors, I knew the hard decision was the right decision. It made me feel better seeing how my coworkers and I were able to handle this situation in an effective and safe manner.
What activities worked well this week?: My coworkers and I revamped our scavenger hunt this week, and the students really seemed to enjoy it. Instead of taking pictures with different places around the fitness club, they had to work together as a team (with no help from the counselors!) and find different objects around the club (such as cafe menu, tennis ball, and so on). Not only did they love it, but they really worked together as a team and were very successful. Another popular activity implemented this week was a fitness class. It was led by one of the trainers at the club, who taught the kids some basic exercises and workout routines. They really enjoyed the class, which is now a weekly activity, and got a good workout in too!
Any room for improvement?: Each day, there are some students who opt out of swimming for the week. Since swimming is a big chunk of our day (up to 2 hours sometimes), I wanted to come up with an alternative activity for these kids, so they aren't just sitting at the pool. I decided to tell these kids to bring books to camp, so they can read at the side of the pool while the rest of the kids swim. For the younger kids, I would read to them if they couldn't read yet. This adds a learning aspect to the camp, and by picking their own books, it gives them the value of their own choice. I hope to implement this book strategy next week.
What did I do right, in terms of leadership? How can I further develop this?: One leadership skill I wrestled with this week was knowing your limitations. I previously mentioned the behavior issue we had with one camper. I was very torn up about the decision of kicking him out of the camp. I wanted to do my best to help him, but eventually realized that this was not the correct place to do so. I also wasn't qualified to help him deal with all of the emotional struggles he had going on in his life. As a leader, it is important to know when enough is enough, and when you may have to turn to someone else for help. I can further develop this by analyzing my decision making skills in other leadership scenarios. Am I helping the situation move forward, or are my actions making things remain stagnant? If so, should I try a new technique, or maybe reflect on if I have reached my limits? Something to chew on throughout the rest of my summer at camp.
Any applications for student teaching?: This week, especially the serious behavior incident mentioned earlier, had so many parallels to teaching for me. I know without a doubt that I will have a student whose behavior will test me to the limits that will require me to seek assistance from a peer (in this case, a head counselor, but in school, a principal or administrator). It was a shaky situation, since it was so extreme, but it brought with it a valuable learning experience for my future in the classroom.
Biggest takeaway from the week: Beware of runners. Seriously, some little kids can be flight risks! We had one camper this week who was so excited for swimming lessons, he went ahead of the rest of the group while we were still putting on sunscreen! I realized he was gone, and got him back within a minute; but it was served as a constant reminder the rest of the week, as I double and triple checked our camper count and made sure the "flight risk" camper stayed by my side throughout the rest of the week.