Career Options
Summer camp sillinessMy summer job experiences can be best summed up in one word: kids. From the ages of 15 to 19, I spent my summer working as a camp counsellor, with children ranging from three to six years old. |
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 [ 2002-06-26 ] |
It was the first real test of my leadership skills, and with groups of up to eight hyperactive kids at a time, those skills were definitely called upon.
It was also the only time I got to spend with young children. An outsider might think leading a group of wild kids around all day is a royal headache, but I found I had a knack for working with children -- probably because I was a big kid myself.
I have some very fond, and very distinct memories of specific children, and the fun I had working with them.
There was one four-year-old boy who always felt the need to matter-of-factly announce to the group: "Well...I have to pee!"
There was another young girl, about five years old, who I also remember, not for anything in particular she said, but for what she didn't say. This girl was quite reserved and still in her shell, and we didn't hear a peep out of her all summer. But by the end of the season, she was smiling a lot more, and hopefully, her summer camp experience had something to do with it.
Another season I had could only be described as laughable. Due to concerns about staff exposure to sunlight and harmful UV rays, the camp directors decided all counsellors would have to wear long-sleeved shirts and pants -- throughout the entire scorching summer. Did they ever figure the risk of heat exhaustion into their brilliant plan?!
In the end, it was the time spent outside, being silly with the kids, and the friendships I made with other counsellors that really made my summer camp experience.
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