Returning to Sleepaway Camp

When I came back on staff at my childhood sleepaway camp, the building blocks of my teaching career began to fall into place.

 

My sleepaway camp has always been a place where I could be myself, where children are able to strip the “school versions” of themselves and relax into their more natural summer selves. 

 

My first year on staff was the summer after my sophomore year of college. At this point, my special major in Computing, Design, and Pedagogy had been approved and I knew education was for sure somewhere in my future, I just didn’t yet quite know where. 

 

Being a counselor came completely naturally. I seamlessly built relationships with my entire bunk of 10 and 11 year old girls and nonbinary campers. They quickly came to love me, and me them. I maintained a balance of both fun and order, reminding my campers daily that this was a shared space and we are all to keep our spaces clean and organized. We always passed our Friday bunk checks. We ended every day in a circle with milk and cookies sharing our “moment of the day” and answering a circle topic question, such as “if you could fill the camp lake up with everything, what would it be?” Answers ranged from candy to trampolines. 

 

Around week 5, as I lay in a hammock in my chunk of daily time-off, I was overcome with a feeling of true calm and contentment. I was having such a special time. I felt fulfilled in my role providing a caring, nurturing, child-centered environment for children ages 7-15 to roam around our beautiful, hilly outdoor acres. It was such a gratifying experience to watch children come out of their shells as the days that felt like months went on, to watch new friendships form, to notice a kid try out a new activity outside their comfort zone for the first time. Laying in that hammock I thought to myself, Maybe this is what it feels like to be a teacher. Maybe this is my calling. 

 

I returned to my camp every summer for a total of four summers, becoming the counselor of 6 bunks, supervisor of counselors, and eventually supervisor of our counselor-in-training program. My camp changed the game for me and showed me a taste of what it feels like to be a teacher.