The campers.
With every camp, there are different kids; some of the smiling/crying/whining/angry faces are the same from the time before, while most are completely new. I usually work with the same age ranges: first thru sixth grade, making it easy to know how that group of kids reacts to certain things and how I can keep them under control. However, this time, we were told that there was a kid who was in a wheelchair- this was all we were told before he came in on the first day of camp.
When he came in the room, we found out that he also couldn't talk, didn't really have the use of his hands, and was on the "slower" side (for lack of a better term at the moment). He had a talker box that he would press buttons and it would speak for him, and a helper. As a society, at least for the most part, when we see people like this, we feel like it is easier to just do things for them, like pick up something that is across the table, or write a letter for them, but with this guy, it was a little different. He couldn't talk, walk, or perform simple tasks, so he was forced to be taken care of, but everyone who worked with him was so patient. This morning, after I parked my car in front of the building where the camp was held, before I was even able to get out, I noticed his mom taking him out of the car and putting him in his wheelchair. I could tell from the brief interaction I had with her the day before and now that his mom actually works with him, trying to make him stronger and teach him how to do things. Not only does his mom do this, but she is also very patient with him, and never did she make a face when she had to help him into his coat or when he refused to walk about four feet to his wheelchair (he could somewhat walk, but only when he was practically being carried at the same time). I saw this and wished that we could all have empathy and patience like hers, and if we had this, we would probably get more done, and learn more from others. The simplicity of letting him take his time, allow the other campers to understand him, and give him room to become involved on his own showed that doing this makes everything for that person more enjoyable and fulfilling than doing it for them.
Saying goodbye every time.
Since I'm a camp counselor during the summer and for the seasonal camps, I am used to having the children and the people that I work with walk into my life from a period of a few days to just a handful of weeks at a time, and then waving goodbye and not seeing them for half a year or longer. However, even though I am so used to this, it leaves me with an empty feeling inside each time I have to say goodbye; you are become friends with people, but only for a few hours at a time, and then you don't even think about them until you see them the next day. I like being able to have the people that I get along with become a part of my life, even if we would just FaceBook every once in a while- more than the measly eight weeks tops that I get to spend with them. The up side to this though, is that I get to meet so many different people, but nothing compares to being able to see these people later on down the road, recognize each other, and be able to have a decent conversation because you genuinely care about hearing the update from the other person. I miss the people that I've worked with, good and bad (sorta the bad), and even though I know I will most likely see them over the summer, I still feel that emptiness that comes with having to say goodbye to them after the eight weeks are up.
It's funny, because I sometimes complain that it is exhausting to be around the kids in the camp and have to put in as much energy as I do into the day, but when I think about it, I realize that I really like it. Would I give up spending my summer days with the campers? No, I get to act like a kid when I'm around them, and I feel like I fit in with that age group better than my own anyways. Would I change the people that I work with every day? No, we've become a family. We know each other's weaknesses and where to help each other out, and we know where each other excels, and who does what the best. The parts that I don't like are the temper tantrums and not seeing the children and peers that I worked with until a year later, or not even at all after that camp. However, I get to learn from the people I work with, the parents, and the children that make up the camp. With all this: the complaining, the energy, and things that I put up with throughout the day, would I change my job? I leave this with a resounding no, I wouldn't change it at all.
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