Things That Happen at Camp

[Chivewarrior]

The "Annoying Things Our Coworkers Do" made me think of this, but these aren't really ongoing annoyances. I work a week each summer at Girl Scout Camp as an unpaid Program Aide. It's lots of fun, but some of the other workers are insane. The groupings and personnel are different each year, so I get the full benefit of "interesting" people.

My first year as a Program Aide at camp, the other PAs assigned to my group tried to trade me to another group for someone they liked better. And they got the girls, little six and seven year olds, involved in this attempt. Fortunately, while the counselors were first-timers, they weren't having any of that and put a stop to it.

My second year, the counselor I was working under had no idea what she was doing (Counselors on the day side are just mothers with no real training, whose children attend free if they agree to be counselors.) and told a girl that if she didn't stop crying of homesickness that instant, she would be taken to the lodge. (The equivalent of a time-out, usually reserved for when you've been REALLY bad.) She also let her oldest daughter, who really should have been with an older group, get away with being a total brat. (First thing daughter got away with was being attached to our group instead of one of the Junior groups, which wouldn't have put up with her brattiness.)

My third year, one of the other PAs threw a huge hissy fit on the first day because she was assigned to work with Juniors instead of Brownies. And got changed to Brownies. I like younger girls better too, they have less attitude, but really! That's going to give people a very poor opinion of you...

This summer, I can train to be a counselor for the resident side, and next summer I'll be able to get a paying position at the camp as a counselor's apprentice and avoid the madness. I've actually attended the day side's counselor training, which is one day where they bake bread in a scotchbox and are told that the PAs know the camp rules and to rely on them for knowlege of procedure and discipline. This works in one of two ways: the adults listen to their PAs and things run smoothly; or they think they know everything about camp better than some teenager who has much more camp experience than they do, they get lost trying to take shortcuts, and their girls end up hating camp. Or you have one of the few experienced counselors who just enjoys doing it and knows how to utilize their PAs, and the week is wonderful. Does it strike anyone else as odd that the teenagers are the only ones who are required to undergo real training to work on the day side?

[Slartibartfast]

I'm guessing someone was afraid to rock the boat - OBVIOUSLY you've gotta keep an eye on those uppity teenagers, so march them through a class, but of COURSE all adult women who have daughters of their own can handle a whole group of other people's kids no problem!  *rolls eyes*  Most likely, the person in charge of the training regimen either worked with a lot of former scout leaders or with women who were already familiar with camp procedures, and didn't think about requiring other adults to take training classes.  Now I'm sure they've got recurring volunteers (some of whom may be the worst offenders) who would be angry about being forced to "train" for something they think they already know.  But of course, you can boss teenagers around and make them prove they're worth being respected, because they're teenagers and they don't know any better.  (I know some teenagers have faulty judgement and grow out of it later, but it really bugs me that some people automatically respect other adults and automatically withhold respect from teens until the teenagers bend over backwards to prove themselves reliable.)

[Chivewarrior]

Actually, there are almost no reccurring volunteers, and most of the ones that are have other ties to the camp than just sending their daughters there. (In three years as a program aide and I don't know how many years before that, the only ones I've seen return are ones who are troop leaders/real counselors. And of course the PAs come back from year to year- one who is now a camp lifeguard even recognized me from when I was in her group as a camper.)

[blue_bunny_paz]

It's odd they get no training. You'd expect at least some basics on the age group they're working with.
I take it they're at least police checked? Seems odd to me.

I've seen some odd behaviour on camps. We had a leader who faked epilepsy for attention on any given occasion. She also got the girls to play tricks on another leader she didn't like and, final straw, played a totally non age-appropriate version of Truth Or Dare with 11 year olds, which was instigated to suggest that one of the leaders had kissed one of the girl's sisters (totally false, btw!).

[kiero]

I worked at a summer camp for 4 summers (I was a camper since grade 2).  The stories I have are amazing.  Here are a couple which will make your eyes roll...

1) It was a Christian Riding camp.  One girl showed up for a 2 week junior and senior high all girls camp with a bunch of sports stuff.  It turns out that her mother had lied to her telling her it was a co-ed sports camp to get her on the bus.

2) The number of girls whose parents figure that the girl is starting to screw her life up (drugs, alcohol, sex...) and figure 2 weeks at summer camp will fix all the problem their non existant parenting caused.

3) Letters are sent out before camp detailing the drug policy.  Drugs and alcohol must be surrendered on the first day (amnesty) or the kid gets sent home.  Cigarettes must also be turned in but the kids will be allowed to smoke them in a controled setting - max 4 smokes a day in a specific location and doled out by a staff memeber.  It is now also spelled out that under no circumstances will the staff purchase cigs for a camper...  yes - a mother actualyl sent her child with a signed letter and cash stating that she hadn't had time to purchase 2 weeks of smokes for the girl and would we please do so.  First we are 45 minutes from the closest town.  And second - NO.  We let them smoke because it would make everyones life a living hell to make them quit cold turkey.  And they would just hide them and sneak out to smoke with their friends - this way it's controled.  But No we are NOT going to actually buy them cigarettes.

4) There was a cabin leader (over 18 with police check) who was able to be sweet talked by cabin into allowing them to go for a midnight canoe ride.  Now sometimes these things are allowed, you know - check with the dierectors, get permission, then let the kids think it's all forbidden and stuff.  But she didn't do any of that.  And when they snuck up to the canoe shack and found the life jacket closet locked (it would have been 'accidently left open' if the canoe trip was approved) she decided to go without them!!!  Yes she took 7 teenage girls canoeing at midnight without lifejackets. 

5) The cabin leader who thought it was a good idea to tell her campers (going into grade 7 - first time at camp for all but one) ghost stories on the first night.  Then she whined about how they refused to walk from the cabin to the washhouse on their own at night for the next two weeks   That worked out well - they woke her up at least twice a night to take them...

There are more - but my baby is waking up and I need to go.

[IndianInlaw]

Not camp, but when I started kindergarten, I was 4 and a half and would not turn 5 until February. I literally made the cutoff date by one day.  This was in (gasp!) 1960.

Anyways, I had been told I would be going to school with my brothers and sister.  I thought I would ACTUALLY be in the same room with them. (What did I know, I was 4!)

To cut to the chase, I cried on the first day, so the teacher shut me up in one of the two little bathrooms connected to the kindergarten room.

The next day I cried, because apparently school entailed being shut up in a little bathroom most of the morning.

I cried until November.

[kherbert05]

My cousin and I went to sleep away camp together. She wanted to go - I  was OK if Cousin C was going to be there. I didn't get along with Cousin C, but I knew she wouldn't let anyone hurt me. I had big bully issues, but our battles were more a personality conflict. We battled royal  the first year. Nothing physical - we out grew that but snarking back and forth.

Next year same camp - they put us in the same cabin "So we would learn to get along". The last time someone had tried that tactic we had been 3 and 4. End result Cousin C's head shoved down into a filling sink while I washed her mouth out with soap (she called me a bad Name and Mimmi had said she was going to wash Cousin C's mouth out with soap if she did it again). It wasn't a good tactic with us.

We started out sniping the moment I stepped foot in the cabin. Dusty hauled us out and told us why we were in the same cabin. We looked at her like she was from another planet and said "We are cousins, 1st cousins, and no one can make us get along" I thought the woman was going to die right there.

We sniped - they called our parents. Parents were not sympathetic because on our admission forms they had written that we were cousins and that we should never be forced to be together. So they said basically you made your bed - give them the same penalties you would any other 2 campers.

We really confused everyone because we would snipe, but if someone else was mean to either of us -they got the other one in their face. Including the councilors - I was having major allergy issues and often couldn't breathe after horseback riding - the councilors refused to let me go to the clinic - so I went without permission. Cousin C ripped them up one side and down the other and threatened to leave with me and hike into town to call our parents if they did it again.

Years later Cousin C was a councilor at the same camp. Someone suggested putting two girls who didn't get along in the same cabin the next year. The administrators said, "Oh that is bad idea" Cousin C said she just burst out laughing, and reminded the administrator what had happen the year they put us in the same cabin.

[Brentwood]

Not camp, but when I started kindergarten, I was 4 and a half and would not turn 5 until February. I literally made the cutoff date by one day.  This was in (gasp!) 1960.

Anyways, I had been told I would be going to school with my brothers and sister.  I thought I would ACTUALLY be in the same room with them. (What did I know, I was 4!)

To cut to the chase, I cried on the first day, so the teacher shut me up in one of the two little bathrooms connected to the kindergarten room.

The next day I cried, because apparently school entailed being shut up in a little bathroom most of the morning.

I cried until November.

That makes my heart hurt.