Masks

I believe that we all wear a mask - whether we know it or not.  Grecian warriors used masks for protection, the Incans used masks to flaunt status, and American children don monster masks every year for halloween entertainment.  Yet the mask I refer to is less conspicuous - a sort of imperceptible and ever changing mask.  This mask can be anything from the way we shrug our shoulders to the way we chose to speak to our parents and friends.  Like masks used by theatre troupes, the 'unseen' mask is just as expressively profound if not more so than the conventional mask.  Entering the third week of camp, I have already started catching glimpses of the colors and forms of the masks that some of these kids wear.  Understandably, many of the campers have specific behavioral conditions that can be attributed to biological factors - but I personally believe each mask is strongly molded by each individual campers' personal upbringing and life experience.  For instance, when Kevin engages in a power struggle or when Josh goes into a rule-reciting tirade, I believe these actions are simply stage-curtains that belie a much more complex drama.  My goal is to be able to step back and see not only the entire play and unseen mask of each camper, but what's beneath the mask and beneath the performance.  I want to be able to get behind the scenes - to understand who these kids are and why they are who they are.  As for the campers, I have a mental list of obvious goals such as improving listening and communication skills.  But after reading some of their evaluations, what I hope for the most is that these kids will learn to love themselves for who they are - whenever they find out who that is.  To quote Bob Dylan,  "All I can do is be me, whoever that is."  (Picture:  Jonathan showing that eggplant who's boss)