Thursday, July 10, 2008

Ok this is kinda late but whatevs

Well, my favorite kid in the camp is Hunter. Hunter is a kid with so much potential but little direction. He has outbursts that seem over the top to spectators but to him they are justified with every flick of the hands and thrusts of his arms. I have come to see these outbursts as an intricate part of Hunter's personality and without them he would not be himself. But at the same time I fear that, if he does not learn to manage his emotions in a more positive and less disruptive way, he could end up suffering consequences that he could have just as easily avoided. Hunter is also one of those kids who complains about everything except fun fitness but ends up loving the majority of the activities afterwards. I see that Hunter wants to be strong all the time and he wants to be the one people can depend on, but he can help but lose control sometimes. I strongly believe that if Hunter really wanted to, he could take over the world, it just saddens me to think that he might not be given the opportunity or if he is he will not be taken seriously. I also am concerned that he might not be given that support he needs from his family. He has made so many efforts to better himself and I commend him whole heartedly for that. I want this kid to succeed and I truly do believe in him.

Jacob on the other hand does not show as much potential as Hunter does, because Jacob does not want to leave his area of comfort. He fears making himself look foolish or exerting himself physically or mentally. He is not accepted by his peers because he puts a barrier between himself and them. He does not want to be a team player and has absolutely no desire to to even entertain the idea. There have been times that Matt J., Drew, and I have encouraged Jacob to put his personal preferences aside in order to connect with the other campers but he refuses. Sometimes I feel like I am wasting my efforts when I even talk to the kid, other times I feel like maybe today is the day he'll leave his comfort zone, but that day has yet to come. I think that if Jacob stopped ostracizing the majority he might actually stand a chance at having a social life. Until then I think he will have to remain happy with being the unpopular kid. 

Josiah is a wonderful kid, though I wonder what world he is living in because he can be the most baffling child sometimes. He is kind hearted. He treats everyone equally and always encourages people to get along. He is one of the few kids that I can count on to push his chair in at the table. He is an enigma but he's very chill and I do not know if Josiah is really being affected by this experience but I hope for the best for him.




1 comment:

Cathy Walker said...

Fred,
I am impressed with your insights into all your campers. You really have three challenging guys and all in different ways. Just remember when it comes to both Jacob and Josiah, they may not seem to be taking in this experience in the way we hope, but I still believe they are making some progress. In the very least they are experiencing very positive male role models. Thanks for all your efforts here! Cathy