Danye has sooooo much going on at home...kudos to her for still being able to make it through the day...regardless of the situation at home. I definitely noticed the first week that she is a very needy child [as most of the kids are] and wants to be heard. I feel like she has been holding her emotions in for so long...that all of a sudden she is opening up to everyone she comes across with at camp. My first impression of her was "wow she is a really happy, fun, and sweet girl and is always cooperating at camp"...I now realize that beneath this campers mask is a long deep history of pain and suffering and she is seeking the attention and comfort that she hasn't received from her family. I do wonder, however, what brings her to lie about things...like the day she told us her mother had a heart attack and she was up all night in the hospital????
Despite all of this...Danye is a great camper. She consistently seeks to bring unity to the group...it hurts her to see that the girls bicker and argue over little things...it truly bothers her and I know she wishes everyone got along at all times. She is great at cooperating and good friends with ShyAnne and now Brittany. My goal for her at the end of camp is for her to be able to take control of her emotions without having to exaggerate them nor share them with everyone. I want for her to be able to trust someone enough to realize she doesn't have to exaggerate her circumstances in order for others to care about her...
Brittany! Its hard for Brittany to express her emotions...I've noticed she doesn't cry, but I've definitely noticed, on several occasions, that she tries to hold the tears back and makes herself not cry...This concerns me because things at home aren't easy right now with her parents divorce and other stuff...and she needs to be able to cry at times to relieve herself and not bottle everything up...yet shes hard as a rock. Brittany also struggles with friends at camp. Because she struggles with friends, I've noticed that she puts up a wall to push everyone out before they get to her and hurt her. She realizes she isn't everyone's BFF at camp, so at times she initiates the exclusions before the girls exclude her. When Jen and I or the other girls confront her about issues, she won't admit to them and I wonder whether we get the message across to her sometimes. Her self esteem is quite low...She has negatives self-image perceptions and because of her rough childhood, feels like the reject both at home and school/Camp. By the end of camp I truly hope Brittany can get beyond that and realize how many people care about her. Hopefully this can help her improve on her social skills =]
Gabby...wow this girl can TALK!!!! jaja...she is truly amazing and quite mature for her age. She is the most positive girl out of the entire group. She won't tolerate negativity from any of the girls...whether its towards each other...or self criticism. She encourages the girls to be positive and speak highly of themselves. Gabby is fun and very creative. For the first two weeks of camp I would always wonder why she had been referred to this camp because I couldn't quite grasp what it was we could help her with...besides having a fun summer. Although I Gabby hasn't really opened up quite yet about any issues at home...I have a feeling there is more than meets the eye to the happy Gabby we always see at camp. From the bits and pieces I've gathered here at there...Gabby gets alot of responsibilities put on her and many times she feels like she doesn't have a voice because she has no choice but to be the "responsible one" at home...Gabby just wants to be a kid...without all the worries from home...but like I said...this is only my impression so far...
Ciara...I still don't quite understand why She is in this camp...She is quite mature and tries everything even though she knows she isn't the best at some of the activities...the only struggle I see is making friends. She is a super intelligent girl that just needs help creating friends....I honestly don't think she needs this camp because she seems to be doing just fine..She already knows everything we are gonna do...and at times acts like she knows more than the counselors...I think she will do pretty well without another year of camp....
p.s. I LOVE MY GIRLS!!!! =P
~Deb
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