Time Spent and Lessons Learned

Taken as a whole I would have to rate working as a mentor at this camp as one of the most fun and frustrating summer jobs all mixed into one and I would not trade this experience for the world. This camp has not only provided me with some new and lasting friendships with the fellow mentors and hopefully the children but has also taught me many things about myself. While I was extremely excited to work at this camp I did have some doubts about my own personal abilities to work with this certain group of kids. I am now happy to report that these few doubts have been successfully proved wrong. First of all I had some worries about working with kids of this specific age group. In the past I have always worked with kids much younger and even my own mother was a little apprehensive about my ability to successfully relate to these children. However I have learned that while many times it is much more difficult to work with older children the relationships that are formed are that much more rewarding.

Another thing that I was particularly worried about was my ability to discipline these children. While I may be a loud and outgoing person I also have a tendency to avoid confrontation and do not enjoy reprimanding others whatsoever. In addition I try to keep everyone happy and tend not to yell at others for fear that they may dislike me for it later. This camp has shown me that in fact I am able to discipline others but also that they will not think less of me for it. It is quite the contrary, it seems that they will respect you and look up to you more for it. I feel that this lesson has had the greatest impact on my personality and will definitely help me stand up for myself and realize that just because you are speaking your mind or regulating others there is no need to fear being disliked. 

On a last note this experience has definitely enforced the old saying "don't judge a book by it's cover". While at first glance some of the kids just seemed like absolute tornados of destruction and misbehavior but once you uncover the true source of the problem a whole other light of understanding is shed on the situation. People really do in fact wear "masks" in order to cover their true feelings and with a little work and perseverance you can get to know the real person underneath. Overall I am so grateful for this experience and had an absolutely amazing time this summer.