This past week was my first time working at a summer camp for kids. The camp, for kids ages 6-14, was from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. every day and was broken up into four rotations, each an hour and 15 minutes long (with essential snack and lunch breaks thrown in, of course). One of my main jobs at the camp was supervising the kids in physical activities. This particular rotation was called "fun fitness." The kids played dodgeball, kickball and, everyone’s favorite childhood PE memory, the giant rainbow parachute. Throughout the entire week, through the array of different activities and age groups, I learned that, even though they call me the teacher, sometimes they are actually the ones teaching me. As odd as that sounds, children teaching the teacher, I truly have come to learn so much in just one short week from these little, intelligent kids.
When the unexpected happened (for example, their LEGO tower tragically collapsing), I thought they would be upset. But then, a subtle squeal would escape, followed by giggling as they started to rebuild. During fitness time, when a child slid on the gym floor and skinned their knee, I expected and even prepared for an outburst of tears and sobs. To my surprise, however, they would quickly spring up and continue goofily sprinting around. Every activity they took part in filled the room with energetic, bubbly laughter. When I started seeing them react with laughter, it made me want to laugh off all of my troubles as well. It quickly became clear to me that troubles I once thought were serious issues were actually not such a big deal at all.
The kids also taught me that if you’re not happy, you should create your own happiness. I learned this lesson through simple card games. I have never played so many card games in my life as I did this week. The campers taught me how to play War, Black Jack, Liar and many others (so many that I can't even remember all the names!). These kids have so much fun with just one deck of cards and their peers. It’s amazing to watch the joy they experience from something so simple, yet so entertaining. If something isn’t fun, they find a way to make it fun, either with their imagination or with their friends. They create happiness for themselves at such a young age, and it was pretty amazing to watch it all unfold right in front of my eyes.
Another thing the kids taught me is that it’s OK to be upset or cry about something. No one has to hold it together all the time. One little girl started crying when she was done building a figure out of LEGOs. When I asked her why, she mustered up an "I’m tired" through her tears and short breaths. At first, I thought it was a little silly to cry over a matter so small, but the more I thought about her response, the more I realized how many times I would like to have that reaction when I’m tired at school...tired of homework, tired of classes and tired of waiting for my pizza rolls to be delivered.
I have learned from these kids that the solution to your problem doesn’t always have to be complex and well thought-out. Sometimes, the most obvious answers are what's needed to solve the dilemma. It’s easy to overthink a situation and stress out about something while trying to create an intricate resolution, but just by listening to kids’ conversations this past week, I have learned that this is not always necessary. Instead, the most useful solution could very well be the most overlooked one.
Just one week of camp has exposed me to these lessons that the kids don’t even know they're teaching me. When I decided to work this summer camp, I certainly did not expect I would learn so much, but I am so glad that I did. I am looking forward to two more enlightening weeks.
