It requires a certain type of personality to be a camp counselor. Mainly, the position requires a person that, despite all of his or her exhaustion, can push through and pretend like they have gotten eight full hours of sleep. This, of course, is expected of them after spending a restless night amongst campers. So it doesn't come as a surprise to know in the midst of the rush to fulfill the campers needs we counselors have adopted some tendencies that have now become an all-encompassing stereotype. I mean, the stereotype is on point. There are a few things you’ll notice in all camp counselors.
We are always equipped with a flannel for all occasions.
As a camp counselor, the flannel is not only a layer but also a fashion statement. You’ll see us walking to breakfast with our flannels over the staff shirts. And on some occasions, you'll even find them prepped on our backpacks ready for the moment when the weather drops.
We are ready to burst out into dance at any given moment.
No matter the time, we are ready to break out into
dance. We might be in the middle of the dinning hall or on a walk to teaching arts and crafts class. It’s like a real life version of "High School Musical."
We have the capability to be both a parent and a friend.
On the flip of a switch, we are able to control our campers and put them to bed on time. Also, we are able to have real-life conversations about things all kids of their ages like to talk about.
We kill bugs and spiders every day, all day.
You know the second you hear a screech, it’s the time for your catlike reflexes to come into action. The quicker the bug gets killed, the quicker your campers quiet down.
We have the ability to get ready in under ten minutes, and still look moderately decent.
As a camp counselor, we have to be ready before all of our campers. Therefore, we have our morning routine down to a science. I have my routine down to six minutes. The quicker our morning routine is, the longer we can sleep.
