I spent the summer working at a summer camp. Every week, counselors would award the best camper in his/her group by naming them "Camper of the Week." Usually, this means that the award is giving to the most well behaved, helpful, kind and respectful child. I went somewhat off course in my selection but found joy in the result.
Dear “Camper of The Week,”
I want to be able that I spent a lot of time deciding who should receive the prestigious title of the best camper of the week, but I didn’t. In fact, I gave very little time to my decision. I know that may not be what you wanted to hear; you want to hear how it was impossible to decide, how everyone was so good and I simply couldn’t pick the very best- the vote was very close. But when I went to the entire camp and announced your name, it took barely any deliberation. I wanted it to be you.
To put it simply, COW, you are not the most well-behaved camper. You argue, you push, you kick, you walk away when I am talking to you, you don’t come back when I call you, you take things from other kids, you lie sometimes, you are demanding, you break things… I could go on and on. Oh yes, I had heard the stories from other counselors, the ones who demanded you be taken out of their group (all 7 of them.) Guess what? I wanted to believe them, to put you in their mold and treat you like the bad kid. It would have been so much easier, to just yell at you instead of listening to you and punish you instead of talk with you.
I chose the harder route, I chose, instead of writing you up for throwing a kickball in the creek and yelling at me, to sit down with you and tell you a story. I told you a story about me, about how I was just like you, always getting in trouble. And you listened patiently as I finished. But then I did something that I don’t think you were prepared for, in fact, I don’t think you have ever had this happen to you ever before. I apologized to you. I apologized for yelling at you, for not listening to you, for judging you. I didn’t expect anything to come of it, I really did it for my own conscience, but you proved me wrong. The next day, you blew me away. When I called your name, by the third time, you came. When I asked you to stop less than twenty times, you stopped. When I told you to do something, once or twice, you did it. By Thursday, you were talking to me, holding my hand, explaining why you were upset instead of hitting the boy who called you mean.
One week, you wanted to be camper of the week. I could see it in your eyes. You were trying SO HARD! Even when you wanted to talk back to me, you didn’t. Even when you broke off from our group and went to see your friend where you know you weren’t supposed to be, the second I called your name, you got up and ran to me. I didn’t write ANY behavior reports on you and that was the first week all summer that a counselor didn’t have to call your mom because you were being bad.
COW, you were YOUR most behaved that week, you were your most helpful, most kind and most respectful. And that is why you are MY camper of the week. Nothing brought me more joy than seeing your face light up when I announced YOUR name, or when I watched as you jumped up and ran to hug me. I can’t tell you how excited I got when I heard your name called for dismissal, I ran to your car before you could and talked to your mom. When I got to your car, she asked me what you had done, fully prepared to once more hear, like you have to hear, about how bad you were at camp. Instead, she got to hear how awesome you were, in fact, you were the best! COW, no one belongs in a mold. You are not a bad kid. I don’t want you to listen to the people who don’t take the time to know you. I want you to prove them wrong. Show them that you are more than they think, in fact, show them that you are CAMPER OF THE WEEK! It is nearly impossible to not act according to how people see you, to change their expectations of you, but you did. I hope you remember this and make it a point to be YOUR best every day!
-Miss Maddy
