The Secret Monologue
The first rule is there are no bad kids. Sure there are days when there's one kid who just can't seem to keep themselves from starting problems with every camper and counselor in sight. But the children in my camp group are five and six. They definitely don't have their emotions in check. So, on a monday morning, when a new curly haired camper starts picking fights with all the girls in our group, it took all my effort not to write her off as a trouble maker. Now i'm not saying it was easy, i'm no saint. But for the rest of the day i went out of my way to make sure she felt happy and included. And the next day. And the day after that. When she had not begun to let up her sour attitude by wednesday, i began to worry i couldn't make her enjoy
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This came as a shock to me, as I had not once seen her make any attempt at getting along with the other children in the group. “Have you asked them to play with you?” I responded, and wasn’t surprised by the puzzled look on her …show more content…
“She’s in jail.”
My sympathy for this camper grew significantly, and I was taken aback. It felt as if a rogue soccer ball had hit me in the gut. But it wasn't my place to be sad about it. “Well i'm sure she misses you a bunch! Just imagine how happy it will make her when you tell her all about your awesome summer!” I didn't know how impactful our conversation was until the day went on. Not only did she start to participate in games, she’d smile, talk to other campers, and almost completely stop picking fights. It was the last day of the camp week, and closing ceremonies had just ended. Hundreds of kids took of in different directions, scurrying towards their busses in cars. I offered to walk my little friend to her bus, and she accepted gleefully. As we reached her bus, she turned around and embrace me suddenly, throwing her small arms around my waist in a tight hug. “I hope you had a nice time at camp!” I say, and she nods furiously. When she loosens her grip, I kneel down so we are eye level. “Be good at school for me this year, ok?
This came as a shock to me, as I had not once seen her make any attempt at getting along with the other children in the group. “Have you asked them to play with you?” I responded, and wasn’t surprised by the puzzled look on her …show more content…
“She’s in jail.”
My sympathy for this camper grew significantly, and I was taken aback. It felt as if a rogue soccer ball had hit me in the gut. But it wasn't my place to be sad about it. “Well i'm sure she misses you a bunch! Just imagine how happy it will make her when you tell her all about your awesome summer!” I didn't know how impactful our conversation was until the day went on. Not only did she start to participate in games, she’d smile, talk to other campers, and almost completely stop picking fights. It was the last day of the camp week, and closing ceremonies had just ended. Hundreds of kids took of in different directions, scurrying towards their busses in cars. I offered to walk my little friend to her bus, and she accepted gleefully. As we reached her bus, she turned around and embrace me suddenly, throwing her small arms around my waist in a tight hug. “I hope you had a nice time at camp!” I say, and she nods furiously. When she loosens her grip, I kneel down so we are eye level. “Be good at school for me this year, ok?