Week 1 of Summer Camp

After setting up the plates and cups, in preparation of the Summer Camp’s first meal, I waited outside. Suddenly I saw them coming - 40 summer campers. We had anticipated 25.
Since then, running the summer camp has been a challenge. We had to rearrange the schedule to accommodate so many students. And we are struggling to find enough computer time for all students.
I constantly refer to my own childhood when I think about our students. I recognize that my support system and the number of people who believed in me helped me believe in myself; pushed me to break down limitations and to take responsibility for my actions and decisions. Creating a similar resource for our students is our first priority and our biggest challenge.
But, in just three days, there are drastic changes in the students - and they see it themselves. The students are talking more, more open to sharing their thoughts; ready with open minds to extract lessons from the games we play. Although we end each day ready to collapse into our beds and sleep for 24 hours, the satisfaction I feel when I see how engaged our students are is beyond words.