For this journal response, I would like to focus our attention on the ever-changing definition of a teacher because I for one have learned many important lessons from individuals who would never consider themselves teachers. These people have changed the way I view things just by stepping into their shoes for a moment. For instance, as a young summer camper, my cabin leader taught me not only how to rock climb but also how to face my fears. This youthful counselor talked of her own experiences overcoming her fears and challenged me to do the same. Now, this is not a digression to tell you to enroll your children in summer camp. My story sheds light on the fact that anyone is able to share experiences, wisdom, and knowledge with others that can impact their life.
So for my journal response about leadership, I will be talking about a leadership role I held outside of my teaching profession. After many years attending camps at the YMCA, and then moving through different roles working with summer camps, I finally had managed to be in a leadership role as a Camp Coordinator.
I was an overseer of 2 different summer programs and was so excited to be able to plan and gather the materials needed for things to run smoothly in the summer. It became clear within the first week, however, that no matter how much I had overplanned, things were not going to be quite as smooth as I anticipated. There were many outside groups that needed space within the facility, so the precious time we had in the gym, or certain fields needed to be shared. It became my responsibility to work with other coordinators of visiting camps, and newcomers to Canada groups, to share the space fairly. While there was a supervisor and other staff that could have taken on the role of negotiating and sharing the various spaces, I stepped up to take on this role because I was determined to oversee every detail of the process. It was very important to me that my camp run as smoothly as possible, and so I was more than willing to be the point person to make this happen. Essentially, it was my determination and ability to work with all types of people that made me a leader in this situation.
The role itself was very stressful at times, and there were definitely times when I felt like I was doing my best to make sure everyone was happy, but everyone was compromising their ideal situations and this made things hard. There were moments when I felt like all the hard work I put in to plan things to a ‘T’ went out the window, which frustrated me, and times when I felt like I would compromise until there was nothing left to give.
However, it did seem like kids in the camp were having a good time, parents seemed happy, and counselors were more flexible than I anticipated. While I really appreciated these things, I couldn’t help but picture a duck swimming ever so serenely in a lake. You look at that duck it is just gliding, but under the water, those legs are going a mile a minute. That is how I felt that summer. It was hard. It was exhilarating, and it was as if I was that duck. But all in all, it was worth it. I was moving a mile a minute but it was to make sure a camp I cared about and kids I cared about were well taken care of that summer.
The issue of spacing within the facility was one that I had not anticipated, and that was the downfall in my planning. I was able to reach out to a mentor of mine who had done a similar job at the YMCA and he gave me some great advice. He reminded me that planning only goes so far, and that after that, the real world steps in and throws new things at you. He shared some of his experiences as a Coordinator and gave some good suggestions dealing with people who did not want to negotiate. Following his advice to have weekly face to face sit-downs with the other coordinators and program staff was the best advice I could have followed.
Additionally, my ability to listen, compromise, and organize were real assets during that summer. I had some very dedicated camp counselors that were very flexible because I was transparent in meetings with them about why they needed to give up coveted gym, or field time. I saw many people step up and work together to make some tough compromises that summer and it brought many of us YMCA staff closer together.
