Being a Counselor

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  • #616249
    Wisey
    Participant

    I went to camp thinking that the job of a counselor was mostly fun: cheering on sports teams, encouraging color war excitement etc. but I found out that the work involved was much more than I expected.

    Waking up kids and getting them to go to shacharis

    Keeping them quiet during davening

    Getting them to do bunk clean-up (especially the ones that have maids at home and are aghast at the idea of doing work)

    Getting them to go to breakfast instead of eating the junk food their parents gave them.

    Keeping them inside the dining room until bentching

    Convincing a kid to take his meds

    Getting kids to go to activities instead of playing DS or whatever else they do.

    Acting simultaneously as counselor, coach and umpire/ref (cheering on your team and remaining unbiased)

    Dealing with complaints about everything

    etc. etc.

    Try putting 13 ten year olds to bed every night!!!

    #1097441
    🍫Syag Lchochma
    Participant

    you are right, it is a lot of work. but it is very rewarding and can be fun if you can keep from getting too stressed out. it isn’t possible to be successful at all those things all the time, just to put in the best effort. when i think of the pasuk, “lo alecha hamelacha ligmor” i always think it fits best with raising/working with kids. you can only do your best to maintain a controlled chaos, the rest is in Gds hands.

    #1097442
    TheGoq
    Participant

    Welcome to the life of an adult, work is sometimes unpleasant and hard but it has to be done. Many coworkers of mine bemoan their jobs i feel blessed to have this job and treat it as a gift is it always a bowl of cherries? of course not but you take the good with the bad and muddle through the hard parts and when that is over you say wow that was a rough stretch but i did it.

    #1097443
    skripka
    Participant

    i’ve been a counselor for years and loved it1 it was never about the money, it started off as something to keep myself busy in the long summer months, and turned into something so important in life. to me counselors are a mixture of psychologist, parent, and energizer bunny all in one. There are difficult children ,yes, but if you are focused on the good parts of it and not the negative you will notice how much of it was fun. the cute remarks from children who seem way to smart for their age , the way some kids with challenges deal with adversity ( and the satisfaction that you helped them deal with those challenges), the friend you meet and keep up with etc. there is some weird sense of nachas that i feel when i see my campers names in the newsletter as best in bunk, davening, and learning. i would not trade the experiences i’ve had as a counselor for anything

    #1097444
    Wisey
    Participant

    My complaint is that this was supposed to be my summer vacation. I don’t regret going though since it was more fun than work.

    #1097445
    apushatayid
    Participant

    Thats the problem. its not your vacation. your job is to ensure the kids who pay to go to camp enjoy their vacation. it is why the camp (supposedly) pays you and parents are expected to tip you. if you want a paid vacation, ask your parents to pay for you to go to camp.

    #1097446
    gabbaisheini
    Participant

    When I was a counselor Rav Belsky told us that in the times of Chazal, Hashem would test manhigim if they were able to lead Klal Yisroel by first having them shepherd sheep. Nowadays Hashem tests furure leaders by seeing how they deal with young children as counselors.

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