Week 4 - Shane Perkey - Camp Kentahten

Considering we started session 2 today, it's evident with a new group of kids that I didn't just get lucky with the first group. My experience coaching is paying off and I keep hearing from Program Staff that my patience is great. I was paired with my co-counselor for session 2 because nobody else wanted to be paired with him. I feel bad for him, and who is to say that just because he is 25 that he doesn't deserve to learn and get better at what he's doing? He slipped up a little bit today when he told the kids they were "already messing up" because they were closing the door when they weren't supposed to. I asked him how many times he asked them, and he said it was the 3rd time. I can understand his frustration, but explained to him that if it isn't working, then he should re-route his approach. I told him that asking me to reiterate something to them can show support for one another and give him more credibility from their eyes. Especially if they aren't listening to them.... or if they aren't listening to me - then vice versa and back me up. That can work well and show that the rule is all-around and not just for that single counselor. Also, explaining why the rules are in place can let the kids understand why they aren't supposed to do something. Just telling them not to do something is going to make them focus on what they aren't supposed to do rather than what they should do. It's almost trickery with kids, but it's more like reaching them with a different tactic. You can communicate with ANYONE, you just have to find the right medium. Motivation is the same way. Therefore, I think coaching/teaching has taught me a lot about management of others. It's also really important to be fair to them, show them respect, don't intimidate unless needed (and only after you've earned THEIR respect), and dumb-down to make them feel like it's ok to make mistakes.... and then push them to do better the next time. Until dinner today, I thought that this session was going to be horrible. It was like each kid was a scattered dot on a piece of paper, but by the time they went to bed, they are in a wide line and a little more organized as a group. Me and Sparrow's group are predominantly from Rochester, NY. They have a lot of attitude and are used to being aggressive to achieve notoriety from their peers or to get what they want. They have softened up a lot in the 5 or 6 hours they've been here and the next 9 days are looking much better.