NoCooperVille
I've got a confession to make.
Which is that everything I ever learned about teaching I learned at summer camp.
To be clear, when I first started I was not a good camp counsellor. However, things started to get better when I learned that kids really like stories - especially stories that you can start up anytime, anywhere and roll them out in instalments that can last an entire two week session.
And when I was working with ten year old boys the serial story that went over best was the 'Laughing Man' which I would alter and embellish as needed, taking off from starting points like the following:
"...Soon the Laughing Man was regularly crossing the Chinese border into Paris, France, where he enjoyed flaunting his high but modest genius in the face of Marcel Dufarge, the internationally famous detective and witty consumptive..."
Did I feel bad about ripping off J.D. Salinger?
"...Soon the Laughing Man was regularly crossing the Chinese border into Paris, France, where he enjoyed flaunting his high but modest genius in the face of Marcel Dufarge, the internationally famous detective and witty consumptive..."
Did I feel bad about ripping off J.D. Salinger?
Not really, especially given that he, too, had ripped off Victor Hugo.
And did I ever tell the kids the story of the doomed romance of Salinger's kinda/sorta camp counsellor that surrounded all the laughter?
Of course not!
****
Littler e. starts her first job as a counsellor at a summer camp tomorrow.
Here's hoping she has as much fun, and learns even more, than I ever did.
_______
The camp, pictured at the top of the post, where C. and I worked in the early 80's had a 'no electronics' policy....Glad to hear that it still does.
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6 comments:
I’m trying to think/remember what electronics we’re available in the early’80’s. Those electronic calculator watches? Were Walkmans out yet?
I think there was that little hand held football game with little red lights and some “boop bee boop beep” sound effects.
I was never the first kid on the block with that stuff so I mighta missed it.
Hey Graham--
Walkmans for sure - cassette version.
Mostly the lack of recorded music forced us to make our own which is why I first started play guitar - badly, but at camp (or on F-Troop listed blogs) that doesn't matter!
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As I recall, the dude that could play guitar at that age was pretty cool. I couldn’t but I remember the guys that did.
Ha, ha, ha —what a coincidence: I’m just reading that Hugo book. Found a little leather bound copy, tattered and needing repair, for about five bucks last time I was at McLeods (whenever I visit the Big Smoke—I understand it will be closing soon. Bummer!)
Have a great summer, Ross K! And of course: be safe.
Scotty--
Given the subject matter....Are you sure it's a coincidence?
McLeod's is closing? - That's a real shame.
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if THAT IS A SUMMER CAMP, I'D like to book a few weeks, without the kids. it looks so peaceful and yes, no electronics would be fine. I know we had walk mans in the 1980s and we had pagers. I think they might have cell phones and they were very expensive. I remember people having pagers and then they could decide whether to use their very large cell phone or not.
Hope the kids have a good summer at camp!
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