Summer Camp

All weekend, my Facebook feed has been filled with photos of friends’ children who are leaving for sleepaway camp.  They all look so happy!  Neither of my boys ever had the desire to go.  They are kind of homebodies.  DJ especially! Drew toyed with it a bit last year.  We even went and looked at a sleepaway camp and he seemed excited about it, but in the end, he chose to play summer ball and stay home instead.

Dave went to boyscout camp and soccer camps that were sleepaway, but I never went to sleepaway camp . The first time I slept away from home was college!  Since the boys never really showed any interest, we never really pursued it.  If it is something they really want to do, we will research it more, but for them, day camps just seemed to be a better fit.  Both of them have still attended day camps nearly every summer.  They have loved the sports camps and town camps.  DJ was a junior counselor for a few years but this year, instead of camp, he will work part time at my father’s store and continue to umpire.

Drew is going to be taking classes at The Adult School summer camp.  He is so excited to do a TV Production Workshop for four weeks.  DJ has been taking TV Production classes in high school since he was a freshman and Drew has heard him talk about it for years. DJ loves it so much that he is looking at colleges where he can continue to pursue it.  This has made Drew very enthusiastic about taking the course.

My summer job is working at Camp Maple.  My sixth year working there.  It is a camp for students who have special needs but don’t require the extended year program that the schools offer.  It is a place where the children to go where they are  provided with a creative, nurturing environment to help develop key life skills, build confidence but most of all, to have fun!

I will often hear how awesome it is to be a teacher because we “get summers off.”  What most people don’t realize is that most teachers aren’t paid in the summer and have to get other jobs to keep up with the bills!  Luckily, I get to work  with a great staff, great kids and the half day program still gives me time to enjoy summer vacation.

Whatever camp or summer activities you have planned, I hope you have a safe, happy and healthy time!

Tagged: boy scout camp, Camp, Camp Maple, day camp, homebodies, sleepaway camp, sport camp, summer camp, teachers get summers off, the adult school, town camp, tv production