JULY 2024 - Camp Counselor

I was 18, hired to teach swimming at a posh summer camp where more than a few maids unpacked campers’ trunks. The girls were used to having everything done for them. When I told them they were responsible for keeping the bunk clean, they looked at me in disbelief. “I don’t clean at home,” said one. “Why should I clean here?” 

“We’ll do it together,” I said, more cheerfully than I felt. “We can make it fun.” They were expert eye rollers. I quickly learned that my assumption—they had come to camp to make new friends and have new experiences—was wrong. Most of them came to camp because they were sent by their parents. Their only choice was which camp, and that decision was made on the basis of where their friends were going. Even after the first week, maids continued to bring some campers requested items. I had no experience living in their world.

Shortly before the middle of the summer, I suggested to my campers that we go on a canoe camping adventure. They seemed excited by the idea. The director permitted the three-day trip; parents were notified and gave their approval. I told the campers, their parents, and the director, that we would canoe to a wilderness area, set up tents, dig latrines, cook our food, and do some short hikes. I asked if they liked the plan. They all said they did.

We started our trip on a gorgeous sunny summer morning. The girls enjoyed the canoeing and we made it to the camping area in good spirits. I showed them how to set up the tents and then I said, “Now we have to dig our latrines.”

They stared at me. Incredulous. No way were they going to poop into a hole. Where were the toilets? When I reminded them I’d told them we were going to dig latrines, one of them muttered she didn’t know what a latrine was. “Well,” I said, “there are no toilets here. We’ll all take turns digging the holes. Four should be enough. If we dig them deep enough we can cover the poop with dirt so there’ll be no smell.” I showed them how to use the latrine and what to do with the toilet paper. 

The good mood from canoeing evaporated. Sullenly, they took turns digging the holes in a place that gave some privacy. I took them on a hike that ended with a lovely view of the area and handed out chocolate bars. Silence. After a bit I led them back to the campsite and asked for their help gathering wood for the fire. They refused to move. I was tempted to make a small fire and cook my meal but I knew that would only make things worse. I gathered wood, started the fire, and invited them to help cook. One girl joined me. The group ate their meal in silence.

Making s’mores for dessert helped a little. One of them started singing. The others joined in. By the time I helped them into their sleeping bags, two of them thanked me for a lovely day. 

Shortly after we returned to camp I was called to the director’s office and told I was fired. I was so shocked I could barely ask why. “Our campers do not dig latrines,” he told me. I tried to explain that I had told him, the parents, and the campers what we would do but he wouldn’t listen and told me to go. I left the office in shock.

Word spread fast. By the time I got back to my bunk and had started packing my suitcases, the girls were crying. Apologizing. They told me they didn’t mean for me to be fired. All of them went to the director’s office to beg him to let me stay, that I was the best counselor they’d ever had, that they’d had a great time on the trip . . . The director was unmoved.

I was given a ride to the nearest bus station.

Have you ever been fired because your world view wasn’t shared by your employer? What was that like?

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JULY 2024 Monthly Stories