Do you appreciate the way you were disciplined as a kid? The writer of Hebrews tells us that our parents "disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, in order that we may share in his holiness" (Hebrews 12:10). Once again, your best example of managing your campers this summer is God himself.
The task is not getting easier!
What your campers really need from you is the kind of discipline God uses with us, which is a balance of 1) love and nurture, and 2) boundaries and control. How you manage these elements will determine the style of leadership and discipline that you offer:
Please post your thoughts on these questions in the "Comments" box below. You will need to sign in with a Google or other account in order to do so.
- Choose three of the following situations and tell us how you would respond, balancing love and control:
- A camper won't participate in games and activities and never wants to leave your side.
- One of your campers often lashes out in anger toward other campers for no apparent reason.
- A camper refuses to go to chapel or anything else that has to do with God.
- Several valuable items have gone missing from your cabin, including some of your own.
- You discover that an older camper has been telling stories about sex to other campers when you are not around.
- All the campers in your cabin are from Christian homes, except one who swears like a sailor.
- You suspect that one of your campers is bullying and intimidating several others when you are not around, but there is no hard evidence.
- Your camper complains to you that his digital camera has been stolen, and he accuses another camper in the cabin of taking it.
With the child that is swearing...
ReplyDeleteI would have a discussion with the whole cabin about how our speech should be. I would also explain what it means to "not use the Lord's Name in vain" and why we value God's name. While we are here at camp we want you to speak kind words to each other... Swearing is not necessary and even if it is allowed at your home we are a little family here and we won't be using those words in this home for the time we are here at camp.
1. A camper won't participate in Games and activities and never wants to leave your side : I believe that asking a question as to why is appropriate. Listening to the reasoning if there is a reason and responding. Sometimes they need a friend and tag your it.. so participating in the game with them helps. Also, they may need your guidance in pairing them up with a person. Encouragement is needed in this. It's alright to sit out too if it really bothers them.
ReplyDelete2. A Camper refuses to go to chapel or anything else that has to do with God : For the safety of that camper I feel they have no choice but to go to chapel with the cabin. They don't have to participate if they don't want to but if they have any question they should feel free to ask them. Not everyone who comes it going to be comfortable with Chapel/worship/prayer/biblestudy. This is going to be new and it's going to need guidance, wisdom and prayer on the part of the Cabin leader.
3. A Camper has been telling sex stories to other campers while you are gone : Hopefully a Cabin leader or another staff will be with the campers at all times. For the most part that will curb any stories. If it does happen while a leader is around, it can be discusses that we don't discuss private matters like that out to other cabin mates. If they have any questions or need to talk, then to talk to the Cabin leaders/Staff only.
1. "A camper won't participate in games and activities and never wants to leave your side."
ReplyDelete-I will encourage them to participate in the games since I will be fully in them. I will also try and get one of the fellow campers to start being more inclusive with them. This will encourage them to have fun with the other campers.
2. "Several valuable items have gone missing from your cabin, including some of your own."
I would give an amnesty hour and have whoever it is bring it forward. No questions asked. I would then at another point in the week try and have a conversation with them and bring up the topic. There is a reason why they are doing it and in order to continue to gain trust, you have to handle in a way that will show them love. Especially in a situation that they wouldn't normally be shown it.
3. "One of your campers often lashes out in anger toward other campers for no apparent reason."
I would pull the camper who lashed out aside and talk to them. I would at the end of the conversation get them to go and apologize to the other camper.
1. Several valuable items have gone missing from your cabin, including some of your own.
ReplyDelete- for this I would go to my dean immediately and ask his thoughts on if I could sit down with my cabin and just talk about stealing and how Hod sees everything we do and then pray about it. I would then tell the mm that if the think who might have stolen the items or if they have any information about the situation to encourage that person to do the right thing and put the items back on the owners bed.
2. The camper who swears like a sailor.
- well I would talk to him privately and say how as a cabin we have to be encouraging and the words that we are using right now aren't helping the cabin as a team.
3. Your camper complains to you that his digital camera has been stolen, and he accuses another camper in the cabin of taking it. -
So for this one I would get both campers alone with me away from the others. I would tell the camper A (who might have taken the camera) that camper B thinks you know who might have taken the camera and that you should encourage them to put the camera back and we can be done.
-Your camper complains to you that his digital camera has been stolen, and he accuses another camper in the cabin of taking it.
ReplyDeleteI would first try to calm down the camper. Then remind them that we are a team and family, and that it's not loving to accuse others in that way. I would then take time to ask questions about where it was last seen and to re-tract steps. If we are still unable to find it, then I would ask why they are so sure this other camper took it. Then I would encourage having a non-confrontational conversation with the other camper, where I would act as a mediator.
A camper won't participate in games and activities and never wants to leave your side.
ReplyDelete- Talk to camper to find root of the problem, and act accordingly in an encouraging way.
A camper refuses to go to chapel or anything else that has to do with God.
- I would try to talk to the camper and let them know that they couldn't not attend chapel due to safety and accountability, but that if they were that reluctant they could just sit but encourage them to participate.
All the campers in your cabin are from Christian homes, except one who swears like a sailor.
- I would talk to the entire cabin first reminding them to use clean language as to not offend and/or hurt anyone with their words, and if the issue continued I would speak to the camper directly.
Connor Gleeson