Lost in the Woods?

The girls are swimming in the water and having a
great time at Ellacoya State Park

     This week at Girls Inc we went to Wellington State Park. Despite the 90 degree weather outside right now as I am writing this, it was a little bit colder at the beach two days ago. With the weather being far from perfect, I was ready to make the most of the day. We got a plot of land right near the bathrooms (that's always a good thing) and the sun was starting to show through the clouds. With that, I started to think maybe this day was going to turn around....I was wrong. After freezing for several hours on the beach while the kids swam, seemingly unaffected by the cold temperature and wind, we took the girls on a hike on a walking trail. With zero sense of direction, I started to get a little nervous when 45 minutes into a hike that was supposedly a half hour we were not back yet, but a few short minutes later, we could see the camp again. Little successes like making it through a hike with 17 girls without a single casualty (aside from a broken flip flop) really make my day. Cherish small victories, right?

Mel's group is striking a pose at the beach!

     Upon arrival back at the beach, we learned a young camper had tripped on a tree root and cut her toe on a rock. She was okay, but hadn't we been telling the girls all day not to run near the rocks? Yes, but we are still working on listening skills with a lot of them. Even in the short time I have been at Girls Inc so far, I feel like I am really starting to form some good relationships with the girls, and that I am slowly gaining their trust. It is a good feeling to have girls asking to sit with you on the bus rides. I can tell that some of them really do look up to me. Because of that, I try very hard to set a positive example for the girls. In an interview with Karen, she talked about how important it is for the girls to know they are important to you. On this past Thursday's bus ride, I reading a book and occasionally responded with "yeahs" and "uh huhs" to the girl I was sitting with, but after talking to Karen about the importance of letting the girls know how much they mean to you and giving them your full attention, I'm going to put the book away on the next field trip day. In my last post I quoted the book I read during my researching by saying "Be amazed at what powerful teachers little girls can be." With this project, I really feel that I am going to get out of it, what I put into it. Paying attention to what the girls say on the bus rides only has the power to teach me more about my topic and myself.

     I can certainly tell which young ladies don't get as much attention at home as others. It very well could just be their personality, but I am willing to bet that the girls who are constantly prying for my attention and begging for compliments may not be getting as much attention as the other girls from their parents. Before this experience I would have blamed that simply on the parents not caring. But after talking with Karen and getting to know the parents and the girls' stories a little bit better, in the majority of cases, the girls are not getting as much attention because their parent(s) is/are busy working and can't spend a lot of time with them. So at first, the constant need for attention seemed annoying, but now, it is understandable. I'm starting to realize that seeing situations through other perspectives is very important. I'm being more reserved in making judgments, and I think that will really help me in the future.

This young camper sure knows how to use her imagination!

     We got back to Girls Inc after leaving the beach early, and a flood of girls came to me for ice packs! Six girls in one hour! Can you believe it? That's a little ridiculous if you ask me. But once one girl gets hurt, magically, they all seem to get hurt. The rest of the day went fairly well and concluded with Madagascar 3. I forgot the simplicity of children's movies. It was actually quite enjoyable to watch. My day ended, and I fell asleep surprisingly early around 9:00 PM. I would need the extra rest for what was in store on the next day.

    I got back to Girls Inc around eight the next morning and started making a bead pet. I hadn't made a bead pet in probably ten years! That probably explains why I couldn’t remember how to make arms and legs. After a battle all day with the bead pets, I ended up with two complete. The legs and arm, well, they are a work in progress. Today at camp we were celebrating world cultures by learning facts about various nations like Mexico, China, Italy, Scotland, and India. We also were sampling a variety of different foods from the countries that were represented. I was working with the youngest age group of girls. Since my first day at camp, I had been noticing one particular camper whose attitude was not the greatest. Today didn't start off a good day for her.

My interview with the Girls Inc. Girl of the Year

    We were walking the kids over to the public library to do research on their countries, but she was persistent about wanting to wear her beach towel like a cape around her neck. When we told her that she had to take it off, her reply was simple: "I'm not going." It took a lot of convincing but she finally agreed to go. But she sure wasn't happy about it, and made that very clear to us. We got to the library after a short walk in the rain, and it is closed (figures, right?), so we start the march back. Everything was going fine until an hour later when I went to use the bathroom. I walked and heard crying. Then in a stall I see yellow flip flops with tiny feet in them. I call this camper out of the bathroom and try to get to the bottom of why she is upset. Eventually I was able to determine that because she had a bad morning, she knew we were going to give her dad a bad report when he picked her up so she was angry. Thinking on my feet, I sat down with her and talked to her about how turning her day around now would make her report better at the end of the day. We talked a lot about making the most in a bad situation. My parents have told me that countless time, but when did I ever think I would be using their words to give someone else advice? Once she finally emerged from the bathroom, she didn't have another problem the whole day.

     I was able to sit down with Karen and interview her for the research process for my project. We talked about different situations girls are in and how it affects their mindset. This particular girl with the towel who was crying in the bathroom has a mindset that she is a bad kid. She doesn't even try to make the right choice because she thinks whatever she does is going to be wrong. People like Karen have a very large impact on girls like this. By using positive reinforcement, the color system, and her non-judgmental approach, Karen is able to break down the walls these girls have built. As the day wrapped up, this camper’s step-mom came to pick her up from camp. She met with Karen, and I’m not sure how what kind of report this little girl was given for the day, but she came up and gave me a hug, saying that she loved me and hoped I had a good weekend. Little things like that have the power to make all the frustration and aggravation worth it. That simple hug made up for all the stress she had caused me that day.