The Longest Week of my Life

Whenever I have a job that is hard I simply get by knowing that at least for the rest of my life things will be that much easier. Otherwise I'd go insane. I believe the main reason this was so incredibly crazy was because Adam and I actually did our jobs extremely well. Call me stuck up, but considering the circumstances, and the things we accomplished, we really were the best candidates for the job. It got to the point where I would stop and think, "Woa, I just performed a miracle."
We were briefed before hand that we would basically be their mothers for a week and we would have to handle almost everything. This is not an embellishment. Not to mention this is the first time away from home for all of them. And we had no experience working w/ children. That being the case how did Adam and I get sucked into this? through circumstances which I consider unfair. The options were; work in camp or go home. Now I would not have minded at all- had we been getting paid. But that's a bitterness I'll keep to myself.
Needless to say we did not do a half-job at all. We were given a duty and we took it w/ full force. Not having any actual experience w/ kids I drew from what made sense to me and what I remember my parents doing and what they taught me about discipline. I also recalled effective teachers I've had and the methods they used to keep us in line. Discipline and behavior are a staple to the success of the camp. The main point is to have fun but this only happens is every one shows the proper respect. A few methods I used from what I know from growing up were:

• No means No. Especially w/ small children. You say no once and make it known that you do not say it again.
• You do not owe the kids an explanation. At times telling them the reason (w/ older kids) will make them more co-operative in which case I'll give the reason. However, if they ask "why" right off the bat, I will simply reply that it's because I said so.
• No talk-backs. I see it all the time. As soon as a kid is allowed to argue or voice his opposition ("go from the kitchen" "but I....") he is elevated to the same level as the counselor, it turns into an argument, and nothing gets done. Instead I cut them of before they speak ("You can't be up it's lights out" "oh but I wanna-" "I didn't ask for an explanation..."). They continue for a few tries to get a word in, but simply standing firm and shutting them down will have them give up. It's almost like it shocks them that they can't argue w/ you. So they simply do whatever they are supposed to do.
  
• Don't forget about rewards! It's now all about the firm authority. Suppress the bad but bring out the good. I dished out prizes here and there, icee-pops, a party, and at the last night a runaway. When a kid is doing a good job, say so!
  
• Always hold to your word. Even more so when others hear you. Kids are not stupid. They know how to manipulate, they know who's buttons they can push and how, and they know how to get around what they want. One 6th grader flat out told me that he didn't care that the counselor "took 10 minutes off the activity" since he knew he'd wind up not missing anyway. Also the old, "Well if your good I'll think about not making you sit out." Lethal. The kids know full well it's just a pansy excuse for not carrying it out. When you give a punishment you must carry it out. It's hard. I hate having a kid sit out. I really do. But when you lay down the rules and they break them you must show little tolerance. To many times I hear staff say "If you do that again.." because the kids learn that it doesn't matter and you lose control. Obviously if the kid didn't know that's a different story. But for example I made it very clear that anyone climbing through a window would sit out 15min. Lo-and-behold someone did. I had to take it off. The little kid of 7 began to tear up and and say he forgot and never do it again, but I had to simply tell him that I made the rules and stop arguing. I really wanted to let it slide, but you can't.
  
• Be their boss but be their friend. Talk to them, joke w/ them, be cool. But be careful. You still have to maintain authority. For example in the room I was really cool w/ the kids, but no one was allowed on the counselor's bed. I would wrestle w/ the boys too, but again, I would never let them beat me.
  
• Every kid is different. All the above has to be slightly tailored for every kid. They all respond differently.
• When teaching, drop the classroom approach. It sucks. I was given a class that was supposed to be the most rambunctious. They don't shut-up, they don't sit still. Others would have thought the solution is to force them to sit still, don't talk, but the actual case is these kids have a different method of attention. To concentrate they must remain kinesthetic. Let them doodle, let them shift in their seats, they need too. Obviously draw the line. and be interesting. Don't bore them to death like a factory-made teacher, be creative. Get them involved! My class of "hard kids" has wound up being known as one of the best classes in camp.
• Keep a system, especially for night. Every night each kid got a shower according to an order I made, and every kid brushed their teeth, in the same order every night. Eventually, they just did it themselves!
• Lastly, before anything, lay out the ground work. Kids are not mindless. Sit them down and firmly explain that they will have fun, that you will be really cool and nice, and they will get stuff. But let them know what you expect, and make it clear that you do not tolerate misbehavior. They will have a good time only if everyone works together and is respectful. Do that, and your problems are halved.
  

Following these rules I found that I had to punish very little and reward quite often. The kids quickly learned they could not find loop-holes and instead behaved. Therefore I hardly had to worry about punishments because I was consistent and the kids knew it. Toward the end of camp I was able to, w/out a word, just give a look and/or a point and the child knew exactly what he was meant to do because we had a system. We therefore maximized our fun by minimizing the tolerance for disrespect which minimized time wasted arguing. And so my kids had the best first year of camp they could possibly have had. Throughout the whole period, they did not call home yet not one camper was homesick.

More details about the thrills and perils of camp to come...

Stoked for Camp- EVERYTHING Will Kill Our Campers

So it is. Summer camp in December. Chanukah hasn't even crossed my mind because it's just to warm for it! This Monday starts Summer camp. Now; being that they stressed all the hard work involved, and being we are not getting paid, I can't say I was too certain I wanted to sign up. However the choices were; sign up or go home. Call it usury, exploitation, whatever, all Americans must work.
But aside for not getting paid I must say I am looking forward to it now. This will be my first time seriously working with children and of course anything I am charged with I master immediately. My friend Adam Finck and I were chosen t o be councilors for the youngest age group, year two, whom are all in camp for the first time. We were selected because we were deemed "savvy, aware, sensitive, caring" zzzzz... nah but really, we're gonna give these kids an awesome time.
In the meantime we've been having weekly mini-seminars about working w/ kids. From safety issues to discipline to bed wetting (Which of course mainly pertains to our age group :( ) Apparently, everything will harm our kids; Poisonous snakes, poisonous spiders, animals in general, deep water, shallow water, any water, lack of water, hikes, walks, runaways, not going anywhere but sitting around the sun- the sun will kill them, people coming into camp, people outside of camp, bush fires will destroy everything, giant birds, nuclear attacks, rogue robots flying jellyfish! Alright things aren't that bad.
We are ready none-the-less and we are more than qualified for the responsibility. The year 2 kids only stay for a week so our work is half of the rest of the camp, woohoo. Not to mention there is a chance I could host a cooking seminar for the kids thanks to my exquisite skills in the kitchen (thank you mom!)

An Awkward Moment in St Kilda

I'm taking an early morning jog to St Kilda beach and back. On my way back to yeshiva I reach into my pocket for my Palm to check the time. Rats. I forgot it in my room. However I see a woman walking the opposite direction as me. Good then, I shall ask her for the time. When our paths cross (across the road from a church) I stop and inquire the time. A quarter-to-six is what I learned. "What brings you out here this time of the morning?," she asks. "Just taking a morning jog.," I reply, "You?" "I'm just working." Now we're in a residential part of the road and I see no venue that would offer work of any sort. "Working? Where?" "Right here on this corner" I should have taken the hint but of course I naively blurt, "Here? Doing wha-... oh, well uh ahem that's nice I gotta go hope things are good." I turn away as she replies, "things are usually good but it's been slow lately." "Oh well uh the weekend's coming so things should pick up right? really running late now" and I continue my jog back bewildered at how humdrum that seemed to be.

When Possoms Attack from the Heavens

Sitting at the table for seder-chassidus by night (The LAST and LONGEST hour) I look up. To my great surprise I see an unwelcome creature walking along the top of the archways near the ceiling (the ceiling is about 20ft high. The place used to be a palace for the queen and the architecture has been preserved). A possum. I immediately point it out to the three at my table. seconds later others in the zal make the same observation and everything instantly falls into disarray. Everyone leaves their seats to marvel at this uncanny occurrence. The possum runs back and forth a bit and then does the unthinkable. It jumps! As it sails through the air to the zal below the bochurim plummet into a haze of panic and terror. The possum lands as the entire zal is transformed into a circus of bochurim chasing, running from, yelling, and standing up on the chairs in reaction to this menacing mammal. Myself and my good friend Adam Finck hardly budge. Adam sips his mint tea as I simply observe my fellow peers in mild amusement. The possum scurries past me and soon runs out an open door. I look left and right. Amongst all the bochurim in mid-run, on chairs, standing on tables, I realize Adam and I are the ONLY ones seated. Nerves of steal?
They will speak for years to come of the possum that soared around the zal- onto a guy's face and attacked him! (That IS how rumors are started)

Bochur Knowledge

Now I knew not all the bochurim here would be the most savvy people in the world. I've gathered some of my favorite bits of wisdom my fellow peers:

• It's debatable if penguins have feathers.
• Your skin becomes tan because of protein
• Airplanes dump their waste directly into the air. It disintegrates before it hit the ground
• There are medicines that just make you arm fall off as opposed to amputation
• Bacteria turns into bugs
• The reason there is no gravity in space is because everything would fall down
• The (scientific) definition of fruit is anything that's sweet (and again some say it's the protein).

• Oh and apparently America is suffering from a huge cholov-yisroel milk shortage. However Obama is now involved and is brokering a deal w/ Israel to import milk. I had no idea

And then when I seemingly giggle for no reason they look at me strangely.

It's Certainly Been a While

I haven't waxed philosophy or written of humorous adventures in some time now. Now I'm in Australia. I did not think I'd ever be on this side of the world and yet here I am, albeit thanks to hard work. The toilets don't swirl the other way. they don't even swirl at all. For a while I kept almost getting hit my cars because I looked the wrong way all the time. Fries are chips. tomato is tomahto. and ketchup is tomahto sauce for that matter. Everything is "Cheers mate" and "No worries." I like it quite a bit.
I've already had a few adventures (and miss-adventures) and humorous occurrences. To many for one post. But it will come out.
The learning is great I must say. Though he schedule is long, but that's why there's coffee. And there's plenty of it here!

The Scoop on Cass Sunstein

Cass Sunstein is really not what Glenn Beck has him all cooked up to be. At first glance, he does seem pretty scary, pretty left, and pretty bad news, but you have to then consider what his job actually is, what his views actually are, and how they will actually dictate his job.

He is not actually another of Obama’s czars. In fact he is filling an official senate position that has been around since 1980. The title is the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs within the Office of Management and Budget.

Now, think logically, do you really think someone as seemingly radical as Sunstein would get such smooth sailing in the senate? Wouldn’t you think more Republicans would have voted against him? As a matter of fact, his nomination was met with opposition from the left because he was deemed to conservative. So is Sunstein really the liberal wacko we think he is?

Sunstein has in fact a deregulatory mindset when it come to the economy. In his book ‘Nudge’ he makes clear that he believes that it is more effective for the Gov-t to attempt to ‘nudge’ the market rather than to have all out regulations or even bans as some left wing economists would like. In other words, Sunstein believes in minimal involvement of the Gov-t in our economy. Pretty conservative.

One may argue that Sunsteins alleged views on the environment will dictate his policies, but looking over Sunsteins writing will dispel such worries. While Sunstein seems to believe that we should take caution with the environment, he makes it very clear that it should not be done at the expense of the economy and he has argued for strict cost-benefit analysis of government regulations. In other words he asserts; sure help the environment, but don’t go crazy and throw industry to the wind.

Another concern about Sunstein was that he would attempt to take away our right to bear arms. However he endorsed the Supreme Court’s pro-gun ruling in District of Columbia v. Heller and wrote an article stating that taking away that right would cause unacceptable unrest and outrage around the country, reason enough to leave it alone. But maybe he just doesn't like confrontation. What are his real views on the issue? Sunstein wrote a letter to Senator Saxby Chambliss (R-GA):

“I strongly believe that the Second Amendment creates an individual right to possess and use guns for purposes of both hunting and self-defense. I agree with the Supreme Court’s decision in the Heller case, clearly recognizing the individual right to have guns for hunting and self-defense. If confirmed, I would respect the Second Amendment and the individual right that it recognizes.”

Despite Sunsteins views on animals, I don’t think this is cause for concern and Sunstein himself stated that pushing such agendas would cause an unacceptable burden on ranchers and farmers.

That is not to say that Sunstein is not an animal rights activist. He certainly is. He does believe that concerned people should be able to sue on behalf of an animal for violations of animal cruelty law. He reasons that frivolous suits would be kept in check because of lawyer’s fees. He also believes that hunting for a hobby or sport (not in reference to food) should be made illegal because it serves no purpose. He is not against farming animals, but rather he is an advocate of improving the living conditions of the animals. He says that meat eating is acceptable so long as the animal lived a descent life. He is not for creating new animal-rights laws, but rather for creating awareness for and enforcing existing ones. Listening to a lecture he gave I discovered that Sunstein’s philosophy for his agenda is not to impose regulations, but to force companies to give disclosures of their practices. Sunstein stated that the mere transparency would nudge (like mentioned above) companies to improve their activities in regard to animals.

Bottom line; The biggest controversy around Sunstein are his views on animal rights. However, Sunstein seems to be a non-confrontation type of person. He pursues non-controversial aspects of the animal-rights debate and seeks to strengthen areas in which there is generally bi-partisan agreement. While he is indeed quite ‘green’ minded, he does not support ideas that would cause societal unrest or force people to change their way of life. As far as his animal-rights agenda would affect his decisions, we can expect him to pursue transparency in the farming, cosmetic, pharmaceutical, and entertainment industries, but we need not worry about Gov-t regulations being that Sunstein views Gov-t intervention as bad for the economy. Are there better conservative choices than Suntein? Certainly. But the Republicans need be strategic here and see the bigger picture. While Sunstein is a very lefty liberal, his economic views are rather conservative, and the fact of the matter is this; with the current administration, Suntstein is about as good as the Republicans are going to get (and he’s not even that bad). If they oust him, it is likely that he will be replaced by someone a little less ‘green’, but a lot more economically left (regulations, Gov-t intervention etc). So if the position concerns the economy, get the guy who’s good for the economy whatever his views on animals may be.