In the Olympia School District, every fifth grader goes to Camp Cispus around the last week of April. I went with my school and all the boys and girls, fit into half a cabin. It was a small school, and we all knew each other.

My junior year I became a counselor for the same camp I adored years earlier. I remember all my campers’ names and their faces are burned into my mind. I particularly remember, Lincoln and Hamsa. The principal warned me that these two were drawn to trouble like moths to a flame and he was worried he would personally have to keep a eye on them. I honestly thought the principal was lying, because these two were the best. They followed every word I said to the letter. They adored me. If I had jumped off a cliff, they would have jumped before me just to make sure it was safe. This pair kept the other seven boys in line, because if I had to manage anyone’s behavior Lincoln would micromanage that boy and make sure he didn’t act up again.

I had to work on distributing the attention to all nine boys and not just to my two personal shadows. It forced me to be thinking ahead, to be engaged and to be aware of our surroundings. As a counselor, it was not just my responsibility to keep my boys safe, it was also my responsibility to replicate the same amazing Cispus experience I had when I was a camper. I learned just as much about kids, management and people skills as I learned about myself. Before this adventure I wanted to be a scientist or a therapist, a career working with people achieved through higher education. Through my  experience as a counselor, I discovered my yearn for teaching. I want to work with students that need more help and more attention than other students. I want to teach students, to work with them and to bring joy to their world. Teachers have helped to shape who I am today.

I would call any teacher I had not just a role model, but also a friend. To me being a teacher isn’t just teaching about what’s in a book. It’s also about having connections with your students and influencing their lives in a positive, meaningful way. I don’t want any student of my mine to call me just a teacher. I want them to call me a friend.