Teaching

The Newman's house was pretty much off limits to campers and it wasn't until I was an adult, returning camp staff, that I got to see much of the inner world. I was thinking of Irv the other day, sitting in his chair, smoking a pipe and cracking nuts in an old screw-driven nutcracker. A bowl of nuts was always on the coffee table, and the nutcracker had a large threaded shaft that protruded into a bowl just large enough to hold a walnut--very effective and made a satisfying crack.
He would sit and puff on this pipe and talk. He talked about a lot of things, about camp, his upbringing, his hopes and vision for creating an environment for youth that did something different, not really clearly described in the positive as much as in terms of what it would not be--academic, awards, a sense that he had too many camp experiences with other settings and circumstances driven by values to which he did not adhere.
I remember a fairly animated conversation about an activity called, Nature hikes. Someone proposed to make them more instructive--they were often lead by staff with little or no science background and the point was made that they were opportunities to teach some science. Irv's response was pretty pointed and the gist was no teaching, campers see this enough in other settings. I've tried this on myself a number of times as I've thought about the explanation for this response. In part because we obviously taught some things, swimming, riding, and yet in this case he was adamant. I can see that putting on your creekwalk shoes and heading down to the Navarro was intrinsically fun, engaging and definitely not sciency. Even staff with fairly strong science backgrounds left this be. I can honestly say that in the camper life I experienced a lot but learned very little memorized content.
So what was the genesis of this? I have some inkling that the experiential learning philosophy was in part the foundation--I did become a scientist/teacher. The focus was on doing, on being, on activities, on responsibility, not on adults teaching in a direct sense an academic content. Know that I have the background and interest to ask why, I can no longer ask.
I also had a similar discussion with him about why he had me teaching arts and crafts as well.

Beatles, Music and Dances

I credit Marshall, and the old Bogen amp and turntable, for much of my social prowess at camp. I love, still do, music, still play almost all the record from my younger camp years. Learned about and still enjoy old Hot Tuna from Marshall's reference to their performance on the "Last Days at the Fillmore" Keep Your Lamps Trimmed and Burning (and this was a memory from staff days he has informed me, not camper.). And music was much of the soul of the times. I'm seeing a new generation Beatles fans through "new" releases of really old music (it really should be in the public domain by now). I do wish there was a better sense of the context for this music within it's time. Camp was Bob Dylan and Peter, Paul and Mary and Dylan gave many song writers license to write wonderful and strange songs.
And the thoughts of campfire and actually signing. And singing around the campfire was, at least to me, a more meaningful sense of morality than more purported moral systems. Blow'n in the Wind has had more impact than almost any single piece of writing I can imagine. If I had a Hammer, Dona, Taps...
Of course the silly and fun song, singing loud and badly in the dining hall. It's Irving Newman (Colbert Davis) time imparted a tradition in song--it's silly, sweet, a sense of the place, of the culture. As was ShowBoat teaching Love Potion Number Nine. And Bob and Colbert's strange dirge birthday song--which showed up at my camp last year. Camps are a continua not well understood by physists.
And who was ShowBoat really--sort of like PaHoo--he was camp, made camp what it was.
I know I was a different too. I was terrified to get up and speak in the dining hall--not just nervous, terrified! This was a trait that I carried well into adulthood. But I did get up and do a couple of PSA's and I also gave the infamous "Toilet Paper" speech once.
But it was music that opened doors, made me feel things, see things. Setting up--I can still pictures the stage when they completed dramuda (Drama, Music and Dance) and hanging the speakers along the back wall. And albums, the turntable. Playing records on the turntable. Picking meaningful songs--almost all Marshall's records whcih I'm guessing he still has. Although I do wonder about his sanity when disco came along...
And girls and dancing...