Tag: monitor

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Why Singing is so Important on Summer Camp

English Day

A key part of summer camp, and something that you are sure never to forget after working here, is the songs. We sing at every opportunity we have – meal times, sports, evening entertainments, excursions, even just walking from one place to another. We also sing a great variety of songs – so many that being only a week into camp you’ll find yourself impressed by your ability to remember so many lyrics, and having learnt them all so quickly! But why do we use camp songs, and why are they so important for monitors, teachers, and of course the campers?

Songs distract homesick or sad campers

It is part and parcel of summer camp that there will be some campers who are homesick, and also those who just have moments of feeling a bit sad – maybe they’ve fallen and hurt themselves, or lost a football match, and are feeling a bit down. But, when a staff member gets up and starts singing and dancing like a crazy person, all of a sudden the camper is distracted! Their focus completely changes, and by the end of the song they are struggling to remember that they were even sad beforehand.

They take the focus away from the food

One of the main times that we sing songs is during meal times. Breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacktime are all filled to the brim with staff members standing up and yelling ‘This is a repeat after me song!’. Mealtimes can be difficult for a lot of campers – not only does this time remind them of their family, but they may not like some of the food, as it may be different to what they are used to at home. However, when you introduce songs, the campers get caught up in the singing and dancing, and these issues become less important.

They control the campers

Managing a group of campers – be it your class, leader group or sports group – can be challenging at times. Each group will have a wide range of personalities and characters, and you’ve got to keep them all together, and listening to what you say, at all times. A great way to do this is singing songs with them. You wouldn’t believe how much easier it is to get the campers walking in a line, without messing, when they are all singing a song together.

They let us be silly

Perhaps the most important reason – songs let us have a lot of fun, and show the campers how silly we can be! Summer camp is all about making a fool of yourself, and songs allow us to do just that. Not many jobs allow you to have fun, be as silly as you can be and help give campers the best summer of their lives, but working with TECS allows you to do just that 🙂

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Testimonial: Fiona McCormack

Summer 2015 was my first time working at TECS Summer Camps as an assistant monitor. It was all one big adventure at Family Camp Gredos in the beautiful mountains outside of Madrid, Spain.

After meeting the staff and campers I knew it would be an amazing few weeks ahead. We got along like one big family, always looking out for each other and this made it very special. It was like no other camp I have been to or worked on. I loved the fun loving, energetic and friendly atmosphere at TECS. Everyone working there was there to have fun and to ensure that the campers have a brilliant summer.

Our jobs were quite challenging at times, but it was all worthwhile. As a monitor I got to coach sports and activities such as arts and crafts and evening games with the children. Seeing the happiness and smiles among the campers and staff is the greatest reward and feeling to experience. As a staff member we see the campers grow much more confident and outgoing throughout their time at camp. It was incredible to see how enthusiastic and energetic they were for the camp games as we had body paint, chants and banners to add to the excitement.

Without a doubt it’s the people that made my time at TECS so special. If I hadn’t gone to camp I would have never met these wonderful people. We are still in contact and we hope to meet in the near future. Both the staff and campers all shared such great memories and laughter during our time together and that, I will never forget.

– Fiona McCormack

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Testimonial: Maria Lazaro Rodriguez

I don’t even know how to start, since 2006 Tecs Summer Camps have been taking up part of my life, my summers and every single year has been better and better!! My first year on a Tecs Summer Camp was when I was 10 years old, I was a happy sophomore in Family Camp Puerto!! Then Junior, senior, Little Village… And finally Crew Member!! That was my favourite summer without a doubt…

And that was when a new experience in Tecs started, from a different point of view. At that moment I wasn’t there for just having fun, I was there to work for the kids, to make those two weeks the best part of their summers, like my monitors did for me.

The following year I worked as an Assistant monitor, a new amazing experience, more independent. Working hard, the only reason for that, was to see the kids smiling, enjoying, happy, that moment was when I saw reflected myself on them  few years before.

And last year I worked as Day Camp and Logistics Coordinator, everything was different, because I didn’t work with kids directly, I was “behind the scene” organizing my area.

My favourite moment? When a camper comes to you, gives you a huge hug, and tells you: I’m going to miss you, thank you for everything. That moment is when I know that one more summer at Tecs has been successful, and when I know that I want to come one more summer.

Tecs Summer Camps has made me an independent, mature, hard-working and happy girl. And now I can say that I’m proud, not just of the gratification, also of my friends, the members of the team that I can say that they are like my siblings.

Thank you Tecs  for every single fantastic summer.

– Maria Lazaro Rodriguez

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Testimonial: Marta Hernandez

I can not remember my first day at TECS Summer Camps because it was in 2004, it has been 12 years since then! I started as a 7 years-old girl who was going to an English summer camp. That was just the beginning of a great adventure. I spent 8 unforgettable years as a camper.

I didn’t want my experience at TECS to finish there, I wanted to work as a member of the Staff. First as a crew member, then as an assistant monitor and last year as a monitor. These three years working at TECS have taught me that team work is essential to run a summer camp. Every summer I feel as a member of a big family. Not only that, I am still in contact with people who I have worked with over the years, even with the ones who were campers with me!

Campers are the main reason why we work so hard. But I can assure all of you that it is worth it working with them 24/7. I can’t explain you how it feels to make campers happy. I always want to make sure that they have an awesome experience as I did.

TECS has always been a part of my summer, TECS has always been a part of my life.

12 years at TECS and people keep wondering why I go back every summer. It’s not that difficult to understand: Thanks to TECS I’ve had the best summers of my life.

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Why I work on summer camp

Hey, for anyone who doesn’t know me my name is Patrick Alvarez and I’m the Assistant Director of TECS Summer Camps (Programme, Staffing, and Structure) – I know right? What a mouthful! I like to just say I’m the Assistant Director of Summer Camps Pss….. What that means is that I’m the one who works all year round planning our summer camps, the activity programmes, etc. I am also the one who is responsible for the recruitment of up 200 summer camp staff.

Obviously this blog isn’t about me, but I thought as a first blog post I’d introduce myself, what I do, and why I got into summer camp work!

When I was a kid I went to a few summer camps (Not TECS ones, other ones). I think I went to Camp Rockwell, some tennis camp, and a random camp in Riaza to “name” a few. I was always one of those kids who wanted to go away from home, and I think my parents must have been happy to ship me off to camps/family/exchanges/anything-that-would-get-me-out of the house.

However, I’d never really thought about working on a summer camp but when I was a student in my final year in school and looking for something to do in the summer one of the Spanish students there (thanks Peps Moreno!) told me about TECS. He’d actually been a camper, crew member, and camp monitor on the summer camps. He sold it to me by saying that I’d have an awesome summer in the sunny south of Spain, you’ll meet loads of great people and have a really fun job. So work in a shop in rainy Ireland or get a job on a summer camp in Spain? Easy decision.

That summer I worked as an assistant monitor for one month in July and I honestly had THE BEST SUMMER EVER!! Not only did I meet a whole pile of new people, great kids, had loads of craic (fun for you non-Irish people), some of the most randomly hiliarious moments, but I also got so much out of it personally and professionally. At the time I was an 17/18 year old teenage boy about to go to university to study engineering and whose sole focus was himself. Something magical happened that summer which I can’t quite explain….. Working on TECS Summer Camps that first summer in 2008 changed something inside me, and sparked some sort of desire within me to not be such a selfish self-centered teenager, but it drove me to want to be a better person. I know a bit weird sounding but you have to experience it!

Anyway long story short I was hooked! Working on summer camp has become some sort of drug! I returned to work on camp every summer while at university, each year moving up: monitor, assistant coordinator, activity coordinator and then camp director. TECS obviously saw something special in me and wanted to keep promoting me, and then eventually asked me to join their year round team when I finished my degree to do what I do now. I’m the luckiest person in the world to be able to work on summer camp all of the time.

If you’ve never worked on a summer camp you MUST do it at least once! Put on it on your bucket list! It’s the experience of a lifetime, it’s so much fun, and it might just make you a better person.