Finding experienced and mature staff was not an easy task in 1966 for Dorthe Balaskas and sometimes areas were understaffed or staffed with girls who just did not make the grade. She did not tolerate behavior problems and expected her staff to not only do the job efficiently, but with a good attitude.

Dorthe felt it was not fair to the campers to have a counselor with a blank, unsmiling expression and for one girl, her duties as a cabin counselor were removed and she was described as “lacking enthusiasm”. Whatever her problems, it reduced her effectiveness.

One counselor had difficulty handling the older girls, leaving them un-attended, which set a bad example, so she asked that she not be re-hired as she “seldom showed awareness of camp as a whole”.

Another came inexperienced in the camping and childcare areas and did not work well with her associates, with comments such as poor attitude and “everything was a joke”, Dorthe felt she could not retain her position and continually had to be supervised in the area she finally landed.

It appeared 1967 was a better year for staffing. Her evaluations, which she stated were written as fair as she could –considering it was not an easy task. Dorthe felt the staff on the whole were very good and “much like the staff we used to have at Maqua”. They exhibited the enthusiasm she desired and kept the true motto of “camp is for campers”. Depending, cooperative and willing to do more than their share, she felt like she could call on any of them to do “extra duty”. They appeared as a united team that stayed the entire summer.

“This very much sets the atmosphere for the camp and the campers truly sense when the staff is working together and getting along,” she wrote, noting that when parents picked up their girls at the end of the sessions, there were always great comments, but if they were unhappy with the counselor, as happened twice, the counselor was relieved of her cabin.

Most of the counselors the summer of 1967 were new, but had some experience as either a camper or staffer at other camps. This new team exchanged ideas for campy activities at pre-camp, and Dorthe had a great deal more confidence in her activitity directors that she had in past season.

“In the past much of my time had to be spent talking with the staff or checking areas because directors would not take the responsibility,” she wrote, noting there was a genuine teaching and learning in those activities.

There appeared to be more capable staff in the sports area and they worked well together. Dorthe made the decision to not schedule the older girls in sports every day, which motivated the staff to work with the eager younger girls.

 

If you worked on the staff both summers, did you notice a difference in attitudes from the counselors? How about attitudes with older girls vs. younger girls?