So someone I know happened to leave the camera at work, so I am just now getting to posting pictures.
I had 12 sweet girls who listened, cleaned, said yes ma'am and only got scared at night when we went to bed with the windows open. They won skit night (one proud camp counselor!) and rocked the fashion show with one of my campers wearing my jean jumpsuit from college.
My nerdy girls on skit night. They had jocks and bullies hit on girls and then the nerds got the girls in the end. :)
Our hike went through part of the Frio river. It was slippery and cool, but not as cold as we wanted! We brought up the rear to make sure the girls were hiking. A little encouragement does wonders. (Or me saying, "I am older than you and faster than you, so pick it up!")
Michelle (my fellow US History teacher) and myself. Please note my awesome shirt my girls made me.
The counselors... we kept getting bit my something.
My pretty girls and I at the top! Their shirts spelled out HEB CAMP 2011 :) which was all on my shirt.
The US History department: me, Sid, and Michelle. I couldn't take a normal picture because I was so darn tired and punchy that I almost started making "waca-waca" jokes (cough, cough, Meg Buchanan Foster).
The girls spent time canoeing, swimming, crafting, tye-dying, etc. I was too busy to take that many pictures. However, since I know you want to know how I saved a child's life despite my lack of lifeguarding training, I will share this story.
So we took half of the girls hiking to another part of the Frio River to swim in; however, my girls stayed at the camp to swim there. I was tasked with taking another counselor's girls since this counselor had a bum knee. Always eager to hike, I jumped at the chance. So the three life guards and the other three non-lifeguard adults took our girls to the River. Well a couple of girls who couldn't swim got into the river where they could stand, but in order to get out, they had to swim to the exit. A bit of a dilemma. Well two of the lifeguards took two of the girls and literally hoisted them up the rock cliff to the bank (think like a 3 foot push UP of 14 year old girls). I go swimming back to exit, following the other children and notice one of my students struggling. I inquire as to why she is struggling since she is one the swim team, and she states, "Mrs. Vaughn, I am pulling this girl who can't swim. That would be embarrassing if I was struggling this badly all by myself!" So I say, "You swim ahead, I got her." I grab the girl and start a side stroke to drag the girl to the exit. Well of course, I am not wearing a "lifeguard" swimsuit, so as I sidestroke along, my swimsuit flaps open exposing myself. Any normal person would pretend it didn't happen to NOT draw attention; however, I have this student basically connected to me, so I yell out, "Nobody look, my boob is exposed and I want you to respect me as a teacher!" I was assured by the adults on the bank that even though it was exposed that the water was too murky to see anything. Thank goodness! But I saved a child's life (that may be a little dramatic) and my students still respected me in the morning!
It was a nice four days, but I was super glad to get home to my bed, to Kenny, and to my sweet Daisy!
for the past week - at HEB camp with a cabin of 12 8th grade girls in a cabin with NO air conditioning and little air flow. We battled a snake, hiked up a mountain, canoed, had a skit night and fashion show, made cookies in dutch ovens, tie dyed shirts, played volleyball, and rode on a school bus for a total of 12 hours. My kids were great! They were respectful and went to bed when I told them. They also made me a pretty sweet t-shirt.
