Category: Campfire Conversation

Curious Before Furious

September 16th, 2022

When going through your life, whose perspective do you rely upon the most? (Your own, of course.) It’s the most natural thing in your life: seeing all that is going on around you from your own point of view.

Henry Thoreau, the writer of a few very famous books, said that he’d spend hours looking at a scene from one perspective. The next day, he’d sit in almost exactly the same spot – just a little different – and observe the same scene. He did this over and over. (The guy was either really patient, driven or bored to tears. I prefer to think it’s one of the first two.)

Thoreau did this so that he could observe the same things from different perspectives. Claude Monet, a ground-breaking painter, did a similar thing with haystacks and other subjects.

“Ok, Cole, why all the art talk and perspective?”

I’m glad you asked: because everything can be seen from different perspectives. And in doing so, you get a fuller understanding of what is actually in front of you.

Curious Before Furious

You and your friends read the same book for a class report. But each of you take the same information in differently, stressing some points and ignoring others. You think you and your friends have been arguing but you’ve made up and now everything is ‘ok.’ You may want to check that from the other’s perspective… or a third. (“Hey, Jenna – you were there when Samir and I were arguing. I think we made up and all is good. What do you think?”)

It’s a great tool in life to be able to see a situation, moment or thought from another (and another’s) perspective. It’s very easy to get emotional right away when something is said and you hear about it out of context. As I heard recently, it’s better to be curious before furious. What was really said? What was the context? What was the intent?

I like that phrase. It’s one that can be put into action right away. Sure, you can be mad after you’ve gotten all the facts and perspectives. But at least do the work. It can actually save you a lot of grief in the long run.
Be curious this week ahead!

Woodworking

Attention Matters

April 29th, 2022

To what do you attend the most? In other words, if you were to divide your day up into little blocks… say 30 minutes a block for 48 blocks a day… how would they be filled?

If you are a ‘typical’ Weequahic camper (which means nothing other than you are aspiring to be a fantastic human being), you fill:

  • 18 blocks with ‘sleep’
  • 14 blocks with ‘school’
  • 1 block with ‘eating’
  • 4 blocks with ‘homework’

That means you’ve got 11 blocks left – about 5.5 hours. Now, considering the average young American spends more than 7 hours a looking at screen for entertainment purposes, you probably spend a good bit of those remaining blocks playing a game, watching a video or something else.

Your Blocks

How are you spending your time? Are you giving your attention to a screen, to a book, to a friend or something else? ‘Giving’ is the correct word. You get to choose… once you become aware of it actually being a choice.

That’s the funny thing with today’s screens. They are incredibly good at demanding your attention. The graphics are incredible on the games. When I started playing, ‘Space Invaders’ was equal parts fun and annoying. Same with PacMan and ‘Pong.’ It’s so easy to give your attention to the games that are prevalent now for hours.

When we give our attention to that kind of entertainment – games, social media, videos, etc. – what are the consequences? There are some good ones: connection with friends, being up to date with the goings on in culture, possibly learning something useful.

What could be some of the negative consequences? There are a lot that scientists, parents, and kids have reported. What do you think? When you look at your ‘block’ list of a day, does how you fill it up engage you, leave you curious or connected to others? What does it do to your ability to attend to hard things?

Can’t Wait for Camp

As we move closer to camp, I get more and more excited for our kids and staff. They are inching towards a time when their waking hours are filled with friends, real world connection, laughter and thoughtful moments. A time when the only bells you expect announce a meal or activity change. When a ‘beep’ means the golf cart is coming by rather than a message just landed.

There are consequences of that, too. You’ll miss what is happening in cyberspace right now. It’s ok – you’ll catch up. You’ll also fill up your soul with everything you’ll need for year ahead. A summer at camp – can’t beat it. See y’all soon!

PS – Parents, there is a great podcast on this topic with Bari Weiss and Johann Hari.

A Useful Change

April 1st, 2022

We’ve so enjoyed running summer camps over the past twenty summers. Seeing the kids learn and grow has been a blessing. And, after years of thinking about it, Kate and I have decided to show some courage and follow our true passion.

We are turning Camp Weequahic into a standardized test preparation mecca!

Rather than waterskiing or bouncing on the lake toys, we’ll be focused on the finer details of trigonometry. Instead of cooking in Top Chef or creating in Ceramics, we’ll dive deeply into the Latin roots of vocabulary. In lieu of Weequahic Basketball, Soccer or Football League, our campers (‘students’ may be a better word?) will spend time developing strategies for the ‘if a equals b’ questions and preparing for the writing prompts.

We are so excited about this change as it helps our campers reach the peak of what middle and early high school life should revolve around: preparing for a test!

A Few More Updates

Campfire will still be a great thing and will happy every Friday night. Instead of focusing on building community and exploring our (old) values of gratitude, attitude and courage, we’ll host an academic quiz bowl led by guest proctors from around the world. We’ll make s’mores as long as there is time. (Oh, and our new values: study, study, study!)

Speaking of which, bedtime will have to be a bit earlier – 8:30pm for everyone. Studies show that rising by 6am and getting right to academic work is best for our 15-year-olds so we are going to make everyone enjoy the same routine. And you’ll need your rest. Twelve-hour days of test preparation will take a lot out of you.

Oh… and we’ll (finally!) have some changes to Canteen. Gone will be those flavorless skittles, Swedish fish and slush puppies. We all know they aren’t good for you. They’ll be replaced with brainwave increasing raw carrots, freeze-dried kelp and cabbage smoothies. Finally! Food that is both tasty and good for you.

The Ultimate Goal

So, in short, everything we are going to do at camp this summer and for all summers going forward will revolve around what matters most: your ACT or SAT score.

Sure, being a well-rounded person who acts gratefully, who has the power to choose your attitude and who builds courage in small ways daily is… nice (I guess). But that’s not what life is all about. People like that don’t make the world a better place.

We all know the marker of a great human, one who builds community and trust and is most successful in life is their standardized test score. So, we are going to do our part.

Ah… six glorious weeks of test prep… CAN’T WAIT!!

Photo by Nguyen Dang Hoang Nhu on Unsplash

PS – Happy April 1st!