Although I had been a Future Leader a couple of years ago, I had decided to come back to the Piers Park community as a staff member. When I first arrived, I had seen some familiar faces, but was astonished to see so many new ones. Soon after the summer started, I had been able to make new friends and connections. This entire summer, working at PPSC has not felt like a job at all- I always look forward to clocking in and creating memories with my peers and students.
We all know that the first-day of anything can be nerve-racking, and this is the case for some students at PPSC. Most of the time there are lots of tears and lots of hugs, but there’s also the beginning of friendships. For the most part, drawing helps calm down the kids. I like to take out the crayons and papers, and invite kids to draw. Eventually, we’re all sitting on a picnic bench, and that’s when the kids start to get to know each other. I like to ask them fun questions like, “What’s your second favorite smell?” or, “What’s your favorite ice cream flavor?” It gets the kids talking, and in the blink of an eye, they become best of friends. Although I’m not teaching anything in specific, I like to think that I help the kids make new memories and friendships.
Every Monday, we always take our kids to the tent and go over the rules for camp. Our most important rules include:
1. Please hang your life jackets
2. Treat others the way you want to be treated
Although the second rule is one used everywhere, it still amazes me how much our students can grasp the concept of respect and fairness. On our sailboats, we would let the students be on tiller and whenever another student wanted to sail I would turn to them and ask, “Is it okay for them to sail too?” For the most part, kids say yes and with no hesitation hand over the tiller to the next child.
Every Friday, our Science of Sailing has an island trip to a different Boston Harbor Island. I only got to go once, but I enjoyed every moment of it. To be more specific, my favorite moment from that Island trip was the swim to the island from the boat. The water was freezing, but my students and I were determined to swim. As we were jumping in, one of my students stayed on the boat, too afraid to jump in. I told her that I would wait for her, and that she could take her time. Eventually, I saw the courage in her eyes, and she took the jump. We swam to the island together, tired, cold, but proud.
This fall, I will be going into my second year at Tufts University where I plan on majoring in Biochemistry and minoring in Studio Art. Most of the time, I get confused stares, but I really want to do the things that I am passionate about.
-Karen Ruiz Moreno
