My picture shows two other Piers Park instructors and a future leader exploring Long Island with me. Piers Park partnered with Camp Harbor View, so a couple of Piers Park instructors got to go to Long Island to teach the kids there how to sail. Camp Harbor View is very different from Piers Park, so being there teaches you other ways to teach kids, entertain them and just how they truly think. Before lunch, we (the instructors) have time to relax and hang out with each other. A few instructors and I decided that it would be cool to go and look around Long Island. We came upon a lighthouse and further down the trail we encountered an abandoned asylum. We went over to it and looked inside some of the rooms. It was an amazing and fun experience
My experience as an instructor was amazing. This is my first year as one and it is very different from being a future leader. You have to be more responsible, because you have to take care of yourself and your campers as well. You always need to be confident in your actions and how you show them. As an instructor, I noticed that you get to bond with the campers more, not just your own, but others as well. When teaching them, I had to make sure that I would try to make it fun and entertaining. I feel that when you try to teach kids who want to have fun, you need to think about how to get your point across and make it more enjoyable for them.
My first campers, as an instructor, were completely new. They knew nothing about sailing and were still pretty young. The first thing I wanted was to make sure that they knew the basic safety steps when on a boat and the dock. After that, I felt that it was important to understand the kids and who they are. Next, when teaching them, I wanted to make sure that they tried to remember the basic things while sailing, so I can give them a base to start off with. I taught the kids a different topic each day and quizzed them myself towards the end of the day, so they could ask questions on what they were confused about. I wanted to make sure that they were retaining the information first and were then able to memorize it little by little.
My students wanted to do something different. Some wanted to just play around, while others wanted to keep learning new things everyday. I thought that it was important that I teach them the same things, but at different times for when they feel that they are ready. In the end, I saw that they all wanted to become a better sailor and always wanted to help me out. They would ask many questions and I would explain the answer to them. I taught them sailing terms and they loved using them whenever they could. They said that they found it interesting to understand how and why you do something on a boat. I’m glad that they were curious about sailing and wanted to learn more.
I love being at Piers Park. My favorite part about it is being able to go sailing with others on the Boston Harbor when you want to. I find it very fun to go out with friends and family and teach them about what sailing really means. I also love being there because it’s a very close community and you get to talk and laugh with others. Being at Piers Park brings you closer to new people and new friends. When I started as a future leader, I didn’t know anyone, but as soon as the second week of being there started, I was already closer with the other future leaders there. Then becoming an instructor brings you closer to everyone you work with. I never thought that I would like to sail, but I realized that Piers Park gave me an experience I never expected that I would love.
Regarding school, I am going to be a sophomore in high school. Freshman year was extremely different than what I expected. My main goal is to end each term with honor roll. I will be taking much harder classes than last year, so I need to make sure that I’m focused and determined to get every piece of work done. I like to work hard so I can show what I can do. For work, I want to try and go as much as possible. I like being there because it helps me think and it helps me calm down and forget whatever is going on in my life. It would be hard with school, but being at Piers Park is also very important to me. I want to try to go on a few weekends and help out there and also be able to manage my schoolwork at the same time. The summer has come to an end and I’m really going to miss being on the water the most.
–Gabriela LoContro
