It was one of the most typical hot, humid pre-summer days in South Florida and I volunteered willingly to take a group as we did a field trip to Miami MetroZoo. Sitting on a school bus for over an hour with no air conditioning and fifty plus screaming and excited children was just a day in the life of a Fun Day counselor (non school day programs). For this exciting day, I had approximately 100 children attending this field trip split between two busses. The day was bound to be of learned lessons for both my campers and staff. The only common element shared was both buses left precisely at the same time to go to Miami MetroZoo, afterward it was anything but predictable and similar. Upon arrival, my staff disembarked the bus and impatiently waited until everyone was accounted for by name and count.
The two buses yielded two distinct populations of children. The first bus filled with affluent campers coming to camp in clothes not to get dirty or ruined in the course of day’s activities, with more brand names on them then a Macy’s fashion catalog – Camp Macy. The second bus filled with campers who in all likelihood never traveled more than a couple miles outside of their deprived and depressed neighborhoods – Camp YMCA.
After exiting the bus, we broke the two buses worth of campers into grade level specific groups. I’ve always been up to being challenged and being the director, I had first rights to selecting the grade I enjoy most – first graders! All groups had a well mix of Camp Macy and Camp YMCA participants. By majority vote, (with the help of their fearless leader) we decided to start working the animal exhibits counter-clockwise. From my campers imitating a monkey’s yell to making animated facial expressions at the smell of each animal, every exhibit was an adventure.
As we arrived to the elephant exhibit, I noticed one of MetroZoo’s finest was finishing up storytelling with another group of campers. I, personally was excited to have the possibility of this larger than life (figuratively and really) zoo official to share his passion and excitement of the exhibit with my group of children. Our group gathered around to listen to the story of elephants and their lives, Corey, with Camp YMCA, had more questions of our storyteller than all the others combined. As he asked question after question, he clung on to me as if I were to let go of him he’d fall down a hole and never to resurface.
Over the years, it no longer matters to me the questions he asked, but the fact he was by far more intelligent than his years and the elephants peaked his curiosity. Our speaker was gracious and enthusiastically answered all of Corey’s questions. One of the moments of engraved in my memory is of when our storyteller was stating how elephants in this exhibit drinks three to five gallons of water per each sitting and eats up to 500 pounds of food a day. As Corey realized immediately what goes in must come out. Answering Corey’s question, an elephant excretes the same in urine and about half of what they eat in waste. Corey clung on to me and clenched my hand tightly as he excitedly reported, “Mr. Robert that elephant drinks more when he drinks than when me and my mama buy in milk at Winn-Dixie.” Corey was able to decipher the elephant drinks more than what his Mom buys and was able to tell me each elephant drinks more than the “not exactly two jugs of milk” that him and his family go through each week. He continued to comment excitedly about what he had learned while my attention focused on the group.
While focusing on the needs of the group, I asked if anyone needed to get water or go to the restrooms. Collectively, some had to go and some had to drink water but I heard the underlying conversations amongst the group. Camp Macy was bored, tired of the walking in the heat, wanting to ride the monorail and visit the gift shop to get into the air conditioning. Camp YMCA was talking of the favorite exhibits (we’ve only seen two or three so far – before the elephants) and dismissing each other’s comments on what we will see next. When taking a vote to see what we do – the separation between the two camps was evident with each of them arguing their case against their judge – me.
Neither, choice I was going to make was going to be popular with one of the camps, but what I learned was invaluable. Children, young and naïve as they are, still bring their luggage of life’s experience with them and are just slightly more open in sharing what’s in it than we do as adults. Until this day, I don’t think I ever experienced those very affluent and those very poor. I was brought up in a blue-collar middle class family that didn’t have always the latest and greatest of anything, but I also didn’t lack in anything and had everything for the foundations of a happy childhood with two loving parents, great memories and was brought up with old-fashioned values.
The urgency of this generation grow-up fast with an apparent leap-frogging over old-fashioned values of a generation past is more important. Corey’s enthusiasm to learn and ability to ask questions, had reminded me, children regardless of their backgrounds or camps are continuously seeking approval of that one caring adult (more would be better) to help foster and encourage their growth towards becoming productive, self-less, charitable members our society.
For the first time in my career, I noticed how both my Camp Macy and Camp YMCA children were speeding through their childhoods. The demands put on them by adults in their lives sacrifices what I treasured most in my childhood, the ability to be a child as long as possible.
After all, it takes a lot of s-l-o-w to to grow-up…and each child, is “not exactly two jugs of milk” in how they are brought up and we as adults need to be reminded of this, and often, at that.
