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After
three days of being
crammed into a minivan alone with two teenage boys (my grandmother
would have an embolism if she knew) and a U-Haul’s worth of
belongings, I’ve arrived at Not Back To School Camp, and I
know
I’m in for a treat. Sean Ritchey, a Jr. Staffer, greets us at
the
entrance of the Farm and Wilderness camp in Vermont where the east
coast session of NBTSC is being held.
"Hey guys, welcome to Not Back To School Camp! All right, so
we’ve got ourselves a parallel parking situation here. What
you’re gonna hafta do is pull through here until
you’re not
blocking traffic, unload your shit, and then haul it up to your cabins.
Got it?"
We nod and follow his directions, parking and then hauling a prodigious
amount of crap (I’m bringing a 35mm camera and multiple
lenses, a
digital camera, a sleeping bag, a mummy bag, a pillow, my entire CD
collection, a biography of Janis Joplin, a giant beach towel, a dress
for "prom," and a pair of go-go boots, among other
things.)
up a seemingly enormous hill and into our respective cabins.
Right before I left to drive up to camp, I received an e-mail from one
of the staffers advising all the campers to bring warm clothes for the
week, as it was supposed to be getting chilly up in Vermont, and the
cabins were "three sided." I was picturing a
smallish,
cozy, A-frame type deal, with a large tarp or some kind of screen on
the open side.
As soon as my cabin comes into sight, however, I realize that not only
is there no tarp or screen protecting me from the elements, but "three
sided" had been a gross overstatement. The
cabins
are large, sleeping twelve comfortably, with large windows on every
wall. However, instead of glass or netting in the window there is,
well, nothing. Also, inside the doorframe there is a big, empty space.
I thank my lucky stars that my mother insisted that I buy an extra
blanket and lots of warm clothes; I also promise myself that from now
on I will never question her advice.
After we drop off our stuff we make our way back down to the main
lodge, where something resembling a very colorful family reunion is
taking place. The camp community, like the unschooling community, is
very small. For the most part, all of the returning campers know each
other, and as I look around I see new connections being made and the
new campers being drawn into the circle.
After that, things start happening really fast. One second
I’m
introducing myself to some new campers, and then I’m joining
my
advisee group, and then listening to an acoustic jam session, and then
heading back to my cabin to sleep, and all of a sudden it’s
morning.
The rest of the week comes back to me in snapshots. There I am singing
Ani Difranco songs, hugging someone, laying in front of the fire,
walking down the catwalk at prom, hugging someone, chopping vegetables
in the kitchen, hugging someone, singing an aria in the talent show,
eating curry in the dining hall, hugging someone, talking about gender
roles and transgenderism over dinner, learning to partner dance,
watching one of the staffers carve marble, hugging someone, taking
photos, playing a juggling game in advisee groups, participating in a
group hug, braiding someone’s hair. Then all of a sudden
camp’s over, and I’m climbing into a car, soaking
wet and
exhausted, with greasy hair and chapped lips, having just had the best
week of my life.
There are some particularly cool aspects of camp that I would like to
explain in more detail.
The Prom—The prom is typically held about five nights into
the
camp week. Imagine a nightclub filled with unschoolers on Halloween,
and you’ll have a pretty good idea of what the flavor of prom
is
like.
The advisee groups—At the beginning of the week all the
campers
are split up into advisee groups. Campers meet with their advisor and
fellow advisees once a day for about an hour to check in and play
games. It’s a great setting to get to know a few campers more
intimately in an environment that isn’t too overwhelming.
The advisors—These are the staffers that run the advisee
groups
and do about a trillion other things. Grace Llewelyn always says that
her greatest talent lies in hiring the staff, and they are always
incredible and inspiring people who really contribute to the atmosphere
of camp.
The personal attention—Nothing at camp is ever done by last
name.
By the end of the week, the staffers typically know your name, and you
are encouraged to initiate conversations with them. Also, the campers
don’t fear the staffers or think that the staffers are on a
higher level than they are; in listening in on conversations
I’ve
noticed that the campers talk to staff pretty much the same way they
talk to other campers and vice versa.
The connection chart—This year Nathen, one of the staffers,
made
a big chart showing all the connections that were being made throughout
the week. It was a huge piece of paper with the names of all the
campers printed in a circle. Whenever a camper had a conversation with
someone, he or she would draw a line in between both of their names. By
the end of the week, the chart was a mass of lines. It was really cool
to see how interconnected we all were.
The camaraderie—I’m not going to say that I heard
nothing
snippy said all week, but for the most part campers encourage and
support each other in every way imaginable.
The mailboxes—At the beginning of the week, everyone at camp
writes his or her name on a clothespin, which is then clipped to one of
several strings hanging in the dining hall. If a camper has a message
for someone, he or she could write it down and attach it to that
persons clothespin. I think that it really enhanced communication
throughout the week and enabled campers to express things that they
night not have been comfortable saying.
The workshops—All the campers were encouraged to teach
something
they were passionate about in a workshop. This year, I attended a solo
blues dancing workshop, a human bowel movement workshop, a clay
modeling workshop, a shy persons support group, a direct action
workshop, an Appalachian rounds singing workshop, a journaling
workshop, a partner dancing workshop, and a Broadway show tunes
workshop, among others.
The celebrity appearances—If you’ve ever read Growing
Without Schooling or Home
Education Magazine, you are probably familiar
with the names Susannah Sheffer and Peter Kowalke. They both made
appearances at camp this year, staying for several days and teaching a
workshop or two.
I don’t think that I can convey in words exactly how
wonderful
the experience of Not Back To School Camp was for me. There is no way
to describe the atmosphere, which is truly like no other. I feel more
loved and accepted at Not Back To School Camp than anyplace else. It is
not an overstatement to say that, for me, Not Back To School Camp is
synonymous with home.
Visit the
official website for Not
Back to School Camp
to learn more!
Brenna McBroom is a seventeen
year old unschooler from Jacksonville, Florida. She spent several years
as a traditional homeschooler, but began unschooling after she attended
Kelly Lovejoy's second annual Live and Learn unschooling conference in
Columbia, South Carolina. Her passions include baking pies, composting,
playing the guitar, and doing yoga.
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