Last Summer's Work Crush

I’ve been thinking and dreaming about Mr. Nick lately, thinking I see his smiley bald self everywhere. I guess that’s because it’s summer camp season. My soul wanted to be his friend immediately. Not only was he cute, tall, and chocolaty, he was positive and enthusiastic about education, at least at the beginning of the summer.

I was Program Facilitator, which means the lead teacher for a lot of the kids at Emlen Summer Camp. Nick was one of eight camp counselors, one of the few who weren’t openly hostile towards me. Seriously: They threw fits because I thought I deserved a desk in the office. They reported me to management for being out. One guy would tell the kids “Ms. Jane’s here this morning, get ready to be real bored.”(Fuck you, Mr. Dwayne, wherever you are.)

Mr. Nick, on the other hand, sat at the corner of the gym with me with Dixie cups and potting soil helping the kids plant their seeds for the science lesson. He chimed in on my rousing speeches about how we were there to fight the achievement gap. He protectively backed the kids off me when they crowded around for prizes. (Oh I miss working with kids so much.)

Mr. Nick was one of the few adults in the camp who actually looked me in the face. And he said the magic words: “I really like your teaching style.” I think I fall for people who say that because I really want to love my teacher self. I want to believe in it. I hope I’ll get there some day.

I lost touch with Mr. Nick but one of the last emails he sent said this: “Keep believing in yourself so that our future won't end up in chaos...for what it's worth I BELIEVE IN YOU ...HUG!”

Thanks, dude. <3