I greet the parents and the kids each morning. Mostly the kids are sleepy, but excited for the day. Sometimes I have a younger camper on my lap who is teary eyed because they don’t want to leave their mom. Within minutes my Indigenous Pitch Team has every child smiling and feeling welcomed. We have around 60 children this week and I’ve been a cook, disciplinarian, “the boss lady”, a camper, doctor, and teacher all in one. My favorite role is definitely being a teacher, which allows me to really get to know the children on a more personal level. However, I really enjoy jumping in and out of all the classes and watching the amazing teachers at their best. Day 3 I took ballet and watched “Miss Jen” break down technique and ballet vocabulary, then end class with a beautiful combination that EVERY SINGLE BOY attempted. I also witnessed a class of 5-10 year olds master a tap combination and perform in absolute unison, taught by “Miss Pam”. They were so proud! They did Venn diagrams in journaling and compared New Orleans to Philadelphia or themselves to a friend. Boasting proudly about their history. In art class each group traced one person’s body and turned the shapes into Super Heroes and monsters. In Improv and games they sat very patiently waiting their turn to show mirror images of one another. At the end of the day, their favorite part, they added onto to their dances that will be showcased on Friday. I then make sure each kid is signed out by a parent before they leave. Although I miss spending the entire day with the children and being able to sit in a full class, I get to hear the parents say “my child wakes up earlier and earlier each day to get ready for camp.” “We just moved here and my daughter has been very closed off, but since coming to camp, has opened up tenfold!” “My son waits ALL year for this camp! He really loves it!” “This is an amazing experience for my children, thank you for doing what you do.” Those affirmations makes every moment worth it.