I spent two and a half days at 6th-grade camp this week, chaperoning a team of students 24/7 throughout their experience.
For many, this was likely the first time away from home, away from parents, structure, and “normal” daily life.
When I started my teaching career in 2007, after graduating from Kent State University with a Master’s in Teaching degree, I was lucky to take a job teaching 6-8 at Fairless Middle School.
Given free reign, I developed a three-tiered multi-cultural studies course – one tier for each grade level. The class was a “special” which meant I had all the students in the school during that year.
Furthermore, the course was delivered in a trimester fashion, and so I had the luxury of starting class three times.
One of the many things I picked up in the MAT program – a high-speed teacher’s prep at the graduate level – was the importance of giving instructions and giving them correctly.
As a classroom teacher, giving instructions is part of the daily routine, but depending on how you do it, it can have positive or negative outcomes.
I was lucky in that first year to get lots of practice, refine what worked, and remove what didn’t.
Since then, I’ve taught thousands of kids and adults alike in all kinds of settings – from classrooms to workshops to getting lost in the woods. The basics remain the same.
Here, I connect some of my frustrations of this week with basic teaching in an effort to share and build practice among those I care for.
“GOOOOOOOOD MOOORNING CAAAAAMMMPERS!”
I wished some of the camp counselors this week had some of that same instruction… their time spent on getting the group’s attention, then giving instruction with immediate action verbs, then gathering everyone back again for the next set of instructions, and so on… was difficult to watch.
Furthermore, instructions were only ever given verbally. What about those kids who need to see it in writing?
Shouting from a PA system in a crowded cafeteria is no way to set yourself, or others, up for success.
On top of all of this was the ever-surrounding “camp spirit” of rah-rah, and lore of old that united the camp staff…but not us, the recent visitors.
We often had no idea what references meant or why certain actions were to be taken.
“Stand at your chair… send a hopper…drink the bug juice… hands up means mouths are closed!” A repeated performance that left many confused and lost. Often with ear-piercing screams to follow for no reason!
Giving instructions is an art.
It takes dedicated practice. It’s a skill that needs to be built, honed, and tailored to those in front of you. A 6th grader, for example, is very different than a high schooler.
So how do you do it?
First, you have to get the attention of those you wish to instruct.
A group of tired, excited, nervous kids in a dining hall filled to the brim with 150 others is your arch-nemesis. It’s a final exam for those wishing to test their strength and resolve. It’s not a good place to start practicing… ;-)
Sometimes you wait. They’ll settle down. Eventually.
You must have the patience of a saint and be willing to endure the time it takes to get the crowd to be ready for instructions.
If they’re not ready to receive, there’s no reason for you to start talking, either. And power by voice or microphone is seldom a good strategy…
A decent “Ladies and Gentlemen, may I have your attention, please?” is often pretty effective. Spoken in a normal tone of voice, combined with some wait-time, works well for most situations…
Once you have their attention, then you have to be brief, to the point, and hyper-focused on what you need the crew to do.
Do not start wondering off script, and do not ask for a “drum-roll, please” when announcing today’s lunch, and so on… because then you have to start at the top, again, by getting their attention.
Use an action word, and build a routine.
Avoid “secret words” and certainly not the magical word “pepperoni” to indicate when someone should take action.
A simple and clearly understood phrase like “When I say go, and only then, you will do X, Y, Z…….Go!” is better.
This all takes time and practice, and of course, like Rome, is not built overnight or at the first session with students.
So plan accordingly. It’s just one of the many bridges you’ll need to cross when teaching young ones…
Provide multiple types of instructions, too.
If you’re up at the front gabbing from a podium, you’d better have some backup in writing or a pre-planned exit route.
What happens when they don’t get it, don’t care, or are too tired/hungry/excited/bored to care? Are you ready for that?
Attention span, too, matters! How long do you have with a 6th grader? High schooler? Adult?
You’d best be able to send your message in 30 seconds or less. If not, you’re losing the ability of the kids to comprehend instructions by the second… short, sweet, and to the point!
Camp is overwhelming. There was no time when I was simply whelmed… It was a constant “go, go, go!” the whole time, and by design, I suspect. On day two, the other parent chaperones and I started to wither and begin counting down… “only 15 hours to go…”
We, too, were given instructions.
Separately from the kids, and often after having inhaled lunch for 12 minutes, then off to meet with the head counselor in another room.
A chum session with “How are things going? Any problems? Anything we can help with? Ok, no? Then back to the kids!”
“Ok. Yes. No. Wait… I had a question?”
Before you send your charges off to the battlefield, make sure to leave time for questions, clarifications, or other such details. Just giving instructions is not enough. Not everyone will get it. What’s your plan B? C? D? “What if…?”
One last note on giving instructions and a #protip for others – if you’re giving the instructions and your participants are seated, that means you’re standing.
At the end of the day, if you’re giving the instructions, you’re leading the effort. And you lead from the front, standing up, so your team can see you!
TL;DR
- Gain the group’s attention.
- Deliver short and focused directions.
- Use a “Go!” command.
- Repeat, ask for clarification, and answer questions about the task.
- Eye contact. Moment of silence. Anticipation buildup… and…
Ready? Execute!