So I've been back in South Dakota for a few days now. I spent a couple of them at my parents' home in Yankton, and the rest back home in Verm. I'm unpacked and resettled, getting ready for the new school year.

Camp was awesome, and I have every intention of going back next year.

Sure, it was long hours with little pay, and sometimes felt like plain old babysitting... but, it was so worth it. The staff team was amazing, and we supported each other all the time. I handled the lack of sleep like a champ--never ever late for anything, unlike some others on my team. The demanding schedule and structured environment was exactly the sort of discipline I've needed for myself. I learned a lot about kids--how to talk to them in various situations, how to handle the brats, and how satisfying it is to see that spark of enlightenment when they understand what I'm telling them in a workshop.

That was the best part. The teaching. They learned a lot, and I did too. So... that's what I want to do. I've been thinking about teaching at the college level for a long time now, but after this summer the age group has moved down. I want to teach in a high school. I'm going to finish my computer science degree--I'm so close there's no way I'd abandon it. But I'm talking to an adviser at the Ed School to see what I can do about also earning a math-ed degree by December 2010. I'm sure I can do it.

During our last staff meeting this summer, our camp director (who'd been with the camp for about 10 years) had some wonderful things to tell us. She told us our team was the most cohesive, respectful team she'd worked with. Our ratings from the camper surveys were the highest among all of this company's six camps, as well as very high compared to other years. There were a number of camps on the same campus as ours, and the camps coordinator told her that our camp was the best behaved and best supervised of them all. This was particularly awesome because our campers were ages 8-17, and some of the other camps were all adults. Ha ha ha.

Anyway. It was awesome. But I am glad to be home, to see everyone. Jesse's coming back to Verm tomorrow, so I'm stoked about that. During the day I think I'll pop in at the Comp Sci department and catch up with the people there. I'm going to take it easy these couple of weeks before school starts. I'll catch up on the sleep I've missed this summer, and get ready for the intense schedule I'll need to have, cramming in enough courses for an ed degree by fall 2010. It's gonna be rough. But I think I'm going to like it. After all, it was a rough summer, but I absolutely loved it.