I received an email from a reader recently inquiring about the application of Responsive Classroom^® practices to summer camp. The reader had found reference in my writing to the fact that some of the foundational ideas for the Responsive Classroom approach were drawn from camping practices and wondered about how Responsive Classroom practices might now be useful in return.

The many well-developed details of Responsive Classroom practice today certainly have utility in any situation in which we’re working with groups of children. But there’s much to extrapolate by just looking back at some of our original linking of summer camp and classroom “innovations” over 25 years ago.

Here’s part of my email reply:

Yes, it’s true, a major metaphor for Responsive Classroom practice in schools is the rich tradition of summer camp. Isn’t it amazing how in a week or two a camp can create community, rules, traditions, ceremonies, and life-long memories? The core practices that make a camp (or classroom or school) great, I believe, are these:

Relationships—Kids go right to their cabins, meet their counselors and counselors-in-training, know the name of their cabin, find their bunk, and learn the path to the bathroom.

Environment—Kids get the lay of the land; go on a hike around camp, maybe draw a map or have a scavenger hunt. They go with their cabin group, they deepen their relationships with their new friends as they go—right away. Perhaps they get a camp T-shirt the first day.

Safety—Rules for safety are laid down by counselors first thing. On the first tour of camp, they learn where the poison ivy is? Can they identify it? Where are the camp boundaries? What are the waterfront rules? Where’s the nurse’s cabin? What are the rules for calling home? All the “practical life” necessities to know about your new community . . .

Fun through ceremony and traditions—Does the cabin group have a cheer? A song? Learn it quick, we’ll need to yell, sing, shout it out at dinner in the dining hall. First night of camp there’s always a counselor skit in the mess hall, a campfire with singing, a welcome ceremony, or some other “we always” ritual. On the last night, there’s a major closing ceremony, special ways of saying goodbye, plans to meet again . . .

Clear, unchanging routines and schedules, posted in cabins and in common areas—Everyone knows what’s happening today, what camp-wide events will be featured this week. Daily: Flag raising ceremony, meal traditions and chores, favorite activities, down-time for reflection, special events, sharing of artistic creations, new songs and skits, writings, accomplishments.

When all these ingredients are mixed together well, a community can be created in a week that lasts for generations. The same can be said for an individual teacher’s classroom or an entire school.

A key to mixing the ingredients well is the amount of time provided for bringing the staff together before camp begins. Time is needed for training and bonding the young adults and senior staff who will be the models and who will pass on the skills of summertime and the values of the camp to their young campers. The best camps devote several days or a week to this training, knowing how critical it is to camp success.

Schools would increase their success and productivity, I am convinced, by building a week of such clearly focused adult community building into the teacher and staff contracts at the beginning of each school year.

We could be more proactive in making sure that all school personnel are conversant with policy and procedures for establishing the new school community each fall. We could make sure all school personnel had clear, common understandings of values, schedules and routines. We could give all teachers a chance to talk at length with last year’s teachers of incoming classes.

If we took the time and the care to do these things, we would enrich the beginning-of-school experience for all children and their teachers and move more deeply and smoothly into the academic and social curriculum of school each year.