Yes, camp names are kinda of silly... but so what! There are a lot of silly/weird things that happen at camp, and for some camps... camp names are one of those things. Camp names or not, we are all working at camp to help change kids' lives, be role models, and have fun.
It is true, not many campers know my real name. I will only tell campers who ask on the last day of camp. But, those same campers who don't know my real name, still come to me for advice, and I know that they trust me. I meet with their parents the Sunday and Friday of camp, and show them, that you can trust me with your child. Campers know that Teenster isn't my real name, and in my three years at camp, I have never seen any psycological (sp?) damage in any campers because I didn't tell them my real name. When they ask during the week, I just say that Teenster is my nick name (and it is) and campers are cool with that. In fact a lot of the campers have nick names... and get really mad if you call them Jennifer when they prefer to be called Jenny.
I do like what Dixie said about camp names. For international staff, a lot of those names are really hard to pronounce, and a nick name is really needed.
This is a topic that will never be agreed on. People will have their own thoughts about it. Oh well... I see both sides.
- Teenster
