Originally posted by CampDirector:
Often people DO come to this board with a problem about which they would like feedback...
I am finding your strategy here extremely annoying and childish. You are picking periphery points of our argument and proceeding to attack them. Furthermore, you are simply providing examples of other areas in society where these fake names are used; and using that fact as proving that camp names are good. WHY DON'T YOU TELL ME WHY CAMP NAMES ARE GOOD INSTEAD OF SPEWING THIS OTHER STUFF?
Anyways, this board is an anonymous message board. I would never come here with a serious problem looking for advice which I will make major decisions on. I may ask for advice and weigh the options, but never in the same way as a true camper/counselor relationship. There actually was once a time when I was looking for some serious advice, and I PM'd CD; and ya wanna know what? We used our real names. **GASP**
I have question for you... you also posted, "Dale Carnegie, one of the foremost experts on human behaviour, wrote a whole chapter of his book on how one's name is that most important word to them. It is crucial for us to use names when we are dealing with people. However, it seems like camps ignore this in favour of tradition?" When a woman marries, is it a good idea for her to trade her maiden name for her husband's last name? If she opts to change her name, are we ignoring who that woman was, "in favour of tradition?"
That woman is ACTUALLY CHANGING HER NAME. If a camp counselor were to legally change her name to Professor Dumbledore, and that's what she's called at home and camp, then I wouldn't see much of a problem Furthermore, she is not hiding her maiden name. Do me a favour, go up to five married women and ask them what their maiden name was; if any of them refuse to tell you, then I'll further consider this example.
At camp they could use my camp name; in the classroom they had to revert to more formal address. For those children, that camp name was helpful.
That's just because school tradition is to say Mr/Mrs, there's no reason why you couldn't let your campers use your real name.
