Wow. I posted on Saturday, and we're already on page three. We're passionate, all right!
After reading all three pages, I decided that I would never be able to convince anti-camp namers that camp names are NOT bad, especially Boomis, Canuck, and Northwoods. (No disrespect there- I think you are doing well by your opinions to post here.) I decided instead to post reasons SUPPORTING camp names.
1. Anonymity and privacy. As mentioned several times before, campers DO come too close for comfort sometimes. Usually this contact can be managed and is often welcome, but there are some campers I didn't give my home address to because I didn't want them showing up on my doorstep. Nothing personal against those campers- I still loved them just as much as their tabinmates- but I don't give my home address out. Period. If a camper knew my real name, the entire purpose behind that privacy wall would be moot.
2. Authority. At my camp, only PAs, CITs, and staff have camp names. Campers know EXACTLY who they must listen to by saying the person's name. This is very helpful, as our PAs are in 8th grade and we get many 8th-10th grade campers who would be indistinguishible from the PAs and CITs for the younger campers.
3. The Guessing Game. Sometimes the intent of using camp names is simply to give the campers a challenge. I DO tell campers my real name if they write to me afterwards, but not during the camp session. If a camper GUESSES my name, I may tell them they are right on the last day. Sometimes I give little hints during the week as rewards for good behavior or as a part of the guessing game. It's all in good fun, really- I have never seen a camper crying because their counselor would not tell them her real name. If it's that big an issue with a camper, staff members will tell them their real names. This makes the camper feel that much more special, because they know and no one else does. So there's a double self-esteem boost for all the psych majors out there.
4. Closeness. I was raised, as most Americans are, to use the formal first name for friends and the respectful "Mr" etc. format for adults. Close friends got a nickname. Sometimes they chose it, sometimes I did. Either way, we were both happy with the name and felt comfortable using it. I felt WAY closer to a friend after being allowed to use a nickname and was that much more likely to come to them for help when I needed it. I experienced this same increased closeness with my counselors as a camper. (I've gone as a camper from age 8 to 18.) Camp names are not only easier to remember, but they made me feel instantly more friendly with my counselors. Even though I had only known them for a few minutes, I felt more comfortable approaching them for help.
5. Pronunciation. This too has been mentioned before. My camp's counseling staff is composed almost half of internationals. Many of them told me their names as I left CIT, and I couldn't pronounce most of what I heard without writing it down first. If I can't do it, I can't imagine an 8-year-old succeeding.
I thought that I would also explain the original reasons for using camp names as it was explained to me. Way back when camps were small and travel was hard over long distances, teachers and other adults in the local community would volunteer to be staff. To make the camper who got her teacher as her counselor feel less like she was in a classroom and to increase her comfort level being herself (not her quiet "six inch voice" SCHOOL self, but her loud, crazy SUMMER self), the teacher would pick a camp name. Now the camper wouldn't be as afraid to speak to her counselor in a more free manner, as opposed to the normal teacher-student relationship.
I hope that was comprehensible... it's late and I'm tired, so please ask and I shall clarify if needed. :p
