The other night while I was doing Gym Night, Cam the Counselor came in to work out in the school's weight room. When he was finished, he came over, plopped himself down, and said, "I read your blog. But there's nothing in there about me." So here is the blog about Cam.
Cam is a 30-something Minnesotan who loves the Wild hockey team, knows enough to not get too invested in the Vikings and, like me, doesn't seem to care about basketball. His facial hair changes with his mood, or so it seems because in a very consistent man, his face is always changing. Clean shave, stubble, handlebar mustache, pornstache, full beard, it's all been there in the nine months I have known him. With the exception of the pornstache (sorry buddy), all of them looked good on him, and it was kind of fun to play "I wonder what will be on Cam's face this week?"
Simply put, Cam is the best counselor I have ever seen (no disrespect to the one other counselor I have any respect for, Liz at Beverly Cleary). All the kids know him and, while they may not know it, love him. He takes the time to truly get to know these often highly troubled kids with home lives from hell. He knows how to have the tough conversations (Look kid, you're twenty years old and never going to get enough credits for a diploma before we have to kick you out, by law. Go for the GED instead and stop wasting your time around here.) to gently teasing my quiet student who says her lines in our play at barely more than a whisper, reminding her how loud she was in the gym during volleyball season. He has fed these kids, clothed them and towed them behind a 4 wheeler. He knows when to play and when to be serious. His anti-tobacco campaign really sank it with my class-not one of them has been caught doing snuff at school.
Cam is a steady presence at all school functions: gym night, movie night, family night, dances, potlucks, you name it. If he is not there, it is because he is out of town on school business or going to a conference learning how to serve us better. And sometimes, he brings me apples!
Unfortunately, he won't get the chance anymore. His position has been cut by the district, though for the life of me why they think a school of 200+ children and young adults don't need a counselor is beyond me. A new position has been created, Dean of Students, who will take over some of Cam's duties but also be in charge of PBIS, discipline and who knows what else. Tobe is taking that job next year and I am sure he'll be great at it. But I really think a school our size with our population needs a full time on site counselor also.
So, not only is the school losing a great educator, I am losing a new friend and one of only two others who really know what it is like to be the new teacher for school year 2015-16. And that makes me a little sad.
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