Yes, I'm a male child care teacher...

[sixums]

I was assured by the establishment there would be no troubles.
*sigh*

How awful would it be to bring it up to them about what you saw? I know the LAST thing you want to do is put yourself in a position where such a thing could open up, but I worry that the mothers are going to do more than just gossip one of these days.

PS Thank you for what you do. I think more people should be dedicated to helping out their local community, especially when it comes to kids. Those ads about how being a dad is more than just making the baby are there for a reason.

[Shards]

I had the opposite problem when I worked with kids.

I volunteered as an assistant councilor at a summer camp one year. Big mistake.

The kids liked me, probably because I talked to them instead of at them, and was more than happy to treat ten year olds as developing young adolescents instead of treating everyone at the camp the same way we treated the five year olds. The parents loved me, because I was capable of holding their kids attention, I tried to sort out problems as they came up instead of letting them fester as I waited for backup, and I took responsibility for my actions when a complaint was made against me. (I said 'damn it' in front of a 10 year old, and apparently his mother thought he was still in Kindergarten and had never been on a schoolbus before. Then, once I made an apology for it, without fighting it, which I could have, she became one of the ones who liked me most)

However, the people in charge of the camp hated me. They often pointed me out as an example of a 'bad volunteer' to other volunteers. Why was this? It was because I did things on my own instead of waiting for someone who was formally trained to do it, because when the kids asked me questions I would give them honest opinions (and my opinions differed with those of the camp staff), and because I was capable of coming up with such a devious plot as to lie to children to get them to do what they were supposed to do anyway. (I didn't lie to them. I fully intended to teach them a new game the next day if they finished their work, we just never got the time for it that next day.)

So... yeah, no pedophile accusations, but apparently being willing to be honest about the fact you're a conservative at a nature camp is a bad thing. (Admittedly, it was tree-huger happy camp, not boy scout nature survival camp like what I went to when I was their age, but still, that doesn't change the fact that they were teaching theories as fact, and when I was asked about them, I was willing to say 'well, there's really no proof, and I have trouble believing in that.')

Can you tell I'm a bit bitter?

[protege]

Ugh. I could write a book about working at scout camp... And yes, it did suck.

Part of the problem, is that the guy in charge simply felt that the campers should be doing something at all times. That is, every activity, even ones that wouldn't earn you a badge...should be as structured as possible.

For example, I served as fishing director for 2 years. Most of the kids simply wanted to go fishing, and relax. Nobody gave a crap about instruction, so I didn't push it on them. Most of them knew what they were doing...so why bother? With that area, trying to structure lessons simply didn't work. The kids would usually get bored and leave. Or, if they wanted...go somewhere else along the lake.

So, for the most part, I let them do whatever, but was always around in case someone needed help, or hurt themselves doing something stupid. Needless to say, when my boss found out, he was a bit pissed. But, after sitting down at the docks with me one afternoon...he saw just *why* his idea wouldn't work.

Getting back on topic here, one of the training programs dealt with child abuse, and how *not* to get yourself into trouble. That is, there will be kids and/or adults that will make things up...and even if the event proved to be false, you could still lose your job. Unfortunate, but it does happen.

[HorrorFrogPrincess]

Let's hope the sane parents and your employers are willing to stand behind you if the hen-group make problems.

There's nothing wrong with a guy wanting to take care of kids. Some guys LIKE kids. Kind of a requirement for having a family at some point.

It's Daddy Training!

[Shards]

Protege, your boss's idea makes. no. sense.

Speaking as someone who went through years of Scout Camp, the point was always to teach us to be able to be told 'get this done' or 'earn this badge', and get us to the point where we could put together things we'd already learned to get it right ourselves. The instructors, when I went through at least, weren't allowed to structure our time like that. They would tell us: "OK, we have to be at lunch at 3, so be back here to get ready at 2, the following names should have their shooting merit badges done by the dusk today, and the following names need to work on their cooking merit badge." Then they would pretty much turn us loose, and make sure there was someone at every station we might go to to make sure we didn't hurt ourselves doing something stupid. Hell, there weren't even councilors on the trails we were expected to walk between stations, and some of them were miles long, and we were required to carry knives with us at all times.

Hell, those of us who used our free time to whittle tree branches into spears were praised for our ingenuity, and told we'd go far. Can you tell I loved scout camp? If I'd had any friends who didn't leave the troop before I did I would've stayed in for my eagle.

[Talon]

Kudo's to the one mother for cutting the mob off at the pass. That situation could have turned into an ugly witch-hunt.

...they were teaching theories as fact, and when I was asked about them, I was willing to say 'well, there's really no proof, and I have trouble believing in that.')

Your camp directors were unquestionably power-tripping dicks, but this line caught my attention. What sort of theories were they teaching as fact? If one of those "unproven theories" was the theory of evolution, we need to exchange fratching words. But if not, nevermind.

[Melicious Motormouth]

What ig'nant bitches.
Worst of all, they're passing down their prejudices to their children. Nice work.

[Nurian]

I wish this had been the end, but at one point I got investigated by SRS on a trumped up charge. The mother was one of those who did not like having a male teacher around her daughter. Of course, SRS found nothing and the parent pulled her daughter. I couldn't take it and quit shortly after that.

[Shards]

Kudo's to the one mother for cutting the mob off at the pass. That situation could have turned into an ugly witch-hunt.



Your camp directors were unquestionably power-tripping dicks, but this line caught my attention. What sort of theories were they teaching as fact? If one of those "unproven theories" was the theory of evolution, we need to exchange fratching words. But if not, nevermind.

This was around 5 years ago, when the debate was still much more heated (no pun intended) than it is now, but they were teaching global warming, and talking to kids about the potential doomsday scenario that proponents love to throw around as if it were certain fact.

These were five year old kids being told that the entire world was going to drown in a sea of melted icecap no matter what, and that the best they could hope to do was slow it down.

For the record, I believe in evolution. (Neither of these points were intended to cause debate over the issues, I was merely asked a question, and am giving an answer.)

[Sandman]

I wish this had been the end, but at one point I got investigated by SRS on a trumped up charge. The mother was one of those who did not like having a male teacher around her daughter. Of course, SRS found nothing and the parent pulled her daughter. I couldn't take it and quit shortly after that.

I would have turned around and sued the parent for slander. Make that parent an example.

[sixums]

I would have turned around and sued the parent for slander. Make that parent an example.

THIS. If that had been me I would have burned her ass so bad she'd never be able to sit again. You do not get away with calling someone a pedophile falsely. It's just disgusting.

[Toujin]

I blame 'To Catch A Predator' and media hysteria for perceptions like this. Fortunately, it doesn't seem to have reached the level of the 'satanic panic' of the 1980s- early '90s.

[NightWatch]

I gotta say, when I was young, I prefered the males who took care of me (babysitter, teacher, otherwise) to the females. The males treated me fairly, listened to me, and respected my boundaries. But I remember female babysitters tickling me til I was bruised and scratched (they had long nails) and trying to play dress up with me. I was a tomboy so that was torture to me. I even had a couple tell me I wasn't a "real" girl cuz I didn't act/dress/talk like them. A large portion of the older females in my life when I was young are a large source or my self-esteem issues today.

[Talon]

This was around 5 years ago, when the debate was still much more heated (no pun intended) than it is now, but they were teaching global warming, and talking to kids about the potential doomsday scenario that proponents love to throw around as if it were certain fact.

These were five year old kids being told that the entire world was going to drown in a sea of melted icecap no matter what, and that the best they could hope to do was slow it down.

For the record, I believe in evolution. (Neither of these points were intended to cause debate over the issues, I was merely asked a question, and am giving an answer.)

Ok nevermind then.

See if they had been trying to teach kids about science, that would have been just fine. But it sounds more like they were just indulging in the sound of their own voice, with a captive audience. Extra douchebag points awarded.

[jedimaster91]

I blame 'To Catch A Predator' and media hysteria for perceptions like this. Fortunately, it doesn't seem to have reached the level of the 'satanic panic' of the 1980s- early '90s.

Give it time.