When we completed our summer camp this year, I wanted to evaluate its effectiveness. The first measure of its success would be determined by data. We had given each camper a pre-test to determine baseline scores in reading and math and then followed up with a post-test at the end of their camp attendance to determine growth and progress.Â
The fact that every camper had made academic gains in both reading and math was no surprise because the kids had worked hard on their academics and all were excited that our approach to school and learning was very different from what they had experienced in school. What was thrilling to me, however, was that at the end–of-the year ceremony, the number one response to the question, “What did you like about summer camp?” was “I liked summer camp a lot because it was really fun.”
It might surprise you that this response was an exciting end product of the camp or that this result could mean as much to me as it did, but you would have to be privy to the objective of the camp in order to understand why. I had set up this Tutor Doctor Summer Academic Learning Camp to produce noticeable improvements in a student’s ability to read, write and do math; that is true. I was confident it would be able to do that. I had also touted that we were going to make learning fun. We closed our summer program with all the parents pleased with the academic gains their kids had experienced. But, what would the kids report about this experience? Until that very last day, when I had each student prepare a speech praising a classmate, I just could not be sure. I was delighted to hear each student smile brightly and report to the crowd that the camp was “fun” and that meant to me that they had experienced what I wanted all along. We had met both of our objectives: to make learning fun and to produce academic gains.
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