A Listening Ear by Micah

A Listening Ear by Micah - March 2026 Scholarship Essay

I typically enjoy my work. As a kids' camp counselor and instructor at Lifetime Fitness, I can experience the joys of caring for children, including playing games, teaching them valuable lessons, and forming lasting relationships. With these joys, however, come negative aspects. There are children whose behavior is difficult to manage. One such child, Tyler (a placeholder name; the child's name is omitted for privacy purposes), consistently tests boundaries; challenging my authority, arguing with the other kids, and in extreme situations displays physical signs of aggression towards others.

Recently, on a school break camp day, after Tyler’s father dropped him off, Tyler proceeded to bring out a whole bag full of action figures. There were only a few children who had arrived at this point, and they were all huddled around the pull-out gray table in the gym where we hosted all our activities. It was early in the morning, everyone was still waking up, and I remember the way Tyler entered the camp, his hood pulled down over his head and his eyes trained at the floor. Gently, the other counselor and I reminded Tyler that he is not allowed to bring toys to camp. In response, Tyler lashed out, screaming and crying in frustration at the restrictions we had placed on him—claiming we had ruined his day. Since there were only a few kids who had arrived at camp at this point, we compromised with Tyler and allowed him to bring out 3 toys as opposed to all of them. Still, he was angry, so he stomped off across the gym into a corner and sat there with his head tucked between his knees. Realizing that the situation had to be resolved, I walked over and sat by him.

After a moment of silence, I asked, “Are you okay?”

What followed surprised me. I listened as Tyler complained about the rules of camp and how he did not understand why he couldn’t have any fun. I asked Tyler why three toys were not enough, and after that question, the conversation shifted. Tyler then began to tell me why these toys were so important to him; tensions between him and his father had been elevated. Tyler told me that he saw camp as a way to escape the pressures and the struggles of his everyday life, and that earlier that morning, he had gotten into an argument with his father, which is why he was upset. I listened quietly as Tyler told me about his personal struggles, and after a lengthy conversation, Tyler cooperated with the limits and rejoined the rest of the group.

A common saying among individuals who work with children is “all behavior makes sense with enough information.” I experienced the validity of this statement firsthand. I was not aware of the struggles of Tyler's life; I only saw the behaviors that were a result of his troubles. Following my conversation with Tyler, he had the best behavioral day he had had in a long time, following instructions and willingly participating. Via this experience, Tyler began to trust me and viewed me as a friend. This reveals the impact that just listening to someone can have. Empathy is a valuable character trait that helps more than we realize. In Tyler's situation, just me being there and listening to him opened doors to friendship and communication that were previously closed. This experience made me ask myself how frequently I genuinely sit and listen to someone with the intention of helping them. Very little to none. I now challenge myself, and I challenge the reader to develop a listening ear.