Camp Zenith is about to come to an end.  Tomorrow morning well over 400 campers will pack up and say goodbye to dozens of new friends. Dozens?  Some of the campers have actually met and started friendships with that many people.  “Z” Groups of course encourage that process.  Each camper has been in the same group of about  20 people for the entire week.

It is pretty interesting to see groups begin to come together over the course of the week.  Some of the groups gel almost immediately. Others come together slowly. And some just fail to have the chemistry that is necessary to form a memorable time at camp.

Several times this week I have run across a student who is sitting alone during group time.  That raises a red flag for me.  I immediately wonder what is wrong.  I stopped to talk to each of those campers.  I found no discipline problems.  I did not find them to be disillusioned with their group.  I just uncovered introverts who needed some private time. 

I am a self confessed Meyers Briggs Type Indicator junkie.  The Myers Briggs measures healthy personality differences in people.  One of the scales on the test is introversion/extroversion.  Introverts can get a bad wrap. At times, they are perceived as being aloof, rude, and generally inferior to their extroverted counterparts. Introverts recharge their batteries by being alone.  They gain energy through solitude. Extravert’s are energized by being with people.  My campers who left their groups for a few moments were most likely introverts who were on people overload.  Introverts enjoy one on one conversations more than group interaction, so my dialogue with these campers was productive and interesting.

Where is the learning curve then?  Introverts are not socially awkward people.  As a group, they are not rude or aloof.  They have a lot to offer those of us who have leanings toward extroversion.  Isabel Meyers said:
Introverted feeling types have a wealth of warmth and enthusiasm, but they may not show it until they know someone well. They wear their warm side inside, like a fur-lined coat.  Watching campers this week reminded me that it takes all kinds to make the world go round.  And it sure does make life interesting!