Camp programmes - Testimonials
Elizabeth Peterson
Teaching at BKC camp can be summed up in these phrases and words: entertaining, unknown, group work, and fantastic. You are given three groups, no bigger than twelve students (although adjusting does occur). You will teach these groups one 90min lesson a day; 120mins in the morning and then a long òèõèé ÷àñ (nap time) then the last 120mins will be taught in the early evening. teaching. 
Brian Gray
Hopefully, if you're reading this, it means you're at least considering going to camp. Yay! The 7 weeks I spent at summer camp has been my one real stand-out experience in all my time teaching.
Carol Ashen
Having taught younger learners in Moscow and having enjoyed the experience I was looking forward to meeting my new groups when I arrived at Sosnovy Bor, but felt apprehensive due to some of the 'bad thing' I had heard…such as…
Teaching at BKC camp can be summed up in these phrases and words: entertaining, unknown, group work, and fantastic. You are given three groups, no bigger than twelve students (although adjusting does occur). You will teach these groups one 90min lesson a day; 120mins in the morning and then a long òèõèé ÷àñ (nap time) then the last 120mins will be taught in the early evening.
In class you get to do what you’ve always wanted to do but were afraid to try in Moscow; getting the children to run up and down the halls, jumping, and anything else you can imagine. With some magical power you are still able to control them as well. After “experimenting” at Sosnovy Bor you get to take these lessons back to Moscow with you and watch your other students (doesn’t matter if they’re adults) excel!
Planning the lessons is a group effort. You share ideas, often combining classes (something you never get to do in Moscow!) and, ultimately, the students tend to speak more English because of this.
Teaching, however, is not the only thing we get up at camp. Depending on the season you can play volleyball, soccer (or football for you Europeans), swim in the river, or just wander around outside (forgetting the hustle and bustle of Moscow). In the winter you can ice skate, ski, or simply enjoy the wonderful countryside snow. Let’s not forget a free session in the sauna; rest assured you will leave there feeling relaxed.
Entertainment comes in many forms while at camp. Like the äèñêîòåêà (disco); being pulled out onto the dance floor and making a fool of yourself tends to be easy with children! You can also watch the programs the children put on, even though it’s staged in a hot and sticky theatre and all in Russian, it tends to be good for a laugh or two. However, if none of the above suits your taste them I’m sure the teacher/group leader “get together” will certainly lift your spirits.
You may not know what you’re getting yourself into when you head off to camp. Being around the teachers, however (and out of Moscow) things tend to come together. The children might be a handful at times but ultimately by working together, not having to use the metro (especially in the summer!!) or having to cook your own food (not to mention all the money you’ll save while at camp!) it tends to be a fantastic opportunity to stretch and enable your teaching skills with Young Learners, and all with a bit of fun mixed in.
Elizabeth Peterson,2007-8
Hopefully, if you're reading this, it means you're at least considering going to camp. Yay! The 7 weeks I spent at summer camp has been my one real stand-out experience in all my time teaching. Some of you may be sniggering to yourselves now, "I bet it's his only experience!" True! I only arrived at BKC 2 months ago, and this if my first job. As I write this, I am yet to teach my first adult class. But I don't regret a moment of my time spent at Sosnovy Bor, and I've been totally mystified by comments like "You must be brave!", or "How cruel of them to send you straight out to camp!", because in fact I think it was the best way I could possibly have started off in my new job, and I can't wait to get back out there.
Now, my born-again happy-camper enthusiasm may be starting to grate a little, so let's be frank: you may have heard terrible things about camp. It is true that occasionally some teachers have not enjoyed camp. I won't pretend that I can't understand why. The fact is that camp requires not a certain type of person, but a certain attitude. If you come to camp dreading it, thinking "camp will be boring", "camp will be hard work", "camp will be stressful", then don't be surprised to see your own predictions fulfilled. But that certainly wasn't my experience of camp...
Camp was not boring. It's less than two hours from Moscow, so you can easily go back on the weekends, and while you're there there's loads to do: swimming in the lovely river, cycling through beautiful birch forests, playing billiards, table tennis, tennis, horse riding, socializing with the close-knit group of 7 or 8 teachers... if you have time! I was so busy just having fun with the kids - going to their concerts and shows, playing chess, checkers, ping-pong, football, volleyball, pioneer ball, chatting, dancing at the discos - that the time flew by. It's all about getting involved.
Camp was not hard work. It was a pleasure. Teaching kids is actually easy! Yes, it takes a bit of imagination to come up with ways to keep them interested for an hour but there's lots of help from the other teachers and excellent resources. And I'd much rather be playing games with the kids and working on their projects - I've done comics, posters, photo stories, even films with my students - than doing endless grammar exercises and the same old speaking tasks and reading and listening comprehensions...
Camp was not stressful. Far from it! It's working in Moscow that I'm dreading in comparison, after the laidback atmosphere of Sosnovy Bor! No pacing schedules to stick to, no tests at the end of the week, so you're free to teach whatever you're comfortable with and whatever the kids want to learn, and you have plenty of scope to try out new ideas, no matter how whacky, and to learn new skills. Especially if you're interested in teaching kids or teenagers, camp could be a great testing ground for you; but I know that plenty of the things I've learnt I'll be putting to use in my adult classes.
And lastly, all this takes place in beautiful surrounds - forest all around, spectacular sunsets, long summer days (though I can't wait to see Sosnovy Bor beneath the winter snow) - with all your meals cooked for you! So what are you waiting for?
By Brian Gray, September 2006
BKC Camp - Tiring but Immensely Rewarding
Having taught younger learners in Moscow and having enjoyed the experience I was looking forward to meeting my new groups when I arrived at Sosnovy Bor, but felt apprehensive due to some of the 'bad thing' I had heard…such as…
Hungry Mosquitoes - true - the first couple of weeks in June there were lots of mosis - but since that I've rarely seen one - and of course repellent is easy to buy.
Bad food - false - as a vegetarian you may expect a lot of complaints about the traditional Russian food (OK, it's a bit monotonous with mash and macaroni every night) but the dinner ladies usually prepared something extra and there is a wide choice for breakfast.
Accommodation - false - although the main building is basic, it is kept very clean by the hard working staff.
So… what was camp really like?
The truth is that I have really enjoyed it. I have done nine weeks this summer and only had one group that was a problem (not the individual students themselves but as a group they didn't get on).
The teaching schedule is not that heavy with only two groups, twice a day, so four and a half real hours of teaching per day. Usually the mornings are more 'traditional' lessons and the afternoons spent working on a project. Over the two weeks this means that you have plenty of time to produce some excellent work (I did some fantastic posters with the younger, lower level students and two films (about 5mins long) with the higher level students). I found the students got really 'into' the project theme and really appreciated the final results - a lot more rewarding for them than just completing some grammar exercises from a textbook.
This time has meant that I have gained a lot of teaching experience - plus classroom management skills and have had the freedom to create lessons and 'experiment' outside of the usual tight course-based structure of Moscow schools.
The facilities are good, there are excellent resources, plus support from the senior teacher - Charlotte. The only thing is to be flexible because things don't always go according to plan - but that can give you the opportunity to learn to 'think on your feet' and not to rely on reams and reams of photocopied sheets of activities. Mostly what the students want is contact with you - the teacher and foreigner - and the most rewarding part of camp is having spent time with the students.
A few weekends I stayed at camp and enjoyed the real Russian countryside (I was amazed at the variety of wild flowers) and also spent time with the students and meeting parents at the Parents Day Show, which was a lot of fun and my attendance was muchly appreciated by the students. My time spent at camp has meant that I have really got to know the students in a more informal situation, at the disco, at lunch and dinner or at the various evening shows prepared by the group leaders - the standard of which is very good and even with no Russian, still entertaining.
All in all this has been one of the most enjoyable experiences I have had.
Carol Ashen, Summer 2006
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