Welcome back to Progressively Incorrect. I’m your host, Dr. Zach Groshell.
In this episode, I’m joined by Scotty Jackson to talk about how summer camp can create the experiences—and build the kinds of values—that help kids be better people: honesty, respect, responsibility, caring, and belonging.
I’m not coming at this as a distant observer. I was a camp counselor for many years, and Scotty was my boss and mentor, so this episode is personal—an opportunity to connect what I’ve learned since in schools with what Scotty has learned about building culture.
This conversation was also inspired by one of my all-time favorite episodes of This American Life, “Notes on Camp.” It captures the strange, intense, wonderful rituals of camp culture—and it got me thinking about what camp does at its best, and why those experiences stick with kids (and adults) for life.
- Must Listen: This American Life — Episode 109, “Notes on Camp”: https://www.thisamericanlife.org/109/notes-on-camp
In this episode, we discuss
What it takes to consistently deliver the kind of experience kids deserve
Why summer camp can be a uniquely powerful “compressed” environment for growth
How great camps intentionally build belonging, independence, and responsibility
The adult craft behind kid joy: routines, traditions, and culture
What “values” look like in practice—not posters, but daily decisions
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This summer, join me in New York City for The Explicit Teaching Institute—a five-day deep dive into the science of learning and the highest-leverage moves in explicit instruction. We’ll spend our mornings unpacking the research, our middays studying expert teaching on video (courtesy of Steplab!), and our afternoons rehearsing the moves that make instruction clear, efficient, and reliable—so you leave with a practical toolkit you can use on day one.
🗽 NYC | July 27–31, 2026
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About Scotty and Camp Seymour
Scotty Jackson is a longtime camp professional who has served as Executive Director for YMCA Camp Seymour and YMCA Camp Lake Helena, focused on building camp communities that develop character, connection, and leadership in young people. Camp Seymour is a YMCA resident camp and outdoor education site on Washington’s Key Peninsula near Gig Harbor, offering classic camp programming and group experiences that emphasize skill-building, character, and friendships. The campus includes a range of outdoor and program facilities (e.g., challenge/ropes elements and aquatics) and serves youth and community groups through multiple camp formats.
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The podcast you’re listening to is sponsored by John Catt from Hachette Learning and hosted by Dr. Zach Groshell. John Catt publishes some of the best books in education, including my book, Just Tell Them: The Power of Explanations and Explicit Teaching.
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