The museum continues to be really interesting, especially as I begin to create what I hope to be my education program. It’s going to be geared towards 7th and 8th graders and focus on Industrialization and the development of urban areas instead of rural ones. The museum has a section called Streets of New York that I hope to use in tandem for this project with another smaller section in the museum which focuses on the development of the Studebacker and also a carriage shop (the Graves Brother’s) that was donated to the museum. I want to focus on the shift from master-apprentince towards factories and the supply line.
Besides this project, I was also given the opportunity to watch two different educators perform the same educational programs. The first educator, Kristin, performed School Days very casually. She taught the kids in the program by having them live within the constraints of the time period, such as standing when speaking to the school master and only sitting once allowed, but also allowed them to follow modern conveniences that wouldn’t have been allowed in that era, such as speaking as they did their work. In contrast, the docent (not a permanent educator) acting as the school teacher was very strict and adhered to the rules that would have existed in the 1880’s. I really enjoyed this opportunity because I could see what I would and wouldn’t do and see which educator I would more be in line with when teaching.
Lastly, during these two weeks I was able to teach one of the groups that came to the educational programs. I taught LILA to a group of fourth graders, who were very sweet. I really liked teaching because it’s more interactive than observation, obviously, and it gave me a chance to change the way the program was presented into a way I believe it’s easier to understand and comprehend. The kids were really nice and, once I told them it was my first time teaching the program, were very supportive. A few of the kids were really interested in every aspect of the program, and one stopped to read every single placard at the museum.
I’m really excited for the next to weeks, as I’ll be able to teach LILA again and also observe a new program. The new program (new to me, anyways) is working with people with Alzheimer’s Disease. The people coming are at various stages in the disease and their caregivers. They’re shown objects and work with various objects to trigger long term memories. All of the questions that are asked are open ended, and don’t have exact answers. I can’t wait to see the program.