For the past several months I have heard nonstop about how amazing the memorial looks in the spring when the cherry trees bloom and the water comes back in late March. I did not completely believe the tales spread by volunteers and faculty alike, but the rumors are more than true. Driving up to see the majestic glade of pink reminded me of why I was interning there. The past few weeks have been rather slow for me as I have been busy and Maggie has been away, so my office times have not been consistent. I have put together many upon many teacher bags that contain children activity books as well as activities that Maggie has made, as well as a nicely placed coffee mug. I finished my first attempt at Living History Scripts and she liked them so much she decided that we don’t need another draft of them after all. I completed a blog post for the memorial to be used on their website. In the coming weeks I will be engaging more directly with tour groups and school field trips! Through the weeks I think that I have come to the conclusion that perhaps I am not cut out for memorial/museum work. I love working with the activities and seeing the faces of engaged kids but something has been missing for me. Perhaps its because I haven’t had that glade of pink and running water to remind me of why I myself was there. I have long pondered why other people are there, but not myself. Why is that? Finally I find myself placed upon the mountain of remembrance and reverence for the men and women that made not just D Day successful, but all of World War II. It has been a way for me to claim my own space within history and education and allowed me to converse more readily about how we teach history. I look forward to finishing my internship project in the next two weeks.
Matt Myers