The start of my internship has been fantastic. I was placed at the Museum of Transportation under the education coordinator Courtney Plaster. So far, I have worked mostly with field trips and education activities. To start off my internship, I attended the 4th grade field trip training on January 6th. On that day, I was introduced to the volunteers and learned how to monitor the different stations. Each station pertains to the Virginia SOLs and can help the students understand concepts in a tactile manner. Later that day instead of leaving, I stayed in the museum and explored. I found it imperative that I understand the facts in each exhibit. 
Then, last week I began to shadow the 4th grade field trips on Thursday and Friday. The field trip on Friday went wonderfully. I helped/shadowed in the “Safety Car” where students learn about the dangers of trains and the tracks they run on.
Then, on Friday, there was not a group of students so I was asked to look at the museum labels in the automobile gallery. Courtney told me that I would be working in the auto gallery station with the fourth graders and that I should be knowledgeable about each car. Thus, I started taking notes from each sign. Yet while taking notes, I found errors in spelling on the museum labels and made the museum staff aware. That afternoon, I started working on an educator’s pamphlet that needed serious updates with new SOL and picture modifications. Therefore, today I worked the auto gallery with another volunteer without any hiccups. Surprisingly the students have been attentive and engaged! Everything I have done at the museum has been fun and interesting. Next week, I will continue to help with field trips and begin analyzing the exhibits from a historian’s perspective.
*Below are some of the pictures I have taken around the museum for the new pamphlet to be mailed out for the Roanoke Valley educators.
