Education presents many issues nationwide and globally. We
are constantly comparing the students in different countries, introducing new
legislation to regulate curriculum, and pushing students to attend college and
build up a mountain of student loan debt. Learning is an amazing, valuable
thing, but for many students it is overshadowed by these negative factors. Students
should feel excited and motivated to learn as often as possible. For my
undergraduate degree, I earned a teaching degree. I wanted to share my passion
for learning with students in high school history and biology – which are often
seen as the “boring” classes. Now, I am earning my Master of Arts in Museum
Studies which will allow me to work in museums to reach a wider audience of
learners. I am so excited to work in a field where I can show people of all
ages, abilities, and backgrounds the joy of learning. My field of study will
impact society as I work to create engaging learning opportunities that will
help people to get excited about learning again!
When I
stepped into my first History classroom as a student teacher, I could tell that
my students were bored. Their history class was a broken record: lecture and
bookwork, lecture and bookwork. Every single day. They stuck with this routine
out of habit, but I knew that they were not really engaged in their learning
and could not care less about the history they were supposed to be learning. I
switched things up by doing a lot of hands-on projects where students could
showcase their many talents while also demonstrating the history content that
they were learning. Soon, students seemed excited about class! I had few
classroom behavior problems and many students were producing work that was far
above my highest expectations. Instead of just memorizing vocabulary about
ancient civilizations, students created museum exhibits, comic books, and
plays. When the semester ended, students wrote notes to me saying things like
how they were watching the History Channel with their dad and they were able to
explain more detail about the Byzantine Empire, because their dad had never
heard of it. Teaching is such a rewarding career, especially when you can see
positive things happening with students. As a teacher, I hope to make a
positive difference in society one classroom at a time. As a museum educator, I
have the same goal, but with a much larger audience.
People often do not think about how
important museums are in society. They are often just thought of as places with
a lot of old stuff. Luckily, more and more people are taking advantage of
museums and realizing their importance in society. In today’s global society we
are constantly working with and learning from people all over the world. Wouldn’t
it suit us well to learn about their cultures, histories, and scientific
contributions? Museums allow us to learn in an informal setting, at our own
pace. Education in museums often means hands-on activities and in depth
discussions that would not be possible in the typical classroom. Visiting a
museum can help to recharge one’s desire to learn. Perhaps a visit to a science
museum could spark a child’s interest in becoming an architect after they build
an impressive tower. Or maybe a visit to a history museum can jumpstart a
teenager’s efforts in social justice. Museums can have a huge impact on
society, and I will be a part of that impact.
When I first tell people that I am earning an MA
in Museum Studies, they look at me funny and ask “What on Earth are you going
to do with that? You won’t make any money doing that.” Sure, I could have been
a doctor or a lawyer with my success in history and biology classes. I
certainly would not turn down the salaries associated with those careers! But
to me, a large salary or a fancy job title are not as important as inspiring
people. Learning is something that lasts a lifetime, culture and science are
everywhere, and the world is not getting any smaller. If I can help people to
become passionate about something, then I will impact the world in a small, but
very important way.
