The Final Post

Well, it is time for the final post. I am still continuing my internship until the 20th of this month, so, I am grateful to still have a little more time in this awesome setting.

This week I have really been focusing again on community outreach. This week the students will be painting and finishing their community picnic table. I am so excited. I think they are turning out beautifully. Here are the (almost) finished product of two of the community centers:

Preteen table (10-13 years old)

Tiny Human's table (5-8 years old)

The painting process was a tad chaotic. But, I really appreciated the thought of these centers have a reminder of our time with them. 

I guess we are supposed to talk about what we learned from out internship this summer. 

I had these major lessons:

- Treat the children like adults: Obviously, I don't mean talk to them about adult subject matters, but, talk to them like I want to be talked to. Kids will surprise us. They know much more than we think; they have interesting thoughts and perspectives that will change yours. But, only if them create that environment for the children to feel safe to participate. 

- Don't be afraid to correct behavior: I posted earlier about my confusion in my role as an educator when it comes to behavior issues. I learned it is completely okay to tell them to be kind, or listen to directions. Fun story, one time, a preteen group of boys was not listening to me and were talking over me while covering some art history prior to an art making activity. I looked them dead in the eye and asked them, "How much do you think I love art?" They nervously said, "A lot?". I looked at my watch and said, we have 40 minutes left together. You are right, I love art A LOT. So, I could talk about this one work of art for 40 long minutes, or you guys can take a different role in this discussion. I will let you pick. The discussion went 10 times more smoothly afterwards. The point of that story is, I learned to correct behavior by, in a way, bargaining with the students, as well as being 100% real with them. 

- Community work is hard, but amazing: At first when I heard we were doing community outreach, I thought that would include bringing the museum here rather than us going to the community. Then I was confused because, we cannot bring artwork out, are we really doing the community justice by showing them the artwork on a tablet? Is the logistical headache worth it? I learned that the answer is YES to both of those questions. So much happens with those kids in that 1-2 hour(s) that we are there with them. Maybe they will never have a further interest in art or maybe they still will never come to the museum, but, maybe they will remember the time they found our roses are edible or maybe they'll remember what a still-life is, or maybe they will just remember that three ladies in bright green shirts came to their community center, but hey, at least they will remember something. The logistics is hard, but that part is always hard. I felt like those students each made an impact in my life, I hope we made an impact in theirs. 

- Be flexible: There were so many times that I felt I was loosing control because I was not sticking word-for-word to the lesson plan. Then I realized, the only one obsessed with that was me. Sometimes, it is okay to think on your feet, sometimes it is even better. 

- Being over-prepared is sometimes worse: This was a hard lesson for me. Before giving my first tour, I became obsessed with learning everything I possibly could about this one work of art. It was not until I was standing in front of the group that I realized I had too much information, so much that I did not know how to even start the tour. I know that half of that was nerves. But, the following time I did a tour, I did an experiment. I looked up very basic information about the artist and that was all. The rest of the information was going to be related to observation and discussion. (I was also lucky that the AC is more focused on the experience and discussion of the artwork rather than solely the historical information). I found that being less prepared was a technique that worked for me. I found myself leading the conversation less and truly waiting to hear what the group was going to bring up. 

- It is okay to voice your opinion: I found myself having this internal battle a lot when I was shadowing in at a meeting: do I say my opinion? Or is this a meeting for employees only? I found myself reminding myself that I am only an intern, no one wanted to hear my thoughts. That was until one meeting I was sitting next to the curator. I was talking notes about the meeting and then writing my thoughts or questions on the margin for later. The curator read my notes and then had me share them with the rest of the meeting group. I was horrified, but, it was awesome. 

Another way I found voicing my opinion successful was when I was writing lesson plans with someone else. Two brains work better than one right? It is also good to voice your boundaries when teaching. If that is too many students per teacher, better say that in the planning stages rather than with 40 eyes starring at you on a tour.

- Think outside the box, then reel it in: I am not sure if this happens to you guys but whenever I write a lesson plan, I think without limitations. I pretend we have all the money in the world. I found this to be how I get the best ideas. Then, the creative part is making everything work with the resources that are available. It was like a moving puzzle and I found that I enjoyed writing lessons more!

- Don't forget to actually enjoy the artwork: This internship gave me every opportunity possible. But, one of my favorite memories was getting to walk the gallery space on a Monday afternoon. The museum was closed, and only the emergency lights were on. But, I walked through all the gallery spaces by myself, with just a note pad to write down any ideas or thoughts. I spend three hours walking around. That was a magical experience. 

I think the most important thing I learned is that I truly love the museum education field. 

It is sad to say goodbye, but most of all, I am just grateful I got to find a home away from home here and receive that reassurance that I am not in the wrong field!