O Say Can You See?

Springtime at the museum

Spring in Washington, D.C., is famous for its bountiful Japanese cherry blossoms; but one thing you may not know is that in the springtime D.C. positively blossoms with eighth graders as well. One day the city’s museums and monuments are quiet, resting in the deep of winter, and the next day middle-schoolers and flowers are popping up all over.

This being my first spring in D.C., I was a little bit surprised by the unique signs of spring, though I probably shouldn’t have been. Since most American students study U.S. history in the eighth grade, it has become a longstanding tradition in many schools across the country to offer a spring break pilgrimage to the nation’s capital. In fact, sixteen years ago I myself was an eighth grader from the middle of the country on a school trip to Washington, D.C. I suspect that at one time, many of you were as well.

Over the last few weeks I have observed some of these students in our museum, and while it often seems as though the escalators have some sort of magnetic pull that only thirteen and fourteen year olds feel, I see indications every day that suggest the kids will remember more than just an escalator joy ride from their visit. When I observe closely I see subtle signs of learning, like taking silly pictures of themselves in front of the ruby slippers or the statue of George Washington, or calling a friend over to the Huey helicopter in The Price of Freedom: Americans at War exhibition while explaining how the helicopters helped evacuate over 400,000 wounded soldiers from battle zones in Vietnam. Sometimes they even come right out and say things like, “It was cool to see that big flag. I didn’t know the national anthem was written about a real flag,” or, in reference to Invention at Play, “If that was our science class, science would be a lot more fun!”

It’s not always easy to tell what a teenager will take home from their visit, but one way to help students focus their energy while in the museum is to download age-appropriate Discover! Guides from our Web site. These guides allow students to explore selected artifacts on their own and prompt them to think about what they see by asking them to answer relevant questions. Sometimes all these kids need is a little bit of prompting.

I remember a lot of random things about my eighth grade trip, like the name of the elevator operator who took us to the top of the Washington Monument, but I also remember seeing the Star-Spangled Banner and George Washington’s uniform, and the way I felt looking at objects that represented profound moments in our nation’s history. I’m pretty confident that sixteen years later, these kids will remember some of the important things too.

Elisabeth Johnson is a special assistant for public programs at the National Museum of American History.

Asking and listening

I am relatively new to the museum field, having recently made a career change. I work in the new media program, which is also a new field for me. I am not really a new media, Web 2.0 kind of guy. I still prefer books to the Internet. I’m trying to learn, though, mostly through asking tons of questions and doing a lot of listening. I find myself in an interesting place: between the older generation of museum employees who have made their careers here and the younger employees whose careers are just getting started. They both have so much to offer, but they also have very different ideas of how to interact with our visitors—at the museum, in our neighborhood, and online. Is it about using Twitter, Facebook, Flickr and Youtube, or is it about pre- and post-visit interviews and audience polling? Is it about getting out into the community, focusing on our on-site visitors, or using emerging technologies? Is it all of the above?

I'm on the far right asking a visitor what he thinks about the History Explorer Web site.

I started working here at a very interesting time. In my brief tenure, I have witnessed the closing, renovation, and reopening of the museum. I have seen the huge crowds of people that come here almost every day. We’re always thinking about how to better serve our audiences—local, international, young, old—everybody. We are the nation’s history museum, after all. I end up playing devil’s advocate at many meetings because although I am most comfortable with doing things the old way, I have learned the value of trying new things. It is why I challenged myself to change careers and take this job. I do like the thought of involving our visitors as much as possible in our decision making process and it is obvious that many of my colleagues feel the same way. So, I’ll practice what I preach and do the same thing with this blog post that I do with my colleagues. I’ll ask a bunch of questions and do a lot of listening:

• How do you feel the National Museum of American History, the Smithsonian Institution, or museums in general, can better attract new audiences?
• Are we doing a good job connecting with the ones we already have?
• What are we doing right?
• How can we improve?

Use the comment form below to tell us what you think!
 

Paul Molholm is an education specialist at the National Museum of American History.

We the people

When I was in high school, I competed in what I describe to others as the “Constitutional Law Debate team” in East Brunswick, N.J. The program is run by the Center for Civic Education and focuses on civic responsibility and helping students develop an understanding of the U.S. Constitution.

Every year, East Brunswick sends a team to the state competition; and many years, the East Brunswick team is sent to represent New Jersey in the national-level competition in Washington, D.C.

Outside the National Museum of American History. Flickr photo by Stephanie Joyal.

On years when East Brunswick is sent to D.C., alumni living in the area are invited to a reunion dinner and given the opportunity to prepare the team before national competition begins. Of course, in addition to meeting the team for preparation, I also joined them during their visit to the National Museum of American History.

I was touched by how excited these kids were to see the history they’ve been learning as expressed through the “real” objects. The group studying equal rights wanted to see the Greensboro lunch counter. Those examining Lincoln were desperate to see the exhibition and buy Lincoln top hats. As an employee, I sometimes forget how cool our collections, scholarship, and programs are.

After spending last year as a classroom teacher, I was energized to work directly with students again. I believe that “it takes a village to raise a child,” and it was wonderful to give back to my alma mater’s community and to a program that meant so much for me as a student.

Jenny Wei is an education specialist at the National Museum of American History.