School

I am part of the Museum Education Program at the George Washington University. There are twenty of us in the program. We have had a lot fun these past five weeks and have learned so much. I know I haven't posted much...so here is a culmination of the past five weeks.

This is where my classes were held. It's called Funger Hall and is a couple blocks away from the Watergate Hotel and the Kennedy Center. On a good day, I can get to school in about 40 minutes. I usually read when I'm on the bus/metro and they had out free mini-newspapers at the metro stations that are fun to read. 

My classmates have been wonderful and I am excited to be able to work with them for the next year. I am the only Mormon, which has made it interesting. I didn't tell anyone that I was one, not because I'm ashamed or anything but just because I didn't feel it necessary and so it's been fun watching them figure out it.

We've done a lot of fun and diverse activities in class. None of us really believed that we would get as close as we did in five weeks, but we did and had a blast in the process. These three pictures are from an activity we did the last week of class to show what "reflective practice" is and how we perceive it. One group made a road map to show how reflective process works. 

Another did "Chutes and ladders" complete with board pieces. 

My group went for the abstract. We created a mirror that reflected what we felt when we started the reflective practice. This is a picture of me and my classmate, Christina, explaining it to the rest of the class. 

We got to go to many different museums, including the Building Museum. We got to build our own city and experience what their educational program is like. It was a lot of fun and really informative.

We've also had many guest speakers who have helped us grow and learn. 

And one day we found duckies! They got stuck in a pond outside a museum and were rescued. 

We also had a group project--we were split into three groups and each group had to create a facilitation at a different museum. I was assigned to the US Botanic Garden. We decided to give them a "Tour of the Stars: the Plants of Hollywood Films". We took the groups to different plants were they were given an insight into the plant and what film it was in, etc. 

I was a tour guide, along with  Mike.

My whole group! The Garden was hot! and by the time we were done I looked like I had fought a battle. But we got really positive reviews and people seemed to enjoy it. 

I have loved working with my classmates and have enjoyed experiencing the diversity of our backgrounds. It is really interesting to get the background stories and insights that people bring with them.

 One frustrating aspect has been the alcohol. I don't care if others drink it (that's their choice), but every social activity planned feels like it has to revolve around booze...it gets a bit annoying when the graduating class tells us to handle the stress with alcohol. Maybe I have just lived in the "bubble" of Mormondom for too long...But it"s all good. I've found ways to cope. 

But I am really enjoying myself and found out that my fall internship will be at SEEC, which stands for Smithsonian Early Enrichment Center, which means I get to work with little kids! This has been a great semester and I am looking forward to the rest!