From the journal of Sarah from the week of July 28, 2014

My time as an education intern is over. I will no longer work on science projects. I won’t be testing Christmas lights or cutting wire. I won’t be meeting new campers and learning new names. I’ll be a student at Tulane going through the repetition of classes and cherishing what free time my schedule allows. I’ll miss the World War II Museum. I’ll miss the people I met and the relationships I built. I’ll miss the familiarity of the routine and the excitement of a new day. I’ll miss this experience. As sad as it is to leave the Museum and the camp behind, I know that my experience at the museum will impact me for a long time to come. I learned about an area that I had no previous knowledge of: I was always a visitor of museums not a worker. I never knew what went on behind the veils of exhibits or what was behind closed doors. Now I know that behind those doors are vending machines and coffee makers, conference rooms, and offices. Now I know that behind those doors are people passionate about museums and their impact, people who are trying to make a difference.

I am proud of my time at the National World War II Museum. I am grateful that I was offered the opportunity to help the museum further its goal of keeping World War II relevant by working with the other education interns to make a video that outlines pykrete and why it was so important to World War II. Though there were some obstacles to overcome when making the video, we finished filming and editing and hopefully it will be on the website soon. This project helped me accomplish my goal of leaving something for the museum that they can use for future summers and that will help them in their pursuit of keeping World War II relevant and alive.

I am excited to use my experience at the museum in my life at Tulane. I am excited to take different strategies back with me to my times spent in classrooms tutoring and I am ready to take my knowledge of the World War II Museum back to family and friends and encourage everyone I know to go and visit. I hope to use my experience at the museum to help me succeed in other internships and jobs I will find in the future.

I would tell students interested in an internship at the museum to take initiative and know when to speak up about activities/ events. Working at the museum was great, but at times some activities seemed repetitive and some activities were hard to relate back to the use of science and technology in World War II. I would tell students interested in museums to find an interest and study that. It is important to have people of many different backgrounds in one place to really advance the strategies and learning techniques they want to foster. The museum staff consisted of people with history degrees and English degrees. It was scary in the beginning realizing that I was the only English major in a sea of interns studying history. I would tell students that your major will help you if you apply yourself to the job and work to make a difference there.

Thank you, National World War II Museum. I had a blast.

 

 

From the journal of Sarah from June 23-27, 2014

I have just finished my last week of camp! I should be excited. I am excited! However, there’s a part of me that is sad. I’m sad that camp is over. I’m sad that I won’t have to learn twenty new names and personalities. I am sad that my time at the National World War II Museum is coming to an end. There is still so much work to do after camp ends, I know I’ll be busy, but the fact that camp is over is driving home the point that summer is almost over as well. Soon, I will be going back to school and soon I will have to say goodbye to the museum and the experiences I had here.

Earlier I said that by the midpoint of my internship I would develop the skills needed to teach about the museum because I wanted to know more about working in a museum. I definitely learned what it means to work in a museum, but I underestimated just how much goes into running a museum. I could talk about general themes and tell you about science and technology in World War II, but there is much more to the story than science and technology. The history here is so rich, I feel like I need more time. I feel as if the knowledge I gained interning here is not enough. I am happy with what I’ve learned and what I’ve been able to share with the campers. I do think that I’ve reached my goal, but more goals await to be accomplished! Another goal I had was that by the end of the summer I would have researched and taught about science and technology in World War II and why that is important today. Camp is over and my time researching science and technology in World War II is also over. Though many of the activities were laid out for me and I did not have to do much background research, I know that soon I will be researching. The Overnight is approaching and I will be taking activities performed in camp and making them accessible to parents and children at the Overnight. The Family Overnight allows families to spend the night in the Museum and experience all the museum has to offer. I am excited to expand upon the activities performed in camp and make them fun for adults as well as children!

I am monitoring my learning internally and externally. I know I am learning when I am able to answer questions the campers have, but I also know I am learning when I can self-reflect and answer questions about my time at the museum and my work done there and if it is important and will impact me in the future. I am proud of my interactions with the campers and of really being there to help them with their projects and answer their questions. I already believe that these campers are so smart and know so much more than I do, so to help them learn and see them interact and have fun means so much to me.

I believe that I gained many transferable skills so far. I have furthered my communication skills and have gained experience working in a business setting off Tulane’s campus. I have learned what it means to be a leader by watching my supervisors lead everyday. I have learned the importance of preparation but also the importance of flexibility because sometimes it rains and sometimes bottle rockets don’t explode. I have learned so much from this internship and hope to use the skills I learned back in the real world, back in the world of school and work, back in a world where I don’t get to visit the National World War II Museum.

 

From the journal of Sarah during the weeks of June 2-13, 2014

I work as an Education Intern at the National World War II Museum in New Orleans, Louisiana. The museum works to educate the public on the many different aspects of World War II by providing people access to oral histories, special exhibits, and interactive activities. As an Education Intern I will help run Science Camp. Science Camp is offered to 9-12 year old boys and girls who are interested in aeronautics, engineering, physics, biology, and medicine. I will help the campers complete their projects and watch them experience hands-on activities relating to science and engineering in World War II. After camp ends, I will evaluate the camp and the activities accomplished, I will turn activities into family workshops and classroom activities and assist with other department events, duties, and initiatives.

I found my internship with the National World War II Museum by attending Tulane’s Internship Fair in the spring of 2014. I attended the fair and met many different representatives from many different internship sites. Actually, the last table I visited at the fair was the museum’s table. I almost turned away and left for the day, but something about interning at the museum made me stop. I must have looked like a crazy person to the lady sitting behind the table. I had water bottles and lunch boxes and other goodies from walking around the tables. My folder with my resumes inside wasn’t as neat as it was when I first walked in the door what with me opening and adding business cards so many times that day. This didn’t stop me from walking to the table and asking bluntly what I needed to do to intern at the museum. I took the paper home and applied that night. I was called in for an interview and accepted the internship offer then and there. My summer plans were made.

My first week at the Museum was hectic. The week of orientation was fun because I met my fellow interns and worked to complete the camp schedule. I helped make a robotic arm out of wood and super glue. We finally got it to work, only to have campers break it during the first week of camp. That was definitely a low point, but I’m glad someone used the arm that was such a pain to build. After orientation week was the first week of camp. It was middle school all over again. I had to learn twenty new names and remember twenty new faces, all boys. My first week was spent corralling 20 nine to twelve year old boys around a museum where the attitude is usually somber and quiet. I had a great time my first week, but am definitely looking forward to seeing more girls in camp.

The first week was not easy. It took a few days to get used to the commotion of camp and the shuffling of activities. It also took a while to get used to the schedule and master the technique of the different activities. I continue to be impressed by what these campers can do! I really do not think that I would have been able to complete some of these tasks back when I was learning about science and technology. The campers’ science skills and knowledge about World War II amazed me this week and will surely amaze me next week when I meet twenty new faces and learn twenty new names.

I expect to learn more about World War II and its impact on Louisiana and the world this summer. I expect to put my time tutoring in various classrooms to the test and see what I really learned about furthering learning and growth in the classroom. I know that camp is supposed to be fun and engaging and not like school, but many of our activities take place in the classroom and require intense supervision because they involve scissors or wires or chemicals. I expect to gain more understanding of different areas of museum life and what it takes to keep a museum running. I also expect to have a great time and enjoy the tasks that the campers enjoy!