Why Lead School Field Trips?
Nothing gets my blood pumping like a group of school students walking into the museum with their curious, straight-forward, non-apologetic vigor for life, completely uninterested that there is art by famous people on the walls. They might stare me down with a “what’s this place all about?” expression. Game on! I am ready to make space for them to fall in love with art and museums.
And they do! Children are so willing to jump right in, learn something new, and share in another’s passion. Their astute observations and creative questions are what I love most about this job.
Every couple of years, MMAM offers a free docent training class where we recruit, train, and support new volunteer tour guides to help us visitors through the galleries. Right now, we are looking exclusively for docents who can lead field trip experiences for pre-K through 6th grade students. For me, these young students are the most fun to lead through the museum. They have no limits to their imagination, they live in the present, and they often ask endless questions. If only we could all be more child-like.
Research shows that most young students only visit an art museum one time in their childhood, and that is typically on a school field trip. This one crucial hour that they are inside the museum walls carries huge power to shape their values and feelings about art and museums. This great article from Museum Magazine stated, “In particular, enriching field trips contribute to the development of students into civilized young men and women who possess more knowledge about art, have stronger critical-thinking skills, exhibit increased historical empathy, display higher levels of tolerance, and have a greater taste for consuming art and culture.”
This student experience matters. And the docents who facilitate these experiences are enormously important in providing a great experience. I hope you’ll consider learning more.
Heather Casper
Curator of Learning, Engagement and Impact
Learn more at an informational meeting at MMAM.
Thursday, January 4, 2024: 10am -11am at the Minnesota Marine Art Museum.