TO: The Educators at Discovery Creek

There was nothing more disappointing than being frustrated with my first internship. I was working in a scientific laboratory, which is where I thought I wanted to be. Didn’t you know that I was going to find the cure for cancer or AIDS? But I was miserable there. I doubted myself and did not enjoy working alone with no human contact all day. I knew I had to go to a different internship.

But what would I do? I had almost completed my BS degree in Biology and thought my only future career was in a laboratory. I figured my life was over. However, my advisor suggested an internship as an educator at Discovery Creek Museum. At first I thought she was kidding. That had to be the worst job ever, teaching! She thought it would be a good placement for me, where I could interact with others. I thought I would give it a try. What did I have to lose?

When I first went on my interview to Discovery Creek, I wasn’t really sure what to expect. When I arrived, they had just started one of their educational programs. Watching the children and their reactions was just pure joy. I never would have thought that I would enjoy teaching, but I would prove to surprise myself. I started interning at the museum the following week.

If I had any doubts about my teaching, my coworkers were happy to subdue them. They taught me various techniques to get and keep children’s attention, as well as filled me in on a lot of the subject matter from the programs. They told me ways that I could improve my methods, and teaching slowly began to come more easily to me. I was a little hesitant, but it can be daunting interacting with so many children where you are the one leading them!

This internship opened my eyes. I enjoyed coming to work every day and realized that teaching was fun. It inspired me to become a teacher, for which I am returning to school. I can never thank the educators at Discovery Creek (or the children I so enjoyed working with) enough for showing me how rewarding and exciting teaching can be.