Episode 20: This Work Matters - 12 Days of Christmas, Day 12

"Now more than ever, the world needs the truth, creativity, and inspiration that museums provide."

We're wrapping up the 12 Days of Christmas: Museum Education Edition with a heartfelt reflection on the importance of museum education. In this final episode of 2024, I share my gratitude for the museum educator community and excitement for what lies ahead in 2025.

Join us as we celebrate the impact of museum education and look ahead to a year of growth, innovation, and meaningful connections.

Thank you for being part of this amazing community! Let’s make 2025 the best year yet.

For consulting inquiries or professional development opportunities, reach out via modernmuseumeducation.com. Stay tuned for more updates and resources in the new year!

For full show notes and a transcript, visit https://modernmuseumeducation.com/podcast/020.

Creators and Guests

Host

Rachel Gibson

Museum Education Consultant | I help museum educators create sustainable, strategic, and pedagogically sound museum programs for children and families through 1:1 consulting, museum program evaluation, educator professional development workshops, and online content, sourced from my unique experience as a long-time museum educator and academic researcher.

What is Modern Museum Education?

Rachel Gibson is a museum education researcher, consultant, and former frontline educator helping museum professionals create engaging, sustainable programs for children and families. On the Modern Museum Education Podcast, she explores topics like family learning, audience engagement, museum strategy, program design, intergenerational learning, and the real-world challenges museum educators face every day.

Part conference session and part coffee shop chat, each episode blends research-backed insights with practical strategies you can actually use—whether you're planning field trips, designing family programs, leading education teams, or trying to keep your creativity alive in a stretched-thin museum world.

If you believe museum education matters deeply—and that your work isn’t childish just because you work with children—you’re in the right place. Discover more at modernmuseumeducation.com!

Hi, I am Rachel, a resource expert and
career coach for museum educators who

are stretched thin, but long to fall
in love with their world-changing work.

After over 15 years with my own hands
in the glitter, I know how it feels

when your Board thinks your work is
childish because you work with children.

I know how hard it is to lead a
tour on a difficult subject, and I

know the frustration of waiting on a
school bus that is 20 minutes late or

worse, 10 minutes early as I'm heading
towards the second half of my career.

I find myself with a passion to
help my fellow educators reverse the

chronic state of being overworked and
underappreciated so that they can reclaim

their creativity and emotional energy.

Join me and my museum buddies as
we share our best tips, tricks, and

techniques for modern museum education.

Okay, friends, welcome to day 12
of the 12 Days of Christmas Museum

Education Edition, my holiday gift
to the museum educator community.

This is the final episode of the series,
the final episode of the podcast for

2024, and I just wanted to take a
quick second and say, thank you so

much for hanging in there with me.

I know that I have not been really
reliable with this podcast this year

because I've been super busy with some
client work and my schoolwork, of course.

All of that is for the benefit
of the museum educator community.

And I really have a deep passion
for those of us who work in museum

education, particularly with children,
because I so deeply believe that

museum education can change the world.

And I'm super passionate about
helping museum educators better

bridge the gap between scholarship
and practice so that you can do

what you do with more ease, more
creativity, more joy, and less burnout.

Like this is, this is my life's passion
and, and I've been really working

hard kind of behind the scenes and in
some quiet ways to set some things up

so that I can do that work bigger and
better next year and on into the future.

So I just wanted to use this last
episode really briefly to sort of kind

of put a bow on what has come before
in modern museum education and to set

up some things for us for next year.

And most importantly, to encourage you
about why museum education matters.

, because it does, it
matters so, so, so much.

The work we do is more
important than ever.

Over the past year, all of you have
worked so hard to shape the minds and

lives and experiences of your visitors.

But particularly, I want to call
your attention to the work that

you have done with the children who
came through your doors this year.

The kids that you inspire today are going
to become the adults who fund museums and

vote on policies and decide the direction
of our communities in the future.

Those of us who work in museum education,
we are planting seeds, seeds of curiosity,

critical thinking, and empathy, that
will bloom in ways we might not see

right away, but that will surely
take root in the generations to come.

Museums have a unique power to
affect social change in a world that

feels so divided and so uncertain.

Museums are places that
bring people together.

We create spaces where history
and art and science and

stories can spark conversation.

Where diverse perspectives are shared
and where complex issues are explored

in ways that inspire people to think
critically and to act thoughtfully.

The world needs the truth,
creativity, and inspiration that

museums provide now more than ever.

But I also know that this
work can be really hard.

In the museum business, we carry the
weight of history, culture, science.

We carry the weight of the
knowledge that is the very

building blocks of our society.

And yet we constantly face the
challenge of having to stay relevant

and the pressure of engaging
audiences in meaningful ways.

We face tension over funding
issues and accessibility issues.

It's hard.

It's hard.

I know it's so hard.

I have seen so many of my colleagues
experience burnout and doubt.

It's hard when the stakes feel so
high, but I want you to know this.

Your work matters, whether you're leading
a field trip or designing a program or

simply opening the door for a visitor.

You are making a lasting impact.

The work that we do today
shapes the leaders thinkers

and change makers of tomorrow.

So as we close out 2024, I just wanted
to, again, thank each and every one of

you for your dedication and your passion.

And as we look forward to 2025,

I'm so excited for what is ahead
for all of us, for me here at

Modern Museum Education, and
for you at your institution.

Next year is going to
be seriously exciting.

For me.

I'm opening up some more availability
for some small scale consulting projects.

So if you were wanting to overhaul
a program or embark on some audience

evaluation, I am here to help you.

I'm also excited to open up more
space in my calendar for one on one

professional development power hours.

So if you are new to museum education or
leadership or need someone to just bounce

some ideas off of, I'm your go to girl.

Mentoring is one of my top
strengths and I am so excited to

lean into more of that next year.

I will also have some more availability
for staff training workshops.

So if you have some professional
development goals for your department next

year, I would love to help you meet them.

And that is just the tip of the iceberg.

I'm also going to be wrapping
up my coursework for my PhD.

I'm going to be diving deep
into my dissertation research.

And next year, I'm also going to be
meeting some of my own professional

goals, specifically publication goals.

So, be sure you stay tuned for that.

I'm really excited to
share what I'm working on.

So I hope that you will join me back
here next year after the new year.

And together, we will continue
to explore how to make the museum

experience more engaging, inclusive,
and transformative for everyone.

So here is to a new year of
growth, innovation, and most

importantly, meaningful connections.

Again, thank you for all that you
do, and thank you for being part

of this incredible community.

Let's make 2025 our best year yet.

Thank you so much for joining us.

If this episode has been helpful to you
or interesting, please take a minute

to like subscribe and leave a review.

Which will help other museum
educators find this resource.

As always, if you would like to work with
me more directly, have any questions or

would like to be a guest on the podcast,
you can find links to all that and more

on my website, modernmuseumeducation.com.

I'll see you back here next time.

And in the meantime, please remember
that your work is not childish,

just because you work with children.