Thriving at Work: 12 Days of Christmas, Day 11

Show Notes

In this penultimate episode of the 12 Days of Christmas Museum Education Edition, we dive into a deeply resonant topic for museum educators: finding and sustaining joy in your career. Whether you're thriving or just surviving, this episode offers actionable strategies to help you reconnect with your passion, create balance, and innovate in your work.

From rediscovering the spark that brought you to museum education to building meaningful connections and setting boundaries, discover insights and practical advice to help you start the new year on a positive note.

Find full show notes and a transcript at https://modernmuseumeducation.com/podcast/019.

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 back to
the 12 Days of Christmas Museum

Education Edition, my holiday gift
to the Museum Educator community.

We are winding down, it is almost
January and we have today and one

more day left in this special series.

Today is all about a topic that resonates
with so many of us: how to unlock

joy in your museum education career.

My deepest wish is that we
are all thriving in and not

just surviving our jobs.

If you have ever felt like you are stuck
in survival mode, just trying to stay

afloat amidst all the demands of museum
life, then this is the one for you.

So I am going to encourage
you to flip the script.

We're going to rediscover the
joy that brought us here to

museum work in the first place.

This topic is very personal
for me because I have been on

both extremes of this spectrum.

I have spent months and years where
I loved every second of my job.

And months and years where pulling
into the parking lot outside of my

museum just made my stomach lurch
and every muscle in my body tense.

I have cried tears of joy
and tears of frustration

at my museum job, and I have so much
to say on the topic of work life

balance and finding joy in museum work.

For those of us who work in museums, it
is often a passion project type of career.

We get into it because we are
passionate about the subject,

because we're passionate about
making a difference, because we're

passionate about the audiences.

But the day to day grind of
more work than there are hours

in the day, not enough staff.

You know, the classic museum joke that
we all have other duties as assigned.

It can wear on you.

And one of my biggest passions now is to
help museum educators avoid that fate.

Our work matters so much
and you matter so much.

So as we leave 2024 behind us and work
our way into 2025, I want to give you

a few parting thoughts to help inspire
you as you move into a new year.

And if this topic resonates with
you, please send me an email to

rachel at modernmuseumeducation.

com and let me know.

Because if this is something that
resonates with the listeners of

this podcast, we will absolutely
dive more into this next year if it

would be helpful for this community.

Because I think that this is
something that a lot of us

struggle with on a regular basis.

So, to help you rediscover some
of your joy in museum work,

let me ask you a question.

What lit the spark for
you in the first place.

Was it the first time you saw a
child's eyes go wide with wonder?

Was it the first time you saw a family
interact together, learning something,

taking something meaningful from your
museum exhibit or from your program?

Was it a conversation with a visitor?

What was it that struck your heart
so deeply, that sparked a fire

in you for museum education work?

Whatever it was, sit with that
memory, hold onto that because

that spark is your anchor.

Your passion for museum
education fuels everything.

When you reconnect with it, not
only do you reignite your joy,

but you also radiate that outward.

Your coworkers, visitors,
your staff, your volunteers,

everybody can feel that energy.

So, take a moment in this kind of quiet
time of the year and reflect on what your

favorite moments in museum education are.

And ask yourself, how can I bring
more of that into my daily work?

Second, remember that museum
education is not a solo act.

I mean, I know it feels that
way so much of the time.

Especially if you work in a small
museum and you're the only educator.

But really, museum education
is a collaborative performance.

It's a collaboration between
you and your audience.

It's a collaboration between your museum
and all of the other museums that your

visitors attend over their lifetime.

Plus, the professional museum
community is literally the very best.

There are so many colleagues out there
who are ready and waiting to support you.

The more that we connect with others, the
more that we share and learn and grow.

So whether it's a brainstorming
session with a coworker, or joining

a professional association, or just
reaching out to a fellow educator for

advice, your network, is your superpower.

One of my favorite strategies is to
schedule a coffee chat with a peer.

So just send an email to someone
and say, Hey, it's been a while.

Let's catch up.

What are you doing at your museum?

Let me tell you what
we're doing at our museum.

Share some ideas, bounce
ideas off of each other.

These conversations spark more ideas
that you may never have seen coming.

And at the very least, you
can commiserate together.

Remember, the more connections
that you foster, the stronger

your support system becomes.

Third, keep feeding your curiosity.

We talk about lifelong learning all of
the time for our visitors, but how often

do we apply that mindset to ourselves?

Thriving in museum education
means staying curious and actively

seeking growth opportunities.

So, explore workshops and
conferences and online forums.

An inspiring webinar
can spark ideas for you.

It can transform your programming.

Never underestimate the power
of investing in yourself.

It pays dividends, not just
for your career, but for your

institution and more importantly,
for the community that you serve.

And fourth, this one is super,
super important, learn the art of

setting boundaries . Now, balance
is something that we talk a lot

about, but we don't do very well.

Burnout is real, and it creeps up on
even the most passionate educators.

Setting boundaries isn't
selfish, it is essential.

You, you need to feel empowered to say
no when your plate is full, and you need

to be able to create space for self care.

And I know that this is really
hard for a lot of people in the

museum field because we do give so
much of ourselves, professionally,

but also personally to our work.

And I just want to take a
minute and remind you that

you are more than your job.

Your job matters.

Museums, I say this all the time, museums
have the power and museum education

has the power to change the world.

I truly believe that.

I truly believe that we are doing world
changing work, but also you cannot do

that work entirely by yourself, and
you are more than the work that you

do, even though it's super important,
you are more important than that.

So create space for the things
that refuel you, and if you can

find a way to weave these things
into your workday even better.

So can you take a quiet walk at work?

Museums generally tend to be
aesthetically pleasing places.

So if you happen to work in a
museum that is a beautiful place

to be, take advantage of that.

Get up and leave your office
for a few minutes every day.

Take a walk.

If you have a garden
outside, take a walk outside.

If you have lovely galleries, just
take a walk through the galleries.

If you have a favorite piece in your
collection that's just pretty, and

it doesn't, it's not, important for
any particular reason other than it

just pulls at you, go sit in front
of that piece and just enjoy it.

Sometimes we get so caught up
in the interpretation of our

spaces that we forget to wonder
at them like our visitors do.

And the cool thing is, is
that we work in places that

people pay actual money to see.

So, enjoy that.

Take advantage of that.

Get up and, and take a walk.

I would also encourage you to
turn off your phone at night.

I was the absolute worst about this when
I was responsible for booking field trips.

I would check my email just
literally constantly and I get it.

Sometimes there are seasons, you know,
if it's summer camp registration time

or, you have a teacher who's planning
to come the next day, but there's bad

weather, and so you just may need to
make sure that you're coordinating.

I mean, I get it.

There are, there are exceptions to
this rule, but generally speaking,

try not to check your phone at night.

Don't check your emails in
the evening and on weekends.

Remember that your work is super
important, but you are more important,

and your health is more important.

A well rested and rejuvenated
educator is far more effective

than one who is running on empty.

Finally, let's talk about innovation.

Museums are evolving and we
should also be evolving with them.

So don't be afraid to try new
ideas, experiment with some new

technique or some new technology or
some new program elements, rethink

your traditional programming.

I talked about the power of
innovation and innovative ideas on

an earlier episode in this series.

I would really encourage you to
check that episode out, to consider

how you can incorporate some
originality into your programming.

Impactful projects come from
educators who are willing to

think beyond that status quo.

And shaking things up can make your
workday more exciting, not just

for your visitors, but it can also
make it more exciting for you to

come to work in the first place.

So consider this your invitation
to dream up something big.

Whether it's designing a more inclusive
field trip program, or finding creative

ways to connect your exhibits to
current events, you have the power

to leave a lasting legacy for your
visitors, and that can also make

your work life feel more rewarding.

When you feel like a hamster on a
wheel doing the same thing every

single day, that can be draining.

So consider the power of innovation
to relight the spark that made

you fall in love with museum
education in the first place.

A

So here's the big takeaway.

Thriving in museum education is about
more than just getting through the day.

It is about reconnecting with your
passion, building meaningful connections,

continuing to learn, setting appropriate
boundaries, and embracing innovation.

So as we're heading into the new
year, I'm, I'm going to challenge

you to take one step toward unlocking
more joy in your work, reflect,

connect, learn, rest, innovate.

Whatever feels most needed for you
right now, start there, do that thing.

And remember, we are all in this
together, crafting experiences

that inspire curiosity and
wonder for everyone around us.

Okay, y'all, we have one more day left
in our 12 Days of Christmas series,

so be sure to check in tomorrow for
that, and I'll see you back here then.

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.