New Gallery Educators Join the Museum Family

Today's blog comes to us from Education Assistant Monica Brandwein.

The 32 new Gallery Educators have become a family to me. Since their training began in September, I have made great connections with each of them. Working with the class, either as whole or as individuals, I felt that I was always learning. So when it was time for them to graduate, you could understand how happy and excited I was. It was like seeing my “kids” graduate. Preparations for the event took a lot of time and effort and I wanted to make sure everything would be perfect. I had to make sure everything was ordered and ready for the big day—it almost felt like I was making a bat mitzvah.

On Wednesday, March 18, the day finally the day arrived. The 32 Gallery Educators arrived at 4 p.m. for rehearsal. It was so exciting to see all of them dressed up with big smiles on their faces and a great sense of accomplishment. We pinned white roses on their outfits to symbolize the importance of individual responsibility and action in times of complacency and hatred. The Gallery Educators expressed such honor as the roses were placed on their shirts. At 5 p.m. the doors opened and the family and friends of the class members entered the Events Hall for a special evening and were joined by Museum staff. David Marwell, Director of the Museum, began with opening remarks followed by a musical performance by the Westchester Day School Choir. Then, Ken Goldsmith, Gallery Education Coordinator, presented the new class to Manhattan District Attorney Robert M. Morgenthau, who conferred the Gallery Educator status. After the conferral of the Gallery Educators there was a reception in honor of the graduates.

During the reception I could not stop smiling. At one point, I caught myself getting a little choked up. It was so amazing to see how the friends and family of the class already had such a love of the Museum; many could not wait to become more involved. The graduates themselves were so anxious to lead their first tours that some took their loved ones into the galleries for a mini-tour. Some of the graduates talked about having a reunion. It was a night that I will truly remember for a very long time.