The Wellin held is its second annual Teacher Think Tank at the end of September, an event that encourages open dialogue between museum staff and local educators and administrators. In the past, the event was attended by educators who had yet to use the Wellin Museum to supplement their in-school curriculum, mainly because the museum itself was so new. Moving forward, there will be a mix of local educators and administrators, some of which have used the Wellin Museum, and like institutions, and some who haven't.

The idea behind the mix of respondents reflects the ultimate goal of the Teacher Think Tank; to listen to what educators want and need in a museum experience. With the pressures of testing schedules, budgetary limitations for field trips, and the transition to the Common Core, we were hearing from  colleagues who teach that getting out of the classroom was becoming increasingly difficult. To alleviate some of that pressure, the Wellin created programs that would correspond with a myriad of subjects taught in public schools, both for in-museum and in-school use. The best way we've found to help teachers accomplish their goals for their students is to simply ask them how we may be of service. Not surprisingly, they have been more than willing to tell us. The Teacher Think Tanks at the Wellin Museum are just one of the ways that we hear from teachers, but they play a special role in our school-year kick-off and often include a private tour of the museum after-hours for additional brainstorming time.

For those interested in our next educator event, check out our programming calendar.