An Argument for Standardization

Apparently, this blog is where I vent. Well, at least I'm doing something with my time...

An Argument for Standardization

A recent victim of budget cuts, I am discovering just how unprepared I am to navigate the murky waters of job hunting in a field still struggling to define itself.

How can we expect to promote the interpretive profession and professionalism without clear standards/guidelines for what qualities make up an interpretive professional at different levels? If someone applies for a teaching position within a public school district in any state in this country it is assumed/expected that they will have attained a state teaching certificate, in conjunction with a bachelor’s degree and will have or be in the process of earning a master’s degree as well. Within the interpretive field qualities that rate an applicant for an interpretive position as qualified range from simply having a friendly and outgoing manner to possessing a master’s degree or higher.

I myself stumbled into the profession through the side door. Based on the non-profit, budget beleaguered nature of most interpretive employers standards are set aside or overlooked completely in exchange for a warm and willing body. Needs are waiting to be met and the individual who can satisfy the greatest number of those needs while at the same time accepting a position for low pay are the winners of the job search lottery.

I have since made up for lost time by attending training workshops, national workshops, becoming a CIG, and beginning graduate studies relevant to my chosen field. You would think that, taking all of that and the 8 ½ years I have worked as a naturalist into consideration, I would be a gem in the eyes of prospective employers. In the eyes of some, I am a gem, in the eyes of others I am no more than the small pebble that sticks in the treads of their boots.

The NPS rated me as qualified for a GS-09 Education Specialist position when I recently submitted my first ever application. That fact alone gave me pride and a newfound confidence that I sorely needed to maintain my job hunting momentum. I was qualified! I was valuable! If the NPS thought I rated so high surely I would have no trouble finding a job. But, while I felt an emerald in the eyes of NPS, I rated topaz in the eyes of a local museum when applying for the part-time position of Teacher Host (read – tour guide) with the Strong National Museum of Play.

Two short days after electronically submitting my application I received a form letter in the mail stating “not withstanding your training and experience, we are searching for a candidate whose skills, experience, and education philosophy are more closely aligned with our job requirements.”
From their website: http://www.strongmuseum.org/about_us/job_opportunities.html accessed on Feb. 13, 2008

TEACHING HOSTJob Type: Part-time; 12–18 hours per week; weekdays during the school year.Education: NYS certification or equivalent experience in any content area. Wage: $12.50 per hourStart Date: Negotiable.Job Description & Qualifications:Strong – National Museum of Play® has immediate openings for hourly-paid K–8 teachers who have NYS certification (or equivalent experience in any content area) and who are familiar with Multiple Intelligences. Must have a positive attitude and be articulate, enthusiastic, and interested in a flexible part-time schedule. Must be able to work well with children in non-traditional delivery settings, and able to work well on a team. Lessons are provided.
Must consent to and pass a drug screen and a criminal background check as a condition of employment. We are a smoke-free building and smoking is not allowed on museum property.
To apply, click HERE to enter our career site. If you do not have Internet Explorer, a resume may be e-mailed to jobs@museumofplay.org

When I went through the on-line application process it stated on one page that a master’s degree was required for the position. I foolishly believed that my years of experience and years already completed towards my master’s would suffice.

As the NAI certification program continues to grow, more and more institutions are adopting the standards set forth by NAI and using the standards of certification as a measure for prospective employees. But what of the organizations that are not members of NAI or do not prescribe to the standards NAI has created? This is a challenge that will be one of the largest and ultimately most meaningful to NAI and its membership. If we are to professionalize ourselves at a national or global level we need to work with other organizations to set a level that all agree upon. We must meet with NAAEE, ALFHAM, AAM, AZA, the list goes on, and determine what defines an interpreter and what standards should be expected from interpretive candidates and professionals.

Every year I am asked by the parents of nature and animal-loving children how I came into the profession. Their children are nearing the end of their high school careers and their parents are hoping to be able to give them the direction that overburdened high school guidance counselors cannot – how can my child do what you do? I honestly don’t know what to tell them. Unless they know the exact place they would like to work, there is no easy answer. And if they do perchance know that they definitely want to work at Park/Museum X when they graduate, how do they prepare themselves to find work elsewhere if their jobs are cut or eliminated due to budget cuts as mine was so recently? Without standardization they can only hope to appeal to those institutions holding the same standards and values as the one they started at.