Jane Glaser wrote
 
>First, the term indoctrination is an unfortunate one to use for >any
profession. A sense of professionalism with fine basic >skills and academic
background is hardly indoctrination.
 
It may be unfortunate but it may also be accurate.  It becomes indoctrination
when the sense of professionalism must be instilled into people in a fomal
classroom setting and not through succusful participation in that profession.
 Too often at professional conferences and at the few "Museum"  classes I
have attended and other discussions of professionals, participants and
teachers seem to think that professionalism is something that can be
artificially imposed if we only talk about the subject enough. I find that
classes like this are indeed more indoctrination than education.  This may
sound flippant but it has always been a litmus test for me that the more time
members of a field spend trying to convince themselves and others that they
are a profession, the less likely they are to actually be one.
 
If we want to instill a sense professionalism in students lets behave like
professionals and demand them to do the same.  Professionalism should be
learned but not necessarily taught.
 
I think that the field of museum work is less a professions than it is a
series of professions united for a common goal.
 
MATThew A. White
Director of Education
Baltimore Museum of Industry
1415 Key Highway
Baltimore, MD 21230
(410)727-4808
FAX(410)727-4869
e-mail [log in to unmask]