This message has been crossposted to a number of Public Hisotry and
Heritage oriented Lists.  I apologize in adavance for any inconvenience.

To entire list,

I am currently working on a lesson plan that will be used as a
preperation activity for middle school and high school students who will
be completing Student Service Learning Programs at the Baltimore Museum
of Industry.  This prep. activtiy will attempt to introduce these
students to the services rendered to the community by people,
professional and volunteer, who work in a heritage, history or cultural
capacity.  The activity will be composed of two parts.  Part one will
examine a local controversy concerning historical interpretation.  A
historic building is being torn down in your neighborhood some people are
for it, some against, what are the issues involved?  How do we attempt to
solve it? What different kinds of people can help us?  That sort of
thing.  The second part will consist of an examination of a set of people
who work in a heritage or public history  capacity .  Basically who they
are, what do they do, and why do they do it?  And here is where I need
help.

I need people on this list to contribute brief essays for this part of
the lesson.  I would like to be able to draw on about a dozen different
essays written by as diverse a population as possible, on why heritage
people do what they do.  The ideal essay will contain the following:
1. A brief biography
2. A brief job description
3. A brief statement on why you chose to do what you do, focussing on
more or less tangible benefits that you hope to see in the community,
society, or individuals..  (It makes me feel all warm inside is not
necessarily a bad reason, but it is hard for teenagers to take that
seriously sometimes.)
4. Frustrations of your job and reasons why you may leave or have left
the field

Aside from wanting every single person on this list to contribute, I
especially would like the following to consider jotting a few things down:
1. Volunteers
2. Board Members
3. Community Activists
4. Consultants who do a great deal of pro bono work as a matter of policy
5. Non-profit lobbyists for heritage issues
6. People working for or with ethnic or gender related heritage projects
7. Politicians or government employees involved in heritage issues
8. Staff that work in fields not restricted to these areas, but who have
chosen to work in a heritage capacity for ree or a lot less money than
they would get in private sphere, ie PR, development, computers,
secretarial, building contractor, architect etc.
9. People who are considering leaving the field or who have left the
field.  Either as a volunteer or profesional
10..Anyone else who spends any part of their day in  heritage or
historical pursuits (Except researching, writing and teaching traditional
classroom lessons, not that these aren't a service to the community, its
just not the fields I am covering.

Let me also tell anyone thinking of helping, that I will only use these
in my institution and there is no plan to print, publish or sell anything
produced.  I will also be happy to fictionalize anyone who would like to
contribute anonymously.  I may do this for everyone I haven't decided.

I was thinking about buying everyone who contributed a drink, but I can't
figure out how to work that.  maybe a reception in my room at AAM.  Oh
well lets see what happens.

Thanks to everyone in advance.

THese thoughts are mine and do not reflect the opinions of my employer,
co-workers, employees, friends, relatives, or signifigant others.

Matthew A. White
Director of Education
Baltimore Museum of Industry
1415 Key Highway
Baltimore, MD 21230
(410)727-4808
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