Monday through Friday the buses roll down Museum Drive 

 to the Museum's soiuh entrance, spill out their loads of chil- 

 dren and park five abreast the lenght of the drive. The 

 children rush up the steps, line up in pairs and wait to be 

 checked in. Inside, Stanley Field Hall is criss-crossed by 

 straggling regiments of wide-eyed children. Many of these 

 children are taking part in what the Chicago Public School 

 Board of Education calls a Selected Cultural Field Expe- 

 rience. 



Thousands of children tour the Museum in a year and 

 each year that number increases. \Vith the advent of the 

 federal government's Elementary and Secondary Education 

 Act, which, among other things, provides funds for buses 

 for children in economically depressed communities, the 

 number of school groups touring the Museum has swelled 

 tremendously. Without this subsidy these children are un- 

 able to afford the fare needed for a chartered bus. Head- 

 start, settlement house groups, church groups, school classes, 

 clubs and day camps continue to come to the Museum in 

 ever-growing numbers. 



This is, of course, partially a reflection of increased effort 

 to reach and aid the inner-city child in a constructive and 

 progressive way. Museums across the country are taking 

 part in this effort and the Field Museum is no exception. 



As I stood and watched the seemingly endless parade of 

 children streaming through the Museum halls, I couldn't 

 help wondering^how much do they get out of these tours? 

 is the effort and expense justified or is this a well-intentioned 

 but misdirected expenditure of energy and money? 



To answer these questions I took a tour with a group of 

 third graders; I read books; and I talked to administrators, 

 teachers, Museum personnel, social workers and children. 

 As a result, I arri\-ed at the suspected conclusion for some 

 unexpected reasons. 



This is in no way a comprehensive or statistical survey 

 supported by sophisticated computer-tabulated data. It is, 

 rather, a casual compilation of the views of experienced, in- 

 terested and concerned people involved in the education of 

 children. 



I began the project by consulting Miriam ^Vood, head 

 of the Raymond Foundation, the Museum division con- 

 cerned with booking, arranging and guiding tours, as well 

 as conducting workshops, journeys, and many other special 

 programs. 



Miss Wood is a petite, soft-spoken woman whose gra- 

 cious manner and ready smile belie a mind crammed with 

 facts and figures on civic, federal and private education pro- 

 grams and data on how these programs relate to the Mu- 

 seum. When questioned on these matters, she doesn't 

 require time to gather her thoughts — they are seemingly 

 permanendy gathered and ready for use. In addition to 

 big, formal programs. Miss Wood is interested in small, in- 

 formal efforts such as those of a secretary who devotes her 

 weekends to enriching the life of one slum child by taking 

 him to Museums and other such places, or a family that 

 brings small groups of handicapped children to the Mu- 

 seum in the family stationwagon. 



Ml 



The other time 



by Patricia M. Williams 

 Field Museum Press 



Miss Wood is acutely aware of the role the Museum can 

 play in aiding the inner-city child, the handicapped child, 

 the problem student, as well as the average and superior 

 students. However, she emphatically stresses the need for 

 adequate financial support necessary to fulfill this role. 

 There must be well-trained staff members available to guide 

 these children, as well as facilities and equipment for spe- 

 cial groups. 



Last year the Raymond Foundation registered an un- 

 paralleled 6,214 groups, including 324,661 persons, and 

 expects to top that figure this year. Miss Wood has six 

 highly-trained and expert staff lecturers and nine volim- 

 teer guides to handle this burgeoning number. The vol- 

 unteers are members of a recently formed, enthusiastic group 

 of women who have completed an intensive training period 

 and who are now qualified to conduct a tour of Indian and 

 North American mammal exhibits tailored to the third- 

 grade curriculum of the Chicago public schools. 



Groups are, of course, welcome to tour independently — 

 without Museum guides. However, the advantages of a 

 guided tour are obvious and numerous, as pointed out in 

 the following letter from Mrs. Yuji Kobayashi, a room- 

 mother at Oscar Mayer School, Chicago. 



"As a room mother I have accompanied my children's 

 classes on a number of field trips. During some of these 

 museum trips I have noticed that the teacher experiences 

 difficulty in explaining exhibits to the children in her 

 group. The children at the head of the line can hear her 

 talk quite well but those in the rear can hear very little. 

 Those nearest the exhibit also are able to read the signs and 



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