Work experience blog: Alexandra

I’m Alexandra and I’m doing a placement here in the Jewish Museum’s Learning Department. At the Jewish Museum you get to do many varied tasks that involve jumping into the action but also time to do administration.

On the more practical side, you get to see school workshops and towards the end you can make a contribution to them. When it comes to the administration side, you create documents that help contribute to the more digital side of the Jewish Museum, for example this blog post.

So day 1:

I met with Emma at the café and she explained what I had to do for the day which was observe the workshops and do a Health and Safety mini course. When the year 3s came in they were so excited and already knew so much about Judaism, which was surprising to see how much they knew.

They got to touch some objects and they came up with the most creative ways to use them. We then went to one of the exhibitions where the kids learnt some new things. Like, did you know that one of their artefacts was used as a wardrobe in Northumberland?  They then got a chance to practice writing in Hebrew with a quill and ink, and even though they didn’t look exact, you could see how much effort they put in.

Day 2:

From a previous exhibition there was a book where visitors wrote down the people they would like to remember that survived or died in the Holocaust. I typed up what they wrote to create a digital record of these memories. I got to see how their past really affects their present which showed a different perspective of how family bonds really last. I then had to focus on little tasks here and there to take a break from the computer screen which really helped focus when I got back to the screen. Then I started this blog.

Day 3:

So day three was another workshop where I shadowed, but I still got a chance to learn some new things like a set of tefillin is wrapped around your arm and head which inside has scriptures that help people focus when praying.

Day 4:

There was a school coming in and I got to lead one part of the visit for year 6 students in the galleries. It was fun because I got to lead the group, but a little nerve wracking because I didn’t want to mix up information. It was a great opportunity to further my leadership skills.

Lastly day 5:

So on the last day, I got to lead the tour around the Judaism gallery for year 7 girls, which also helped boost my social confidence. I learnt a lot about Judaism itself and how to talk with ease to strangers. Everyone was so helpful and so friendly that it really helped me enjoy my work experience.