And so I set out, creating an index of 50 zoo and wild animal park education programs across the country. In addition, I sent out questionnaires which I received responses to from a smaller number of zoos. Through both of these, I discovered the true diversity of zoo education departments. Some had two employees, others over one hundred. Some had very basic programming of camps, scout programs, homeschool classes and field trips. Others had gigantic, dynamic programming including Create-a-Camp, or working with schools through programs like Eco-Academy and the BIG Zoo Lesson.
Through this, I realized that if I wanted to be ready to work in an education department, I would have to get out of the classroom. I knew I needed to learn as much as possible about the wide range of zoo education programs and career positions. Although the index and questionnaires were useful, there was only so much I could know from websites and paragraphs. But travel to every program seemed impossible.
It was actually my mother who suggested the road trip - she knew of my frustrations, and assured me that I could get funding. In addition to a generous donation from my parents, I have written a proposal and will soon be meeting with departments at my university.
The road trip will happen, and I will be able to truly experience education programs across the country. I am excited to learn more and form this trip into a true research experience. In addition to writing detailed experiences here, my camera woman (also my older sister) will be filming at each zoo, and I will be chronicling that film in the form of video blogs. I have been an amateur video blogger for over two years, and am looking forward to using the dynamic and popular venue to share my experiences. Overall, I am just overjoyed to get to travel to new zoos and learn as much as I can.
