Torquay Museum is 'best school day ever'!

Claire Barnett, learning officer at Torquay Museum:

Torquay Museum is such a wonderful place and really makes for 'the best school day ever'.

Take one university degree in social anthropology and study of religions. Add 15 years of teaching in schools followed by an escape to the library service and training in massage therapy. Sprinkle in a temporary dalliance with penguins at a coastal zoo before adding a second dose of school teaching and a move to specialist post-16 SEND education, running concurrently with private tutoring.

Shake and mix well with a global pandemic. Exchange said mix for full-time self-employment. Let stand for a year...

If anyone asks me how I got to work at Torquay Museum, well this was the recipe, my route, and it’s one I’m so glad I’ve been able to take.

Working as a learning officer on the education team at Torquay Museum is a privileged position for a former teacher who loves the teaching but prefers the freedom that comes with freelance.

I get to talk about a world of adventure and mystery, awe and wonder, beliefs and mythology; of ancient Egyptians, local explorers and stone age ancestors: a dream job for an ex-RE teacher with a penchant for role play. Just ask anyone who’s taken part in our embalming and mummification ceremony.

In that same workshop, we ask the children the following question: "If you could choose one thing to take with you to the Ancient Egyptian afterlife, what would it be?"

Surprisingly, Nintendo Switch and Xbox are often further down the list than anticipated. 'My mum' is often up there, along with ‘my books’ and ‘my hamster’ in the last session we had just a week ago.

And so our young people get to explore their own notions of belief and value from exploring another civilisation within the museum setting. After one such workshop earlier this year, one child announced he’d had ‘the best school day ever!’ My dream job just got even better.

Since my first museum education workshop 16 months ago, I’ve had the pleasure of working not just with primary schools but with a whole host of people: from a vibrant home education group, to shy and excited new Year 7s before their first day at secondary school and the great British public, from toddlers to those living their second childhood.

Seeing visitors in their 70s and 80s enjoying making candy cane mice was a joy! I’ve celebrated World Book Day, Halloween and Christmas. I’ve tapped into my seafaring side as ‘Pirate Claire’ and enjoyed sharing many a story time with some of our youngest visitors.

This weekend, I’ll be channelling peace and love as Big Fish Little Fish present the museum’s first family rave.

Whatever will they think of next? Watch this space!

The culmination of a meandering life and career path has brought me to Torquay Museum and it’s somewhere I’d like to stay a while. It’s a wonderful place, I hope you’ll agree. Come and visit us soon.

To find out more about the museum’s education service, visit torquaymuseum.org