Abigail Gautreau
develop their teamwork skills by assigning them to small groups to complete larger tasks so that
they can learn to appreciate each others skills. This might mean assigning different groups of
students to different sections of a National Register nomination, with some students working on
the architectural description while others work on the statement of significance, and finding an
effective team leader to be in charge of coordinating and combining the material into the form
correctly. Although most students loathe group work, and I was one of them early on, I spent the
bulk of my doctoral assistantship and coursework learning to be part of a team, and I think this
is a key to what makes me an effective public historian. If students learn early on to stop trying
to control more than their share of the process, it makes it easier for them to let community
members take charge down the road in their careers. Dividing the work also makes it easier for
students to figure out which sorts of positions they might be interested in when they enter the
job market. Some students might particularly enjoy the technical work of preservation, and so
could look to consulting firms and state historic preservation offices. Others might find that they
prefer interpretation and so look for positions in that area. At the end of the day however, most
public historians must wear many hats, and so all students need to prepared to do a variety of
types of work within the broader field. This breadth of experience and ability to function as a
good team member is what makes emerging professionals good candidates on the job market,
which is key finding successful placement for new graduates.
Students build confidence through accomplishing challenging goals on real projects; that means
that rather than doing practice work, they need to work on projects that application and purpose
outside of the classroom. This philosophy applies to both undergraduate and graduate students.
The classroom is a safe space for learning, but the product should be oriented toward a public
forum, whether its writing or expanding a wikipedia page or writing architectural descriptions for
a survey. Failure is a routine part of public history work; projects do not often match up to the
original vision, and in some cases, community partnerships can be a real challenge. The sooner
students learn this, the easier it is for them to take these setbacks in strike and learn to focus on
the important parts of their work: building a relationship with their community partners and
finding ways to achieve shared heritage and preservation outcomes using a process that fosters
community engagement. I believe that a solid foundation within the classroom sets students up
for success when they take on practical internships and later enter the job market.