when i was curating the marine science museum i was up in the archives looking for something and when i walked out i had to go through the main museum hall and i heard some kids speculating something about a whale skeleton so i walked up and started talking to them about it. they started asking me follow up questions and then another and another and another and then their parents came over and immediately zeroed in on my "curator" nametag and told their kids i was probably very busy and i said no not at all keep asking me questions. soon their parents asked some questions too (after a few more apologies, because somewhere along the line they learned shame that i want to undo) and in the end i talked to them for like 30 minutes as a few more people joined.
a few months later one of the parents wrote me a letter that i still keep with me and in the letter they asked the kids what they learned at the museum and one of the kids said, "i learned i'm special."
choked up just typing that now LMAO. they didn't mention the whales or the squids or the seals or the tides or the seaweed i told them all about. they learned that their questions matter so much that even the person in charge should stop and answer them. they learned they don't need to apologize for not knowing and for asking questions. they learned that they're special!!!!!!!! what could possibly matter more???
