Meet the Educators!

Alma Cheyne – Group Education Coordinator

Alma attended Virginia Commonwealth University and earned a B.F.A in Art Education. Alma taught art for one year in Sussex County at Chambliss Elementary, Annie B. Elementary and Jefferson Elementary School. She student taught at Blackwell Elementary School and Thomas Jefferson High School. Alma’s practicum was completed at Chandler Middle School, Norrell Elementary School and Overby-Sheppard Elementary School. She was an after-school instructor for Young Rembrandts at various Henrico, Hanover and Chesterfield elementary schools. Alma was a Program Educator with the Children’s Museum for one year before becoming Field Trip Coordinator. Why did you become an educator? I encountered several discouraging art teachers while in school. That got me interested in becoming an educator – I wanted to make improvements and make a difference in at least one child’s life. What inspires you to develop lesson plans and teach at the museum? Going to conferences, networking with colleagues, visiting museums and going through picture books and manuals inspire me. I also like to check websites such as http://www.dickblick.com/, http://www.smithsonian.org/, and http://www.discoveryeducation.com/. What is your favorite subject to teach and why? My favorite subject to teach is art. In art there are endless ways of thinking outside the box when critically solving various issues - and children of all ages are able to learn this. What do you enjoy most about teaching at the Children’s Museum? I like the diversity of the children and schools we welcome - there are always different numbers and ages of children in each group. Watching those children learn through play and hands-on activities is so exciting. What was your favorite moment as a field trip coordinator? A favorite moment was when I recently received a call from a former colleague who called to reserve a field trip for her class. In previous years her school was unable to come to the museum because of their budget concerns. I love being a part of bringing the museum experience to these students.

Jessica Brown Shindler – Program Educator

Jessica attended Longwood University in Farmville and majored in Liberal Studies/Elementary Education. She taught for four years at The Goddard School in Henrico as the assistant Kindergarten teacher. Why did you decide to become an Educator at the Children’s Museum? I was interested in working with children of various ages and also liked the idea of working with the diverse background and capabilities of children who visit the museum. I also agree with the museum’s education philosophy of learning through play. What inspires you to develop lesson plans and teach at the museum? I am inspired by the opportunity to encourage learning through play and hands-on activities, as well as to create a positive and stimulating learning environment for children in our community. What is your favorite subject to teach and why? Math is one of my favorite subjects. I enjoy working with numbers and patterns, and being able to extend this knowledge to children is great. Art is another favorite subject because I love to draw and paint and I absolutely love seeing children’s creations. We have a fantastic art studio here that really encourages creativity! What do you enjoy most about teaching at the Children’s Museum? The staff is great to work with - they are passionate and have the same goals as I do. I love instilling a love-of-learning in children and having the opportunity to make a difference in many little ones’ lives. What has been your favorite moment teaching at the museum? I think it was my third or fourth week working here and I taught Sinking and Floating Matters. During one of the activities in class, I asked the children to predict before testing whether a bottle that was half-filled with water would sink or float in a large tub of water. One child guessed “It will do both…sink and float!” and another child shouted out, “No way!” The reactions of the children and how the class was so intrigued with the experiment made it really fun and memorable.

Janette Obermueller - Program Educator

Graduated from Pepperdine University in California with a BA in Elementary Education and minor in theatre Why did you decide to become an Educator at the Children’s Museum? I felt like it was a great place where I could use my skill sets and years of experience working in Education and Entertainment. I love working with children and also aligned with the museum’s mission and values that center on play as a way to learn and understand the world! What inspires you to develop lesson plans and teach at the museum? It’s a fun challenge to try and figure out how to make the information that children are required to learn into a fun, exciting, and engaging lesson for them. What is your favorite subject to teach and why? I really enjoy many different subjects for a variety of reasons! Math and Science were never my favorites as a child. However, now I enjoy adding the arts into all the subjects I teach so that all types of learners get to enjoy every subject, especially Math and Science! What do you enjoy most about teaching? Seeing kids respond to what they are learning! They get excited and so do I! I also love that the teaching atmosphere is always changing; one minute we get to learn about science and the weather and the next we’re singing songs and making art projects! What has been your favorite teaching moment? I am thankful to have lots of great memories from my previous job working as the director of a faith-based children’s program in Orlando, Fl. There I taught a little girl who excitedly said to me, in one breath, that she loved history, loved me, and had made homemade salsa! Moments like that are precious and make teaching fun! I am thrilled to join the team here at CMoR and can’t wait to teach and get to know the awesome kids here in Richmond!