CIAMS is pleased to announce the creation of a Student Spotlight Series! In the past, we have piggybacked on the Graduate School's series (check out Annapaola's here), but wanted to create a more archaeologically-focused version for the benefit of CIAMS faculty and students. Each semester, we will send a short questionnaire to a handful of students asking them to share important insights from their research as well as some general information about themselves. These spotlights are intended to familiarize the CIAMS community with the fascinating research being done by our students, who in turn will have a place to share valuable lessons they've learned during their graduate careers.
This month, we will feature two CIAMS students to hold us over for the summer term, and will resume the spotlight series in Fall 2020.
Our first CIAMS spotlight is Sarah McCully, an MA student whose work centers on archaeology and youth education.
Tell us about your research in a few sentences
For my thesis project, I’m making a set of lesson plans and educational resources about archaeology for a local 6th grade social studies classroom. I’ve been researching a lot of public and community-based archaeological projects to see how similar collaborative principles can be applied to archaeological education. Since my goal for this project is really to make a resource that the students and teachers find useful for years to come, the key is letting their needs define it.
What inspired you to choose this area of study?
I’ve always really enjoyed teaching and working with kids, so this felt like a natural fit. I was so obsessed with archaeology as a kid and would have loved to learn about it from more than just Indiana Jones. I’ve always really disliked the ivory-tower tendency that some models of archaeological research have; what’s the point of finding something cool if no one else gets to see it? I’m so inspired by all of the scholars doing amazing work with local and descendant communities, and making sure that archaeology is done by and for those communities rather than in spite of them. To me, education is a big part of that equation.
Tell us something about your research that people might find surprising.
So many kids respond really, really well to archaeology. Kids aren’t afraid to get their hands dirty, which is coincidentally also how every archaeologist in the world feels. During a pottery reconstruction lesson I taught last year, one student even got sad after he learned that they wouldn’t get to break the plates themselves first. Because archaeology is incredibly interdisciplinary, educators can use it to teach about so many things: history, science, art, civics, you name it. I think it can be such a rich resource to schools outside of the academy.
Can you share a valuable lesson you’ve learned during your research?
I think the most important thing I’ve learned during this whole process is how important it is to be flexible, and to really listen to your collaborators’ needs. COVID-19 has obviously changed pretty much everything about how schools operate on a daily basis now, so it only makes sense that my project should change too, to fit those new needs. We are working on adapting some of my lessons to be sent out in packets in the coming weeks, rather than being taught in person in a classroom. Relinquishing control over a project is hard, especially if you’re as type-A as me, but it's so important when you’re working with or for other people and in times as crazy as these.
What are some of your hobbies/interests outside of archaeology?
Just your average nerdy pursuits. I play a lot of Dungeons and Dragons, and love to read. Baking desserts is a personal favorite, including an increasingly elaborate gingerbread house every year around the holidays. Being in quarantine has really reignited my love for taking long walks and sleeping way more than necessary.
And finally...coffee or tea?
Oh, tea for sure. I even have a tea tattoo, which probably tells you all you need to know.
Stay tuned for our next CIAMS student spotlight!
