Editor’s Note: School and weekend guided tours are an important
component of fulfilling the Museum’s mission of teaching the dangers of hatred,
prejudice and apathy. The editors of “HMH Bearing Witness” sat down with Diane
Merrill, chair of the Museum’s Docent Committee and Education Committee, to
find out what motivates our docents and volunteers to devote so much time and
energy to the Museum.
Why did you become a docent?
As a former high school teacher, I had the chance to basically stop teaching, but
I wanted to give back to the community. I wanted to still make a difference and
I also wanted to have that contact with students and to still work with them. So
I saw an article in the Houston Chronicle about becoming a docent here at the
Museum so I applied.
What goes into becoming a docent?
As a docent, I went through a very extensive training program. I came here to the
Museum two nights a week for basically three hours of classes for six weeks. We
had an extensive manual with reading materials. As part of the training, you actually
get to go into the core and learn how to give a tour on the different sections.
After that six-week training period, you also have a mentor and that mentor
takes you through the Museum. You present a tour to them, and they work with you on improving it. When I did my tour for my
mentor, we did it for about four and a half hours – a typical tour is about two hours. But, it gives you a chance to have someone
to learn from.
What is the main goal of tours at HMH?
When a group comes to the Museum, my goal is to basically
empower them to make a difference in their lives. I want
them to come in and learn the lessons of the Holocaust to
understand our survivors’ stories – to have that glimpse into
the past history so that they can see what happened when
perpetrators took over and bystanders just stood there. So I
want to empower them to make that difference – to realize
that when they leave here instead of being a bystander in
life just looking on they have the chance to be an upstander.
How have you seen tours affect students?
When the students get off the bus, you can often see their excitement. You can see their apprehension. Each child handles
it in their own way, so you have to take a second to read your group. As I go through the core exhibit especially, I notice that
maybe at first they might be a little giddy – a little paying attention to the boy next to them, typical teenage things. But as we
progress, and we start talking about the camps, the ghettos, I often see a change just overtake them, and they start to really
understand the seriousness of what I’m talking about and the seriousness of history. It’s almost like you get to see them grow
up in a very short period of time.
Who comes to HMH for tours?
The range of people that come to the Museum is very diversified. We have student groups from sixth grade to 12th grade;
occasionally, we will take fifth-graders, which is a completely different tour. We have families that come in, senior groups,
people with little children that come over from the other museums and want to also visit our’s. It’s basically Houston across the
charts – all ethnicities and all income levels.
Why should someone apply to be a docent?
Students and adults that come to the Museum are all part of our future. They’re our hope that the world will be a better place.
And by being a docent, you have that chance to open their eyes and make them realize that they too can make a difference.
WHAT I T MEANS TO BE A DOCENT
DIANE MERRILL
CHAIR OF THE MUSEUM’S DOCENT
COMMITTEE AND EDUCATION COMMITTEE