Beyond being a place for questionable selfies, questionable gift shop items and a place to get a really expensive hot dog, the September 11 Memorial and Museum is the place where we mark a dark day in American history and teach what happened to people who weren’t around when it happened. You’d think that knowing about 9/11 would be a key job requirement at a teaching position at the memorial, but according to a job listing we came across today, you’re not required to have a basic understanding of the day in question if you want to lead field trips at the museum.
The job listing for the 9/11 Memorial’s “Education Specialist” states that you’ll be in charge of tours and classroom workshops given to visiting “school, youth and family” groups. You need three years of experience coordinating education programs in other museums, should be a self-starter and familiar with Microsoft Office. They would also prefer that you be familiar with the basic history of September 11, the day you’ll be teaching people about every Tuesday through Saturday, but it’s not like it’s a job requirement you know anything about it. Seriously, under the job requirements is the phrase “Basic familiarity with 9/11 history desirable, but not required.”
Far be it from us to tell you how to get through to teens obsessed with the idea that Bush did 9/11, but it just seems strange that basic of knowledge of 9/11 isn’t required to teach students about it. We asked the September 11 Memorial for a comment on the matter, and on official declined to comment. In the mean time, feel free to apply for the job if you fell into a coma on September 8, 2001 and just woke up last week.
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I feel like this article sort of isn't fair. The majority of museums worth their salt usually have a pretty comprehensive training program that new hires go through, and if someone has all the required knowledge with regards to coordinating groups, etc. and happens to not know much beyond the basic ideas behind 9/11, I wouldn't see it as grounds to turn them away if they're eager to learn. Furthermore all museums operate off a narrative, so even if this person were a 9/11 scholar, they'd still have to undergo training to adhere to the museum's standards.