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I imagine the term " entertainer type educational hack " may come off as unfamiliar to many , so I'll be relaying an anecdotal story to elaborate on what I mean by said term .
So back when I attended elementary school , an assembly type presentation was given to us by a fellow who went by the name of " Summer Dog " regarding the subjects of outer space and underwater plant/animal life ...
It was all very cheesy and childish , what with the fellow wearing silly outfits and doing/saying silly things , but all in all good fun for kids our age and my intent isn't to disparage these sorts of educational practices by creating this thread ( FWIW ) , it's just that now that I think back on it a major question has entered my mind .
Which is how do people who give these sorts of presentations to little kids in elementary school get the qualifications they need in order to get these sorts of gigs ? I mean are they ( typically ) teachers themselves or can a person with no special educational credentials get a gig like this if they're convincing enough ?
P.S. I also don't mean to come off as disparaging via my use of the term " hack " , it's just that I honestly can't think of a better term to describe the sort of occupation I'm describing .
It probably could a combination of things or not, like maybe the person had a teaching and science background, or maybe a teaching and theater background, etc.
Did you get the impression these people were some sort of professionals? Maybe they were just volunteering and retired or a stay-at-home husband or wife doing it for fun in their down time?
One way is to volunteer at a local science education center. As a volunteer you learn to give these types of presentations. Our local STEM center gets invited all the time to various schools. Each presenter has their own style. Some are more formal and better suited to high school while others can pull off the "herr doktor professor" fun act which can connect with some groups of younger kids.
In our center, most started off as scientists and engineers in real life and become volunteer presenters to pass along their experience to the next generation. A few were teachers, but most weren't.
It's called edutainment. From what I've seen, they're people who were really interested in a subject and like entertaining. At my kids elementary school, one grade would get an assemby every year from "The Bee Man" and it was a bee keeper who explained about bees in a fun way. Our local library has someone come in once a year acting as a historical figure and doing a presentation, in character, about that persons life and that period of history. I know one of those people was a retired history teacher. I would guess they start out as unpaid or paid a very small stipend until they become popular and can charge more.
Sort of like the star of a cooking show - they are always people that have a pretty deep knowledge of their specialty and just share it so you want to know more. I think of the best teachers as also good entertainers.
And yes now that I think of it , many people who put on such shows are probably volunteers , though IIRC that fellow who went by the name of " Summer Dog " actually had his own minivan with his name on it decked out in a multicolored pattern , which makes me think he may have earned some money doing this .
And yes now that I think of it , many people who put on such shows are probably volunteers , though IIRC that fellow who went by the name of " Summer Dog " actually had his own minivan with his name on it decked out in a multicolored pattern , which makes me think he may have earned some money doing this .
Anyways thanks for all the answers y'all !
You can get paid for that sort of thing, if you're good enough, and it sounds like "Summer Dog" was a professional, or did it as a side gig. Once you have your schtick worked out, you can contact the schools and let them know what you have to offer, and your fee. They do pay for special presentations. Those can be to the entire student body, or specialized presentations for certain classes (science, geography/culture, history, whatever).
You can get paid for that sort of thing, if you're good enough, and it sounds like "Summer Dog" was a professional, or did it as a side gig. Once you have your schtick worked out, you can contact the schools and let them know what you have to offer, and your fee. They do pay for special presentations. Those can be to the entire student body, or specialized presentations for certain classes (science, geography/culture, history, whatever).
I don't plan on being an " edutainer " , since I'm ( unfortunately ) not talented enough , but recalling this episode piqued my interest about the subject enough to create this thread .
Thanks for your input by the way !
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) not talented enough , but recalling this episode piqued my interest about the subject enough to create this thread . 
