Barbara Hickman has a good point on a vital issue - that archaeology
needs to speak for itself in regard to the public. SHA does have a "Public
Education and Information Committee" and, also, for the last several years
our annual conferences have had well attended and, I think, quite successful
"Public Education Sessions."
 
I always try to at least visit these sessions each year and would
encourage others attending the conference to also drop in and see what is
going on. School children, parents and teachers are the primary target
of both displays, interactive tables and a set of popular lectures.
 
Both SHA and the discipline of historical archaeology, nevertheless, need
to do a lot more in the area of public education. We should not just
speak for general archaeology but rather focus on historical
archaeology. We still are relatively invisible to the general public.
 
 
                                Bob Schuyler