By Kathrine Miller

For my final Reflection Paper, I wanted to contribute something more meaningful to the Mahaffie StageCoach Farmstead that could be used from my learning experience. From the time I arrived here it seemed as if the knowledge of butchering of a chicken had been very limited among the staff and volunteers so quickly learned this routine out of necessity. My knowledge and quick hands earned me the butchering spot when needed during the  interpretive rotation. As my days were coming to the end at the farm, my supervisor Katie and myself came up with a great idea of forming a butchering guide for other staff members to access to that had historical / anatomical information, butchering step by step, along with drawings to be able to handle butchering on ones own. I really did not expect this when thinking of my reflection paper but it is one process gets talked about a lot and and the more educational information that is provided, maybe it would be easier for some of the other staff members. Within the guide, I have made sure that I have included several mindful topics such as the sensitivity issues that we are aware of, providing the staff with numerous educational structured outlets to aim conversations with guests to explain the reasoning behind the demonstrations such as adding depth and breadth to an interpretive program. I soon found myself in another room on Mahaffie grounds that I absolutely loved and couldn’t get enough of-the Archival Room. Researching on microfilm, In boxes of archival material of newspapers, letters, family letters, oral accounts but I was in search of historical Kansas farming with a narrowing of farming of poultry(any information related). I will be soon wrapping up this guide and turing it over to the Mahaffie staff of which I hope they will see I put much effort in seeking out this guide to be used by their staff members.