Great Stories
Montana Campus Corps:
College Students Meeting Critical Community Needs
The Rebirth of Civility by Corey Grutsch

Upon arriving to my service site the very first morning of my term, I met the teacher I would be working under. I was briefly told about the structure of the day, the students and what would be expected of me in the first few weeks. It all sounded good to me. I followed my teacher down to pick up the students from outside only to see a boy cussing another boy out. The other boy responded and the first went after him, fists flying. Needless to say, the aggressor was suspended that day and the next. When I inquired about the young man, I was told that he had various emotional disorders and that his home life was less than stellar. As the time grew longer, he and I began to butt heads, he thinking he didn't have to be in class or listen, me wanting a structured, respectful and quiet learning environment. This continued for many weeks, probably about 11 of the 14 weeks I served. He cussed me or someone else out, was violent or simply left the classroom and I responded with the school-wide discipline plan, normally resulting in detention. I would always pull him out one-on-one and discuss the issue with him, but it never seemed to sink in. One day after filing a discipline form that resulted in him having detention after school (the worst kind), he gave me the finger as he left the building. The next morning however, he came in very remorseful of his actions over the last few days. He apologized and I really laid the guilt back on him, telling him how hurt his actions and words made me feel. I pressed even further telling him that it hurt me and I'm 25, a grown man. I asked how it would make another 11 year-old feel. He could hardly answer. Suffice to say, the constant riding of this young man eventually paid off. A kid who wasn't allowed to go on field trips due to his behavior, wasn't allowed to join band or orchestra and didn't really have any friends had transformed into a kid who thanked me for teaching him all the cool stuff we covered, apologized to a number of his classmates for being a jerk and attended four out of the four field trips slated for the late spring. The most rewarding part of this rebirth is the fact that it didn't come from home or from the teacher I was under. He still doesn't like the teacher, his mom's boyfriend was arrested for robbery during my service and his mom is as profane and rude as he was. Whether I was the influence he needed or not, it was the highlight of the experience to feel I had a hand in turning such a rude, aggressive boy into a nearly ideal student.

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