Great Stories
Montana Campus Corps:
College Students Meeting Critical Community Needs
Be The Change by Christa Sprout

I went into my student teaching experience with a very open mind, determined to stay focused, work hard, and do my best to help the kids succeed and have fun at the same time. The challenge was that I was splitting my time between two completely opposite subjects-Math and Art. In my mind it made complete sense, my super-logical, structured side meshed very nicely with my artsy, free thinking side. The students however had a harder time seeing those two different sides of me in completely different classroom environments. I found it challenging to keep my math classroom structured while allowing more freedom in the art room. However, I found that because of my art classroom, students responded in the math classroom more freely. It started with a project called "Be The Change", focused on recycling, going green, and preserving our earths resources. After a short powerpoint presentation on the effects of global warming, recycling and doing your part, I got the kids excited about doing something good for their environment, voicing the importance of being economically responsible and creating art that eximplifies this idea of "going green." In a three week time period the kids created art made from recycled material. We had pop can sculptures, bottle cap guitars, styrofoam fish, newspaper vases, cardboard trees with packing peanut leaves...some of the most creative and meaningful pieces I have ever seen come out of a high school classroom. "Be the change you wish to see in the world." A phrase that they found so much meaning out of during that three week are project, become a reminder to kids who were acting out, not being respectful, or not following directions, to "be the change", do what is right, not what you can get away with.

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