Children can learn a lot from one teacher, but for Russ Stolberg's eighth-grade science class at Olivet Middle School in Olivet, students will be treated to two.
MSU's Kellogg Biological Station, or KBS, will be holding a program over the course of the next academic year that allow doctoral students an opportunity to work in K-12 level science classrooms across the state, including Stolberg's.
"If one teacher does not explain something that well, this gives us the opportunity to turn to someone else and have them explain it better, said Trisha Funk, one of the eighth-graders in Stolberg's class.
"These different perspectives add more to the learning experience."
Edi Sonntag, a doctoral student working with Stolberg, said making students think about science will be a difficult but rewarding task.
"This is going to be a really cool opportunity to work the kids and make changes to the way kids learn about science," Sonntag said.
In the past, the group put on several programs to help with improving science in classrooms across the state and decided to put together the new program because of past success.
Phil Robertson, the program director and MSU professor of crop and soil sciences, said the program was developed in spring 2005 and approved that summer.
The program will be held in eight other school districts, including Olivet, and will have a graduate student working in each one.
Brook Wilke, an MSU graduate student of crop and soil sciences who will be working in the Martin school district, said he had heard about the program through the KBS and was interested because of how much he values education.
"I'm really looking forward to teaching these young kids because sometimes as a scientist, we forget how to communicate to people who are not at a scientific level," Wilke said.
Katie Lander, an MSU graduate student who will be working at Lawton Elementary School in Lawton, said she became interested in the program because she had never been a part of the public school system.
"I never saw how Michigan school system worked since I am originally from Pennsylvania," Lander said. "We never had things like the MEAP, so I think this program will be a double bonus."
Stolberg said he believes this program has the ability to grow into something much bigger and sees it as a major educational advantage for future students.
"This new program will open a lot of eyes," Stolberg said. "By having these students come in, we'll be able to develop new lesson plans and possibly even some new programs."
Marty Green, an eighth-grade-teacher at Plainwell Middle School in Plainwell, said besides this being very helpful for the future, he added many people can benefit from it.
"(It) could benefit everyone in the long run," Green said. "It would give everyone a better understanding of this specific environment and become very cutting-edge and answer questions we don't have answers to."
The program will start at the beginning of the school year and will last until the end of the year.
Adults are not the only ones looking forward to this program.
Another eighth-grader, Patrick Banta, said he plans to have a lot of fun in this year's class, as well.
"Two views on one subject always makes it a lot more fun to learn," Banta said. "It is definitely going to be more exciting to learn science this year."
