A group of first-year elementary education students have been spending a part of each week in their first-year university course in the classroom in Weyburn schools, finding out if the teachers' life is really what they want to do in their lives.

The students are all taking their first year through Southeast Regional College, and will then go on to complete the balance of their program at the U of R next year.

One of those students, Justine Kwochka, was spending some time at Queen Elizabeth School and said she's learned a lot just by being with the kids in the classroom.

"I wanted to be a teacher ever since I was in kindergarten," said Justine, noting she took her elementary schooling at Haig.

The students spend about two and a half to three hours a week for six weeks for the in-class portion, and next year that will be increased. By the fourth year, a part of the school year will be as an intern teacher in the classroom.

Asked how she was enjoying the class, taught by Karen Satre, Justine said, "I love it, it's awesome and Mrs. Satre has been really great."

"It's pretty much exactly what I thought it would be like. Classroom management will be the most difficult part of it, I think," said Justine.

The work is harder than high school was, but taking the class at the regional college is very helpful, not only as it's saving a lot of money in the first year, but the class sizes are a lot smaller and she can get more help from the professors if she needs it.

"It's been a good experience so far, and I'm looking forward to the rest of said Justine.

In the class next door at QE, Shane Schwindt is also lending a hand, and said of the profession of teaching, "It's something I've always been interested in since about Grade 7. I was really looking forward to doing education."

Asked what teachers helped him or he looked up to, he noted Mrs. Crane at Queen Elizabeth, and Dan Manning at Weyburn Junior High (now at Souris). At the Comp, Jody Kerr was his inspiration.

The experience in the classroom has opened his eyes to how different the children are from younger to older grades.

"It's given me a different outlook on everything. I noticed in different grades, from 5-6 for example the maturity is more, where the little guys tend to always speak their minds. They are enthusiastic; in Grade 2 they're more into asking questions. The older ones you have to try to get them to ask questions."

One thing he's learned through the course is how a teacher has an effect in all different ways in the lives of the students.

"You have to look into what these kids' lives are like. I never really thought that way before. It makes you look at the world in a different way," he said.

At Assiniboia Park, two sons of teachers were helping in classrooms there, Adam Wilson and Mike Van Betuw.

Adam admitted as both his parents were teachers, it led him to consider the profession as well. "There's more to it than I thought there would be. Teaching isn't just teaching facts, it's a whole lot of things."

He said besides his parents, teacher Colleen Weimer has been a teacher he can look up to as an inspiration, and noted he had her for music from kindergarten right through Grade 12.

He echoed the advantages of taking his first year at the regional college, noting, "You still have the support of your parents. It's kind of like an extra stop on the way to becoming a university student."

As his goal is to teach in high school, he has found being with younger students in an elementary school a lot different than he thought it would be.

Mike's mother, Judy, is a teacher and thus "I've always thought teachers are fairly important. Definitely there were a couple of teachers who helped me; in high school, my history teacher, Kelly Glaspey, and in Grade 9, Kelly Christopherson. He was a great teacher to me."

This is his second try at university, as he formerly spent two years in engineering before deciding that wasn't what he wanted to do. Since being in the education faculty, he has enjoyed the process, and having been through university he can appreciate the advantages of a smaller classroom and the lesser expenses of going to college for a year.

Mike said he thinks helping out in the class a few hours a week is a good idea, as it allows the student to see how teachers in the classroom handles different situations and different kinds of questions or behavioural situations in the classroom.

"I had a pretty good idea what I was getting into. I've seen with those good teachers you have to try hard to be a good teacher, there's a lot of extra time and effort involved," said Van Betuw.