OMAHA, Neb. (KMTV) — Inside the doors of Masters Elementary, summer school is underway. But it's not just elementary school students here, many of the classrooms have high school students leading the way.
"I have wanted to be a math teacher, since sixth grade basically," said Stanley Klein, a rising senior at Northwest High.
"My aunt is a teacher and that's really had a big impact on me," said Zoe Ebner, an incoming junior at Northwest High.
For the second year, Omaha Public Schools is paying students as interns and this year has hired over 280 students.
"The younger students really look up to them, they are kind of impressed that they are still in school and that they are a student also," said Anne Chambers, a first-grade teacher at Masters Elementary, during summer school.
The students apply and then are placed with teachers at various schools within OPS.
"My teacher is the teacher I had when I went to Masters, so I like knew that it was going to work out well," said Ebner, who is interning in a second-grade classroom.
The high school students work with younger students in small groups.
"When I work with them one on one, we learn new words and when they get the word and when they get the page they are reading and they don't need help spelling the word. I just feel so good knowing that like that was me that helped them out doing it," Ebner said.
A paid opportunity to test out the education field, something Klein said has pushed him to chase his dream of becoming a math teacher.
"Even though I am planning on teaching like high school, higher level, it still very much reminds me of my goal this entire time, which has been to kind of like be like a road stop and make sure that these kids are getting what they need," Klein said.
And while it's not always easy, "the only challenging thing is getting to recess after lunch," Ebner said.
It's an opportunity for personal and educational growth.
"I hope that they see how fun education is and how important it is," Chambers said. "And they are high schoolers and they are already making a difference in young people's lives," Chambers said.
The program is open to all high school students in the metro and they don't have to be an OPS student. But students do have to be at least 16 years old and in good academic standing.
Download our apps today for all of our latest coverage.
Get the latest news and weather delivered straight to your inbox.
