But at 28 and after a decade away, Veronica Couch has returned to Panmure Primary School to impart her passion for knowledge onto another generation.

The youngest of four Couch siblings, Ms Couch was one in 70 students at the school growing up and was school captain.

Since returning a decade later, the school has a total cohort of 13 students ranging from five to 12 years old.

"Everyone used to go to Panmure Primary School, it was one of the bigger schools back then," Ms Couch said.

"I went away for 10 years and it was funny, the job came up here as I was thinking of moving down and it all just fell into place.

"It's pretty unique, I'm the first teacher to come back after being a student."

The school is just the same as Ms Couch remembers it.

"It hasn't changed, it's still the same but it's a lot smaller now. When I was young there was a big dairy farming community, and I guess a lot of mums didn't work because they were on the farm whereas now both parents work so they send a lot of kids on the bus because they're in town and things like that.

"We're trying to rebuild and attract more families back to the school."

There are two classes operating at the school, Ms Couch teaches eight prep to grade 4 students and Principal Mark Antonio teaches five grade 5 and 6 students.

There's a farm up the back of the school with goats and chickens, and the students team up once a week, each week with Cudgee Primary School.

In the years she was away, Ms Couch went to Australian Catholic University in Ballarat to complete her Bachelor of Primary Education and taught at Haven Primary School.

Coming from a school with over 700 students to teach a school with just over a dozen students has proved more challenging than anticipated for the young teacher.

"I've had a huge change, from just teaching one year level to multiple age levels in the one class. It's more challenging than people think. Even though I've just got eight kids I'm teaching five to 10-year-olds, it involves very differentiated learning and catering to their needs.

"You get to know the kids really well, I essentially do individual learning plans for each child. They all have their own goals which is really good. They're pretty lucky."

Being back in her childhood town sitting in the same schoolyard that she played in growing up is still a 'pinch yourself' moment for the teacher.

"I never thought I would get a job back here, the art teacher Merran here was actually my teacher in grade 2 which is a little bit strange, I've only just started calling her by her first name, before that I was still calling her Mrs Moir," she said with a laugh.

"It's very special to be back, I always knew I wanted to be a teacher. I'm a maths specialist across Panmure, Cudgee and Noorat, doing a program in Melbourne which has opened up a lot of opportunities that I probably wouldn't have got at a bigger school and this young in my teaching career.

"I've had to step up in ways I never thought I would have to this young."

She believes every aspiring teacher should take on a role at a small school at some time in their career.

"It's very challenging but very rewarding. You get to know the kids on a different level to what you do at a larger school. They get so many opportunities that you just wouldn't get at a bigger school," she said.

"Already people from the community are saying it's great to see you back, and a lot of the people are the same. It still feels the same. We've still got the same play equipment here as I had when I was here, I recognised it as soon as I came in, so that was really special.

The ties to the school and the community run deep for Ms Couch; she teaches a little girl whose aunt was in the same year level as her, and when Ms Couch's mum Marian passed away the school erected a plaque in her honour which still stands there today.

"It's just all really special, for example my mum passed away when I was eight and her plaque is here in the school grounds," she said.

"I never thought I'd be able to come back and see that all the time, it's really important to our family.

"I remember the community came and put the tree in and the plaque. It's got a lot of ties to our family, this school, a lot of memories. I'm still friends with all the people I went to school with and they think it's great that I've come back."

Her dad Jack Couch is still a farmer in Panmure and regularly tends to the school's hobby farm.

"The kids here are just amazing, they really are just country kids," she said.

There's a total of four main staff at the school: two classroom teachers, an art teacher and the driver of the mobile library.

"She's a really great teacher, the kids are her first priority," Panmure Primary School Principal Mark Antonio said.

"I don't think many schools have kids who come back to actually teach at the school.

"It's been really nice having Ronnie back too because of her profile in the community, all her family went here as well, all on top of her being a very skilled teacher too of course.

"The kids all love her too, she's such a caring teacher whose got their interests at heart. She's passionate about what she does and the school's future."