Teachers from around the southeast on a one-day strike gathered in Estevan Tuesday, looking for more support from the province.

Groups rallied in Estevan, Weyburn, and Moosomin, along with other locations across Saskatchewan, as negotiations between the Saskatchewan Teachers' Federation and the Ministry of Education have reached an impasse related to class sizes and class complexity.

The protests came during an extreme cold warning, with temperatures down to -24 C and a wind chill in the -30s.

Southeast Cornerstone Teachers Association Vice-President Janet Mann, a learning support teacher at Weldon School in Bienfait, said their efforts are to help the students.

"We're just kind of trying to get support back into our classrooms. Students need support and we just haven't gotten them in the last few years and it's starting to show. We've got 35 kids in classrooms with up to three grades in classrooms and they just need the support, we're lacking in SLPs, we're lacking in educational sites."

"There's so many supports that need to be put back into place and the government just keeps cutting and our classroom environments and our working conditions affect our students every day, and those things just need to be brought back to the students."

The protest was joined by multiple organizations including the United Mine Workers, SaskPower Union, and Customs and Immigration Union. Teachers from the Holy Family Roman Catholic School Division and the francophone Conseil des écoles fransaskoises Division and representatives of the Saskatchewan Distance Learning Corporation were also present.

The demonstration was based outside Estevan MLA Lori Carr's office, though a line of protesters a couple of blocks long walked around the area.

"This really isn't where we wanted to be today," said Carr. "I'm truly hoping that both sides can get back to the bargaining table. We know that a day like today is really challenging for families, children, and teachers."

Carr, who was in Regina for meetings, said that they're free to demonstrate where they please.

She hopes that both parties go back to the bargaining table soon.

"The government has been at the table. It was the teachers' union that actually chose to walk away in the fall. I believe that we all want and I know what I want is to have our kids in the classroom receiving the best quality of education that they can."