Since my last post, I have organised to and have met my mentor. It had taken a while to organise a date and time that worked for us both but we finally found one after a few weeks of communicating. I went in to the school during a lunch time on a Monday as that would mean I got time to talk to him when he wasn’t with a class. I was nervous to meet him as I hadn’t seen him in nearly 3 years, and didn’t know whether he would have changed or not. I didn’t know what to expect from the PE department or the school in general, so therefore felt more excited than nervous while walking there that afternoon.
When I walked in to the school, the office directed me to the PE department. Walking through the school made me even more excited as it brought back good memories from being there before. When I met my mentor, he was just finishing off with a class. He was so welcoming and made me feel very comfortable in the staff room with all the other teachers. This made me feel at ease and all the worry that I once had was gone. This made me realised that I will no doubt have a good experience carrying out my work experience here.
We sat down and had a discussion about what my responsibilities will be when I attend my placement and how I should prepare for these. This has allowed me to have a clearer understanding on what I should currently be doing, and what I will be doing in a couple of weeks when I start placement. I very much enjoyed the visit as I got reacquainted with my mentor, as well as got comfortable in the environment I will be working in. the only thing I wish I had done while there was take notes. I was too interested in what was being talked about and learning what I will be doing to remember this, unfortunately.
Its great to hear you’ve met with your mentor and that your now more comfortable and excited in the environment you are going to be doing your placement in!
It is good that you are completing your experience in a familiar environment but at the same time being out of your comfort zone not knowing what to expect.
It is good to hear that you are feeling comfortable with you placement and already beginning to reflect on your time there!