Meet the Team - Galina Jewitt

We've asked our team to introduce themselves to you all and over the next few weeks we have a series of new, meet the team articles for you to enjoy. First up is our Training Manager, Galina.

Role: PE Educator/PECS Mentor/Apprenticeship Training Manager

Favourite quote: Treat People with Kindness.

What is something Primary School headteachers and PE co-ordinators have to deal with that you want to fix?

I think and know from personal experience that working in a primary school staff need to wear many different hats and juggle lots of responsibilities and therefore lots of the time they need to feel understood and recognised for all their hard work and that is why I feel like building a good relationship is the base for all good work and progress to develop. There is so much pressure on children, schools and staff to demonstrate high levels of learning and progress with in English and Maths that sometimes other subjects can become slightly overlooked and the benefits of them undervalued. This is why I love discussing with PE Coordinators the huge range of benefits and opportunities for Maths, English, science, geography, history etc within their PE lessons and that is not to mention the embedded life skills which are used within physical education to ensure all children are ready for life.

What do you do at PEAK?

I have worked for PEAK since October 2019 and began my journey as a PECS Mentor in a Primary school in North Tyneside. I loved this school community and feel like the impact made through supporting staff within their PE lessons to become more confident in planning, delivery and assessment really showed how impressive the PECS programme is for the whole school. I then also began working in other schools delivering their PE lessons each week. I really love working with children across the school and seeing how their PE skills and knowledge can be built upon and each week seeing little improvements in understanding, application and confidence in the children is a great thing to be a part of.

Within my role at PEAK and in different schools I ensure I am supportive and understanding to each individual child and staff member making sure my service is tailored to their individual needs. I am always available to answer any questions and offer additional support and opportunities to help develop their learning and confidence in physical education. I would like to think I am part of school communities by ensuring I can help out and be adaptable to school life e.g. helping at breaktimes, supporting at lunchtimes, being a part of school events, and making everyone feel as welcome and special as they should, just as I do when I hear “Hi Miss Jewitt, can’t wait for PE!” I have recently taken on the role of Apprenticeship training manager which has allowed me to further develop my skills and understanding of teaching and learning to a higher age range as I have previously only worked within Primary and Secondary schools. I have undertook training to design, deliver and assess tasks inline with the Apprenticeship standards and I am excited to get started with our first cohort this year.

What are your credentials/past experience, for working in your position?

Let’s start right at the beginning! I began dancing at my local dance school from the age of 3 and throughout my time there I worked through graded examinations until I was a qualified student dance teacher and supported the principal delivering a range of dance styles to children ages 3+. When | achieved my full dance teacher qualification my friend and I set up our own dance school which I ran alongside gaining my BA(Hons) English Language degree. This led me onto training to become a primary school teacher as I loved working with children and the impact I could have on their learning, which sadly meant I had to stop working at my dance school.

I have worked in a range of schools and year groups across the region for 4 years and began to miss dance and teaching children something | was passionate about and the difference it can make to children’s confidence. Therefore I conducted some research and reached out to PEAK as I loved how they worked in a range of primary school’s educating children but also mentoring teacher’s to share the teams knowledge and experience to make physical education lessons engaging, motivating and high quality.

What’s your Archetype?

• 60% Caregiver

Friendly, sincere, and compassionate, the Caregiver finds their reward in helping others. No one could ask for a better best friend.

• 30% Athlete

The Athlete's focus and drive are unparalleled. Staying healthy and being fit are paramount to them (as for winning, that doesn't hurt, either).

• 10% Visionary

Leave it to others to live by the status quo. The Visionary is interested in new ways of seeing, solutions not yet imagined, products not yet built.

What do you like about working at PEAK?

I like working at PEAK as everyday is different! I get to visit different schools, build relationships with their staff and pupils, see how they progress and develop and really get a feel for the school community. I enjoy teaching a range of skills depending on my role e.g. mentoring staff about aspects of a specific sport, breaking down a skill with children, discussing how work with different age groups with apprentices or discussing different teaching methods and lessons with the rest of the team!

What’s your background?

As I mentioned, dance was my first sport which I fell in love with but I also swam for my local club whilst at school too! I also love to go to the gym and weight train which I do most days of the week!

I also love travelling and can’t wait to book in some more adventures! My favourite places I have been lucky enough to visit are Australia and Bali!

What are the values that drive you?

Determination, Kindness & Growth.

I feel that in all aspects of my life I am and have been determined to reach a goal and have worked hard to achieve this and expand my knowledge, understanding and skills in various areas. This links in with growth as I feel you can always have somebody to learn from, more to learn and can get better in any aspect of life and understanding.

This leads me onto kindness. I think it is important to always be aware that you never know what somebody else is going through or dealing with so to always be kind, and if someone does not show you kindness, they may be the people that need you the most.

Your top 3 favourite Podcasts/Books?

The James Smith Podcast & The Diren Kartal Show and I love “The Fault in our Stars” By John Green… also anything about true crime!

What do you enjoy doing when you are not working?

I love going to the gym and keeping active, whether that is going for a run, lifting weights or going for a walk with my friends.

At Weekends | can usually be found going out for food and finding new places to try; going out for a cup of coffee, meeting friends.

I also enjoy reading, listening to podcasts or watching Netflix with my little cat Bea to relax!