London 2012 blog

Working in a calm, quiet, air-conditioned office in Churchill Place, my 'normal' life as a secondary school teacher, seems very far away! Since September 2006 I have been a Languages Teacher in a North London Comprehensive on the 'Teach First' programme. The chance to complete a summer internship is one of the highlights of the programme, and I was delighted to be selected to work at LOCOG, in the Education Team.

'Teach First' was established five years ago with the aim of addressing educational disadvantage, by placing new graduates, who do not necessarily want to embark on a full career in teaching, into a 'challenging' school for two years. My first year has been an incredibly difficult, but rewarding and humbling experience.

I applied for an internship in the Education Department at LOCOG because I thought it would be a great way to get involved in London 2012, but also because I believe that the opportunities for young people that will arise from London 2012 have the potential to make a massive impact on the low self esteem of many young people, that I have witnessed first hand in school.

Over the past three weeks I’ve worked on some of the exciting projects that the Education Team are coordinating. I’ve been involved in the planning of consultation workshops, including researching possible guests and venues; I’ve been in meetings with various stakeholders and I’ve learnt about national and international programmes that I believe really have the chance to inspire and educate young people.

I’ve thoroughly enjoyed my time here and it’s been a great personal learning experience for me too. I’ve been reminded of the importance of giving students ownership in their learning, and I hope to plan more project work for them into my lessons next year. I’m now off to enjoy a (much needed!) holiday before going back to school in September.