By Guest Blogger
: Virag Szomora (from Hungary)
My first P.E.T. teaching experience was wonderful. First I was very afraid, that no one will apply for it, and then in the end I had 14 participants! Yay!
Some of them were my friends, young people, with no children, but they were interested, and as it turned out, very enthusiastic. There were also moms and dads, and even a grandma. I was so afraid of them. I thought, that the fact that I don’t have children yet and that I don’t have any training experience would make them not to trust me. But it didn’t.
Of course, I had my resources prepared. I have years of experience teaching children, and taking care of them, as I used to help a lot with my brother and younger cousins. Furthermore, me being a P.E.T. kid I know how it works. I recognize a roadblock no matter what, and some said I canActive Listen so effectively, they would tell their whole life to me. Plus, I had the best P.E.T. trainer next to me, my mom.
So, before the training I had everything organized, place, catering, technology, etc. I felt so well prepared, that I wasn’t even anxious in advance.
Until I had to introduce myself. Then I felt that my face is turning red, my voice started to fade. Even so, the first day was great. In the end my best friend, who was a participant as well, told me, “You looked a bit nervous at the beginning. But then you were great!”
The whole training was amazing. I enjoyed it so much! We had many roleplays, practicing and discussing, and I loved how intensely they interacted. It felt also good, when they approached me with their real life problems in the breaks, asking for my opinion or my advice. They trusted me! At the end of the training I even got some chocolates and flowers, and someone said “I’m sad it’s already over! I loved to come here every Friday evening.”
I’ve learned so much at this training, it was really worth it!
Now I’m over teaching three P.E.T. courses, and I love it! At the last one, I was teaching with my mom again. The group number was 23, and I can tell now that’s a lot! Anyway, we decided not to tell at the beginning that we are related, we’ll tell it in the end, or they’ll figure it out. They didn’t. And at the end, after their “graduation” and the closing my mom said, that she had never expected, that P.E.T. is so powerful, that after raising her kids with this method, she would teach together with her daughter. At that point, most of them were astound. Some even started to cry from happiness.
This feeling is what I love so much, and that I would like to give to people in the world, so it would be a better place!