A descoberta de quem realmente sou. A caminhada de um estudante estagiário.

Abstract

The school placement carried out as part of the Master's programme in Teaching Physical Education in Primary and Secondary Education at the Faculty of Sport of the University of Porto marks the end of a long journey in the development of a teaching professional. The writing of this document represents the end of a stage full of experiences and learning that are essential for the integral formation of a teacher, confronted daily with the challenges of pedagogical practice. This document offers a glimpse of the emotions and reflections on the experiences lived and the perspective of a future Physical Education teacher. Throughout this professional internship, I realised the need for an intern teacher to reflect on the entire pedagogical process in order to understand the school culture, the profession and the educational phenomenon. This constant reflection, combined with creativity and innovation, is fundamental to the integration and construction of a teacher's identity. The purpose of writing this document is to describe the various experiences had during the professional internship, which took place in one of the schools in Região Autónoma da Madeira during the 2023-2024 school year. The document follows a metaphorical logic, describing the internship as a "levada", one of the landscape features of Madeira Island. Part of this internship report is an investigation carried out during the school year, in which I tried to understand the students' motivation to practice Physical Education classes, analysing the existence of differences between genders. The results showed some gender differences in motivation, self-esteem and perfectionism, which should be taken into account in order to better organise and plan PE lessons in secondary schools. This first experience of teaching, full of uncertainties, insecurities and expectations, was a milestone in my personal and professional life, allowing me to grow as a citizen and professional.