By Christina Savopoulos
It’s rare to meet a Greek Australian without a memory of attending Greek school. Whether they lasted all twelve years or left after day one, both the negative and heartfelt stories of Greek school have a way of becoming core memories for Greek Australians.
Growing up in a family of educators, I’ve always respected the teaching profession and the energy and time it demands. Over the years I’ve met former students of my parents and have seen the lasting impact they made through their teaching.
In honour of World Teachers’ Day on October 5th, I spoke to Greek Australians about their most memorable Greek school teachers and the impressions they made.
Journalist Mary Sinanidis is the daughter of Greek school teacher Damiani Sinanidis and was inspired by her mother’s love of the Greek language.
Mary said, “Being a teacher’s daughter meant the conjugation of Greek verbs extended beyond the classroom walls. Mum was a teacher everywhere, at school, at home, as though she was born for it.”
Growing up in a household where Greek words were literally labelled on the walls around her, Mary’s mother was determined for her to speak, read and write proper Greek.
Mary remembers her mother “in every correctly written word I write, every time verbs end in -ωνω and -ιζω, and all those other spelling tricks she would share. She also lives on when students and mothers of students find me to tell me how much they owe to her. A teacher in every sense of the word.”
“It felt like they were our aunts!” Priscilla T told The Greek Herald, remembering her time at the Greek Community of Melbourne’s Saturday Greek school.
Priscilla continued, “It’s hard to pick a favourite Greek school teacher. They were all so warm, enthusiastic about Greek culture, and formed beautiful connections with their students.”
Vicky Roussos is another student grateful for her Greek school experience and doesn’t “even know how to thank her dear teacher” Chris Christogeorge. Chris was her Grade 3 and 4 Greek teacher in the 1980s at the Kogarah Church Evening Greek School in NSW. Vicky remembers Chris with a smile on his face, always enjoying teaching.
She told The Greek Herald, “Mr Christogeorge was a very down-to-earth teacher, teaching us our Greek language in a much simpler way than other teachers did.” While she remembers other teachers punishing some students, Chris took a kinder and gentle approach.
Vicky shared how it was difficult being bullied at English school for being a “wog”, and so it was especially wonderful to attend Greek school where she felt “so welcomed and loved” by her teacher.
Vicky said, “The skills and language he taught us in grammar, literature, spelling… were conducted in a fun yet educational way… I learnt so much about our Greek history, Geography, Religion and our unique language which I love and use it daily with my work.”
NUGAS Education Officer Martha Stamatopoulos reflected on the influence of Greek school teachers in her life. Martha believes “a good teacher radiates passion for their subject and inspires a newfound appreciation to expand one’s understanding and knowledge of the world.”
She experienced this with her VCE Greek teacher Chris Gindidis. “He was passionate about the language and strong headed in ensuring we learned our grammar, especially the grammar conjugation grid… He was the perfect example of ‘tough love’—deeply cared for the success of his students but if you did not put in the effort, he would not tolerate it.”
Chris embodied Greece in his everyday life and Martha says, “although I was not born there, I very much feel Greece is a part of me too, and understanding the language has been an important part of that.”
These stories are just a glimpse into the profound impact teachers can have. While teaching can indeed be exhausting and often feels thankless, a good teacher’s legacy lives on in the memories students have of their teachers and the connections they make. Sometimes, all it takes is one teacher to positively change the trajectory of a student’s life.
