My EUROLTA Journey
I have been teaching Greek as a Second Language for over ten years; I have taught in many different settings, worked with students of different ages and backgrounds, and supported a variety of needs and goals.
About a year ago, I decided to intentionally look at my teaching practice more consciously. I was interested in combining the skills and techniques I learned in university with those I’d developed in the classroom. As teachers, we are often relying on instinct, but when we really examine what works with our students, we discover there are concrete tools and skills that we can share with others. With the goal of becoming an even more self-aware teacher, I turned to EUROLTA (European Certificate in Language Teaching to Adults), a professional development programme for language teachers. The Hellenic Culture Centre (HCC) put me in touch with two wonderful trainers, Ifigenia Georgiadou and Nikos Konstantopoulos.
Right away, our work focused on practical classroom skills, reflective teaching and learner-centered practice. Working closely with other professionals passionate about language instruction reignited my love for teaching Greek as a Second Language. More importantly, the meetings were extremely practical; it was so easy to adapt new ideas to my own classroom instruction. While I did learn completely new skills, more often I developed better ways to organize or present something I was already doing. EUROLTA also gave me more confidence in my teaching routines. Often, I learned the name for a technique I was using instinctively.
More than the skills I learned or honed, it was the community of language educators that became the most important part of my EUROLTA journey. The very first meeting was a revelation. I felt connected to the other teachers quickly and without effort. Their passion for language matches mine. It’s so exciting to be in a room, even if it’s digital, with like-minded professionals.
I want to thank Ifigenia Georgiadou and Nikos Konstantopoulos for creating a warm, welcoming environment where we all felt comfortable to speak openly, ask questions, and share our successes… and failures. This might be the most important lesson of the course, and one I felt resonated with my daily experiences. At Ithaki, we are always working to create a welcoming environment for all different kinds of learners. This experience reminded me why this is so important. As a student, I need to feel safe. So, I’ll continue to prioritize connecting with my students before correcting their mistakes.
So, what comes next? My years of teaching combined with my EUROLTA experience strengthen my commitment to working with students to share my passion for the Greek language. At the same time, I long to work with other teachers who are reshaping their teaching skills. I’ve decided to continue my learning journey with EUROLTA 2, where I can learn how to empower language teachers in the same the way Nikos and Ifigenia empowered me.
Perhaps this could be part of Ithaki’s next journey too: becoming a space not only for people who are learning a language, but also for the people who teach it.
