As a Greek philologist, with over twenty-five years of experience teaching Greek, American, and Greek- American students, what I must assert about the ELLINOPOULA electronic program used to teach the Greek language, is that every Greek home with children and formost every Greek-American School should use it.
Of course, we can all agree, that a traditional good book and a true teacher in the classroom are irreplaceable. However, at a time when most education systems have adopted technology, Greek Schools should not lag behind. Keeping up to date with the rapid advances in technology will ensure that our children will not see the learning of our Greek language as a burden.
The success of this program is that while it is a technological tool, it manages to embody and express aspects of the traditional teaching method, bridging a huge gap in the area of Greek-American education, as a complementary means of teaching.
Given that many teachers of Greek American schools have never had the opportunity of being instructed on teaching the Greek language, this program along with serving the students, it will first work to aid the instructors in applying proper methods of teaching.
The illustrations and graphics of the program are incredibly paradigmatic and methodological. Both the images and music of the program, create a psychologically excellent background that transmits tranquility and beauty, both prerequisites for learning in children. It radiates joy and positive feelings. Additionally, it manages to keep the tone of communication at a relatable level. It brings back with impressive success an approachable to them tone, that has begun to be lost in the world of modern children.
Also, it introduces children to both national and intellectual basic concepts of our tradition and culture. Through the recurrent exercises, this program manages to cultivate an ethos of endeavor and a philosophy of love for knowledge and agility.
Notably, the program is adapted to the Greek-American level of linguistic competence and knowledge. This is done by addressing children regardless of if they are native speakers or not, and by assisting them in developing the ability to work simultaneously on the three levels crucial for language learning: speech, writing, and understanding. In this way the program deems suitable for all categories of students.
Children who will work with ELLINOPOULA will be given the opportunity to not only master the Greek Language, but also to gain the potential to become admirable teachers of the Greek language in the schools of our communities tomorrow. It is of uttermost importance that we ask ourselves, “Have we provided for the survival of our Greek Schools in America?”, “Do we have a teacher training system in the Greek language?”. Till we establish a more stable system for this purpose, programs such as ELLINOPOULA can keep the knowledge of tomorrow’s blossoming students at a good level while keeping their enthusiasm alive by addressing them through technology, the language of their generation.
The high integrity and quality of the program, and the fact that it continuously renews its content, serves as a guarantee that its acquisition will aid the effort of each parent and teacher not only to teach Greek to their children, but also to augment their love of acquiring knowledge.
We have the honor of inheriting a wonderful language, linked to vast cultural treasures.
As parents, educators, and leaders of the Greek communities, we carry the responsibility of delivering our linguistic and cultural heritage to the following generations. From my experience, I consider the ELLINOPOULA program to be greatly serving this effort, and therefore deserves our grateful support!
Georgia Vasilopoulou
Philologist,
Allentown, Pennsylvania
