Job Shadowing in Crete – Agios Nikolaos, October 2026

At the end of October 2026, Joyce and I had the opportunity to take part in a job shadowing visit at a primary school in Agios Nikolaos, Crete. We had both visited Greece before and had already been impressed by the creativity of the Greek teachers. This week confirmed that impression once again.

We saw how good teachers are at planning lessons and developing their own teaching materials. Compared to the Netherlands, schools in Greece often have fewer textbooks, teaching methods and other resources available. As a result, teachers have to come up with many ideas and create materials themselves. This means they constantly need to use their creativity. We saw some excellent examples of handmade games and materials, sometimes designed together with the children, which were regularly used in lessons. We were also impressed by the creative teaching activities and the original ideas teachers used to make their lessons engaging and lively.

The organisation of the Greek education system is also different from that in the Netherlands. Teachers do not always know in advance which school, or even which island, they will be working on in the following school year. The government plays an important role in this process. Teachers are placed according to a points system in which factors such as work experience and professional development count towards their score. Over time, this system gives teachers more influence over where they are assigned. However, it can sometimes make it difficult for schools to build stable teams. Fortunately, the team at the school we visited was fairly stable. We noticed that this creates opportunities to work together on school development and to establish a consistent approach throughout the school. Ultimately, this also benefits the quality of education.

Inclusive education: the value of extra support in the classroom

The most valuable insight we gained during this job shadowing visit was related to inclusive education and support for children with special needs.

In Greece, when a child needs extra support, schools can apply to a specialised institute for assistance from specially trained teachers. These teachers come into the classroom to support the child individually or in a small group, working alongside the class teacher.

As we have visited Greece more often in recent years and this topic has come up repeatedly, we have gradually started to think more deeply about this approach. During this visit, we once again saw how much of a difference this extra support can make.

Children are less likely to become frustrated. The additional teacher has more time and attention to observe a child carefully and recognise signs of difficulty at an early stage. Sometimes a small prompt, a brief explanation or a little extra individual attention is enough to prevent a child from getting stuck. This helps children participate more successfully and experience more moments of achievement.

At first, we wondered whether this level of support might make children less independent. However, we saw that this does not have to be the case. Independence can be developed in different ways. By first giving children the support they need, they can gradually develop their skills and learn to do more things on their own. It was encouraging to see how this helped children take part in lessons with greater confidence and enjoyment.

These experiences also made us reflect on the situation in the Netherlands. We are seeing more and more children with, for example, ADHD, autism or other special needs who find it difficult to keep up in a big class. As teachers, we try to support every child as well as possible, but with a full classroom and such a wide range of needs, this is not always easy. Some children become frustrated, even though a little extra help or attention could make a real difference. That is a missed opportunity.

The smaller class sizes we saw at the Greek school make it easier to give children individual attention. However, what impressed us most was the additional support available in the classroom. It creates more opportunities to understand and respond to each child’s individual abilities and needs. The focus is not only on what a child cannot do, but especially on what they need in order to participate.

A different perspective on investing in education

Another aspect that made us think was the difference in how available resources are used. In the Netherlands, we invest heavily in teaching methods, learning materials and digital resources. At the Greek school, we saw relatively more emphasis on having additional staff in the classroom. Of course, good teaching materials are important, but ultimately, it is people who make the difference.

We returned with great admiration for the creativity of Greek teachers, but above all with a valuable insight into inclusive education. Extra support in the classroom helps children feel seen and understood, makes them less likely to struggle and gives them more opportunities to develop at their own pace.

This week once again showed us how important it is to look beyond the borders of our own education system. We do not have to adopt everything from another country, but we can learn from different ways of thinking and organising education. The main question we are taking home is: should we in the Netherlands invest more often in having extra staff in the classroom, rather than focusing mainly on more teaching materials and methods?

Because sometimes an extra pair of hands, a little more time and genuine attention are exactly what a child needs to go to school with confidence and enjoyment!

 Joyce van Putten en Sandra Guci