Jobshadowing Greece
The education system in Greece is very different from that in the Netherlands. Because there are many islands, where young people often do not want to work, teachers are placed where they are needed at that time. The teachers can earn points per year and after a number, about 7 or 8, years they can get a permanent place at a school of their choice. All of the teachers works fulltime.
Every school in Greece uses the same methods. That has advantages and disadvantages. All teachers know how the methods work, but it is not always right for every child.
In Greece, they attend kindergarten from age 4 to age 5. Then they go to primary school. They then start in the first class (group 3). They attend primary school until about the age of 12.
We visited a school on the island Aegina. It’s a public primary school. They start school at 8.30 and stay till 13.15 at school. Most children go home after school. A few of the children stay at school to do homework and play. At school they have 54 children. There are a 6 students with special needs (ADHD, autism, learning difficulties).
At school they have different teachers working. One teacher teaches the whole group and the other teacher supervises a student with special needs.
We came to the school of Aegina with a number of questions that we wanted answers to:
Do you have special education teacher or assistants? How do you deal with the diversity of students?
In general, elementary schools in Greece, depending on the number of students with learning difficulties, will either have special education teachers who provide individualized parallel support exclusively to one student (few students with learning difficulties), or a group of students with learning difficulties is formed, which is called an “integration unit” (more students with learning difficulties). This year, the Primary School of Vathi employs 4 parallel support teachers who each support a student diagnosed with learning difficulties. From the start of the academic year, each special education teacher has developed a specific educational program with defined goals, based on the diagnoses of the students and observation of their behavior. The parallel support teachers are present in the classroom providing individual support during the class. When deemed necessary and following consultation with the special education board and the teachers’ association, individualized teaching is carried out outside of the class.
What kind of resources do you use?
Unfortunately, the state does not provide special education teachers with adequate resources to enhance their teaching work. Nevertheless, in our school, special education teachers secure their own means ( computers, softwares, books, games, teaching materials etc.) to support their students.
How do you manage pupils with internalising and externalising behaviour?
As for introverted students, our goal is their gradual integration into the school community. In the first stage, we aim to create a student-teacher bond in order to cultivate a relationship of trust and subsequently encourage the student. In collaboration with everyone involved in the educational process, we promote teamwork through various activities both within and outside of the school. Regarding extroverted students, our goal is for children to follow the rules of the classroom and the school in general, and to set their own behavior boundaries. This is achieved through dialogue, constant reminder of the rules, assignment of responsibility roles in activities, etc.
Where do these pupils go to after primary school?
During the transition to a new school level for already diagnosed students, it is necessary to be re-evaluated by the responsible organization KEDASY (Centers for Diagnosis, Evaluation, Counseling, and Support). In secondary education (middle school – high school), they are also supported by parallel support educators and integration departments. However, the hiring of special education teachers in secondary education is noticeably fewer to even inadequate, resulting in students with learning difficulties not being satisfactorily supported.
HD/ADD/Autism etc. how does the process go when teachers suspect they have a pupil with one of these disorder(s)?
When the class teacher notices that there is a student with a potential disorder or other difficulty, they communicate with the child’s parent and recommend referring the student to the responsible state-provided organization (KEDASY). A multidisciplinary team from KEDASY (psychologists, social workers, special educators, etc.) writes the student’s diagnosis. The parents give the principal a confidential note of the diagnosis and he or she then requests the hiring of special education teachers.
On Wednesday we went to a special needs school at Aegina. On arrival we were warmly welcomed by the director/teacher. She works together with the language specialist. They have four students at school with different types of disabilities. Including a severely autistic child and children with a syndrome. We came in during a short break and immediately got a warm feeling, because they gave the children the guidance they need with passion and love. The language specialist then took the children outside where they had the opportunity to play with the children of the primary school adjacent to this school. It was very nice to see that the children had the opportunity to play with these children. Together we then discussed the situation on Aegina. It was a wonderful conversation in which the passion of the layman and specialist once again came to the fore. It feels safe and like a family there. We only stayed for a short time as we wanted to give the teacher and specialist the space to continue with their program. It was an impressive morning.
On Thursday we took the boat early with some of our Greek colleagues from Aegina. We arrived at the school and again we were warmly welcomed. What strikes us about the schools we visit is the hospitality, warmth and passion that our Greek colleagues radiate. This school has about 25 students divided into 3 classes. They also have a kindergarten in the building. The Greek education system makes it very difficult to build a safe classroom climate together with the children.
The teachers of this school gave us the opportunity to really take a look at the school, where they also spoke about the children with passion and love, but also dared to address the problems surrounding the children and home situations. This resulted in very nice and in-depth conversations. The openness that these teachers have given us has touched us deeply in the most positive sense of the word!
On Friday we went back to the school on Aegina. There we were warmly welcomed and we were allowed to walk with the special needs teachers. We were allowed to look in all classes and experience the education. We had a lovely time and enjoyed everything about it.