The beginning of the school year had come again… We, in TESOL, were ready -once more- to welcome it with pleasure and anticipation! We were surely ready, we were set and, boy did we go!!! The event this year took place in the premises of the NOVUS CITY Hotel, downtown Athens, and despite the demonstration that was taking place that same day, many familiar and new faces turned up. This made us feel extremely satisfied as yet another of our events was greeted with the warmth and kindness TESOLers are famous for.
By Maria Makra
Our speakers were Dr Nikos Sifakis, Lecturer at the Hellenic Open University, Dr Chryssoula Kostogiannis, member of the faculty of the Hellenic American University, Lee Robson, teacher at the Hellenic American Union and Vicky Megas, a founding member of our association and a renowned teacher trainer. Lee Robson warmed everyone’s hearts and made us laugh with his presentation “Why don’t you act like…a teacher?”. His presentation was like a journey…from teachers we became students... and we got invaluable tips for our classes. Dr Sifakis gave a more academic presentation about “ The wonders and perils of group work” which participants followed with satisfaction; after all, TESOL not only offers advice on practical tips concerning our classes but it also helps us make our theoretical background more solid.
Having attended two presentations already and given the fact that we started out pretty early, all the participants were in need of a break and what a better break than the one which includes hot coffee and delicious cookies to go with. Chit-chat was omnipresent as we had so many things to talk about and so many things to look forward to. After the break, the flow of academic information continued as Dr Chryssoula Kostogiannis began her very interesting presentation “Co-operative Discipline for Teachers”, focusing on everyday classroom discipline as seen from a psychological perspective. We received loads of information, advice and tips about the various types of students we may have in our classrooms and how to deal with discipline issues in the classroom.
Vicky Megas concluded the presentations with “Try to remember”, a talk full of nostalgia, music, and remembrance but which, most of all, served as a reminder of what a beautiful, heart filling and self-completing profession we have chosen to do. At the end of the day, our hearts, souls and minds were full… We finished that day with a light lunch buffet and soft drinks recapitulating about what we had experienced and looking forward to the next TESOL event; our 2nd Preveza Professional Event. Many more will follow, so stay tuned and feel welcome to participate in the events which not only offer us many chances for professional development but also build strong and lasting friendships!
