As Greek Australians we find it tough to get our children to maintain their Greek language skills. It is equally difficult for us to preserve our own Greek.

English is our common language, and we slip into it naturally. We work long hours, and have multicultural peers, friends, and colleagues. Many of us who are married to non-Greeks, find it more challenging to speak Greek and ensure our kids speak Greek. These real-life challenges make it hard to maintain our Greek skills and to ensure that the third generation maintain Modern Greek.

The Greek Online School which began in 2012, has developed innovative, accessible, and highly effective ways to learn, maintain and even refresh your Greek. It does not matter what level a student is, they will tailor learning to the student’s requirement and skill level.

A screenshot from the recent virtual Christmas party where one of the students talks about Greek Christmas traditions.

Studies reveal that knowing another language, enhances the neuro plasticity of the brain and builds greater capacity at school, university, and work.

A 2018 study in the US published in the Frontiers of Neuroscience found that language learning provided significant “enhancement of cognitive functions among healthy older individuals,” so it’s not just for the young. It assists in better mental health and helps achieve cultural and social intelligence which allows one to move across cultures seamlessly.

Greek will provide any student the edge at school and university. It assists them to build bridges to the world. For the Greek Diaspora, learning Greek preserves our ancient rich heritage and culture. Modern Greek instils a strong sense of cultural identity and resilience in a student.

Greek is a foundation language. Knowing it, can help in mathematics, medicine, biology, science, history, philosophy, literature, and other subjects across the humanities. Switching between two languages assists the easier acquisition of all knowledge.

The Greek Online School has achieved a global reach and impressive results.  The school has trained over 2,000 educators and delivers individually tailored learning programs.

Its online teacher seminars prepare teachers to deliver effective and engaging worldwide online education.

The COVID-19 pandemic made on-line learning essential – as challenging as that was – the Greek Online School took advantage of the lockdowns, and travel restrictions, to hone its delivery of Greek language programs for children and adults. It also trained and upgraded the skills of educators.

With the impact of COVID-19 over the last two years, rolling lockdowns, and limited global travel, the school has taken on-line teaching to another level. The school’s virtual teaching methods keep students very engaged.

The school now boasts over fifty native Greek educators that are skilled in on-line teaching. They engage with over 1,400 learners globally. Children, teenagers, and adults in the USA, Canada, and Great Britain have learned Greek, or refreshed their existing knowledge of Greek.

New and fresh real-world teaching methods, along with top education professionals from across the world, has made this on-line school unique. Greek Online School students are immersed in the language, and interact with Greece, its people and language from the comfort of their own homes. They are no longer bound to a location or time.

There is no classroom, all one needs is access to the internet. A participant can be anywhere and learn at any time that suits them, without impacting on their work, personal and family commitments.

Students enjoy access to videos, audio material, and interactive grammar tools which all help correct and explain mistakes. These modes enhance the learning process at a pace tailored to the individual student.

Success in the end depends on motivation. But motivation becomes easier when the student can choose the time that suits them, without impacting on their other schoolwork or work life.

Why learn Greek online?

We as Greek Australians, had Greek parents that spoke Greek at home. We had grandparents that helped in our learning. So, while we were born and raised in Australia, our homelives were immersed in Greek.

Now we try our best to teach our kids Greek and maintain our own Greek, but that is not easy. As parents we know that we need to play a role in encouraging our children to learn Greek, and as adults we must also keep up with our own knowledge of Greek.

The Greek Online School makes learning Greek much easier, as the student can stop the lesson to master new words and phrases at their own pace. Their online methods have evolved to provide students with a wider range of effective options to learning a language.

Online lessons are delivered using diverse lesson plans and multimedia tools that engage students in learning, writing, listening, and speaking in Greek. And the online teacher is available to help, and so many more tools at hand make the process easy and enjoyable.

Learning Greek can be a challenging process in a classroom where there are so many learners with diverse levels of Greek all vying for the teacher’s attention. However, having one-to-one teaching by a native speaker online is best.

The Greek Online School can help in maintain our rich and powerful language and will give your children and you the edge at school and in life. Greek is also the cornerstone of the undying spirit of Hellenism.

The program is also fun and entertaining. So, refresh your family’s Greek and be ready for your next trip to Greece, as global travel begins.