Just something we were discussing in Greek class at uni today and thought it would be interesting to discuss the issue...


Why is it that while there are 60,000 studnets of greek heriatage(primary through to tertiaty) and only 16,000 of those are actually learning greek - and why of all the greek students at universities, in victoria alone there are only 45 students (im proud to say i am one of them). Why is it that there are more Greek tertiary students in PERTH than in melbourne which is the third largest greek SPEAKING city (evryone claims its the thrid largest population of greek, however Chigago has almost 3 times the ammount of greek that there are in melbourne..but only about 30,000 actually speak greek). IN DARWIN there are approx 15 students studying Greek.... in CHINA there are about 20-25 students of Chinese background speaking better Greek than some Greeks in Australia...

I guess my point is....why dont people want to learnt the greek language. Or be educated in the greek culture etc...and only about 1/4 of the greek studnets in melbourne actually learn greek...

I don't think someone has to study Greek at school or uni to learn it, i.m.o
Each to their own, but my idea of kids learning Greek, is their parents not being lazy parents, and actually speaking to them Greek at home.... This way they'll learn Greek better than going to Greek school (which they probably will hate and make them have negative feelings towards anything Greek), or won't need to study it at uni because they'd have been spoken to in Greek for so long by their parents, that they can have a fluent convo in Greek.
What is worrying i.m.o. is parents not speaking to their kids in Greek enough.
Not kids not doing Greek language studies at uni.

shorty i think you just raised a fantastic point

i have quite a couple of friends that are greek, and not one of them know how to structure a sentence of greek. The only thing they know is like geia sou, ti kanies, and the famous, MALAKA !!!!!!!!

Ive been doing greek all my life and only last year i quit which now i fucking regrett.

From my point of view, they are trying to teach greek as a first language which prota prota is wrong. We still used those blue grammer books which you guys may have used back in the day - my mum even remembers it.

I understand the only way to learn a new language is constantly revise and have tests.

Its pointless complaining, but its fucking BORING.

We were congugating words every lesson. Enikos Arithmos kai Pluthindikos Arithmos. Pes mou enan paidi pou aresi ergasia san auto? Exactly.

I think Greek teachers need to get together and re-structure how they teach greek, how to engage students ect.

Ta ellinika mou den einai telia, h asximo, ala, gia 16 xronon paidi, xero pio pola `ap ta ala.

Theres probably 10 or 15 greeks at my school, only my friend, who was born in thessaloniki and is going their next week, ( fuck, tin zilevo tora, ) and me can properly, kai KATHARA speak greek.

Before i went to greece last year, my greek was terrible, shit, i only spent 3 weeks in greece, but fuck how that changed my life, exo pathos tora na matheno thn glossa mou. Only thing stopping me now is if i go back to greek school, i would have repeat yr 11 c0z i was doing Unit 1 and 2 greek whilst i was in yr 10 last year. <-- hope that made sence - LOL

But yeah shorty, good discussion

i didnt say they have to study it at uni, i just said that why do many students not follow through with their studies even to high school....
WHY do they hate it when they go to greek school....i rekon i had some of the best times at greek school.
speaking it at home will do them good to have a conversation, but they still wont know the greatness of the language, the grammar, and culture behind it all...you dont only learn how to speak greek at greek school. I agree about the speaking at home (we dont really speak greek at home with dad though so that sucks, only because he came here very young and didnt have a chance to learn it properly)


Pauli you bring up some good points...maybe greek school is boring....(my teachers were great...we used to do alot more[at high school level i mean] than congugate verbs) - im guessing the reason for this is that most greek teachers these days are not actually qualified teachers, they are just randoms who think they can teach greek, and schools are forced to employ these people because there are not enough LOTE graduates these days who have studied greek.

Id have to say pauli, your greek is pretty good, better than some older people iv spoken too.
i also took units 1 and 2 during yr 10 and then i did 3 and 4 in yr 11. you wouldnt have to repeat them if u have completed them, just pick up 3 and 4 in yr 12.

Thank you

I had an actually fantastic teacher. But problem is he was way to old man, he was on the verge of retiring and you could tell he was getting really tired easily.
We had yr 7-12 in the one class. His having to devote half the time to the yr 7-10s then the rest to us. Just wasnt right and it wasnt working. Fassaria every lesson lol but good times..

I didnt complete 1 and 2, i stopped in october after i came back, i just had 2 more months to go, just 2 more months, im such a fucking idiot lol.

oh well, when im in greece when im older hooking up with all the godesses and seducing them coz i can speak such good greek, all my friends will want to kill me - LMFAOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO - ohhh im so sad lmaoooo

Best times are at Greeks school?

Having Greek school homework to do ontop of your pile of English homework?

Having a teacher yell at you everyweek for not doing all your homework because you had craploads of English homework and wanted some free time rather than fill the freetime with Greek school homework.

Filling some of your free weekend with Greekschool is good?

Greekschool sucked, the only good thing was lighting firecrackers in the toilets often.







Nai siga, and at Greek school they'll teach you well on these things?

dude, i have no idea what type of greek school you went to.
Yea big deal, i went to greek school every saturday for 13 years...i spent all of my friday nights doing my greek school homework....but you know what..its been one of the best things iv done.
i bet the hours i spent at greek school on a saturday morning, whihc you think is wasting time(id rather say i invested it wisely) i bet you were just sleeping. what a waste of time that is!

yeah sure the teacher yelled at me, even smacked me for not doing my homework, but iv learnt from that, and now appreciate education.

Who could forget all those dancing classes and how much fun we had with that...playing pranks on the teachers....and not having stupid detentions because our teachers were great enought o just laugh it off...
you only hated it because you never appreciated it.

Hell no it's not lol.
Late night's studying and homeworkd and exams needs good sleep to catch up on






Siga coz there was alot to apprieciate about it

You'll find the majority of people seem to dislike Greek school.

because they too do not appreciate it.

i remember rocking up to greek school saturday mornings, almost passing out from hungover-ness, it never mattered though, we were there every week.

i went to greek school so my kids are going to have to go to greekschool BUT they will by no means be forced to go when they reach the point in their lives where they can make up their own minds. a parent cant just send their kids off to greek school and burden teachers with the task of teaching and making their kids appreciate greek. if parents and grandparents embrace the language and culture at home with the kids than maybe just maybe the child would want to continue learning greek at highschool or uni levels.

all in all it does depend on ones character. just because someone doesnt study it at uni or wherever doesnt mean they dont appreciate the language or the culture...
so basically as much as it kills me i do agree with eoka on this one.