“Schools need to be open in the afternoon, in order to be schools”: Teaching Greek to parents and community members at a public school in Athens
This thesis, utilizing the method of qualitative interviews, explores the ways in which primary school teachers design and implement lessons of Greek as a second language for adult immigrant parents and community members in a public school in Athens. Two of the teachers who participated in the research are permanently appointed teachers in the specific school and two others are retired. More specifically, the educational objectives that they set themselves, the pedagogical practices that they adopt as well as the content of the courses are explored. The findings of the research show that the role of teachers as teachers of the morning program and at the same time of the lessons of Greek as a second language for adults is a catalyst for the formation of the course objectives, in which the central role is the communication with parents and the creation of a familiar place of coexistence with the morning, formal education program. The pedagogical practices and the choice of the content reflect the educational objectives and focus on the integration of the needs and experiences of the students, as they arise from a dynamic process of conciliation between teachers and students. The goals and practices arise from a common perception of teachers seems to run through their perceptions of the operation of the school more broadly.