Native, experienced and creative Greek tutor - Let's make learning Greek fun!

Find out more about Ioanna

• Do you speak this language fluently because of your origins or because a teacher inspired you to learn?

  I was born and raised in Greece before I moved to the United Kingdom at the age of 18! While Greek may be my native language, teaching it became a passion of mine when I met an amazing Greek history teacher back in middle school. She taught me that language is not just about grammar and vocabulary, it's about culture and knowledge. Languages may give us the opportunity to communicate with people from other countries but they should also be a journey into another country, where borders are nonexistent.

• Can you name a living, historical or fictional character that you think is the emblematic representative of the language's culture?

  For those that aren't familiar with Ancient Greek Literature, Homer is a favourite writer of mine who is known for his work in Odyssey. The way his poems are written give me an exquisite view into Greek mythology and culture while the mixtures of dialects he uses are the blueprint of the modern greek that the world knows today. I find that extremely fascinating.

• Is there a typical word, phrase, tradition or behavior in the language that you particularly like?

  A famous phrase you might know is "Παν μέτρον άριστον". This means "Everything in moderation". I live by this as I believe that the perfection that some people seek lies within throwing greed away and having everything in moderation.

• Why does speaking this language matter to you?

  Greek is a very old language that I believe not a lot of people approach as it seems difficult or most of the times unapproachable due to the lack of teachers out there. I'd like to change that and give students a look into the culture and years of research that lies beneath the language we know today.

• What is the main difficulty in learning this language and what can help the process of learning?

  I've noticed that most people struggle with the alphabet which I completely understand. Greek is one of the few languages that use a completely different alphabet than any other language which makes it harder to start. The best way to approach this is to practice, practice, practice. Compare things you already know in english to it and make connections. That way you can remember details that are easy to forget.

• Provide a valuable anecdote related to your language learning or your days at school.

  Throughout my years in Greek schools, I always struggled with opinion essays. Most teachers said I was too bold, too realistic, sometimes had the reader ask themselves too many questions. There were some teachers that called me a failure or lazy. I couldn't help but believe those opinions, until I started University. Believing that I was terrible at essays I immediately signed up for tutoring so as to not get bad grades in assignments. My tutor said she couldn't help, said she loved my way of writing and thought I could make a really good teacher some day. I was shocked. She said my way of explaining was to the point while I always prompted the reader to think about the topic themselves. I had never thought about it that way. It taught me a huge lesson on perspective and different routes. There is no 1 solution in life.

• How has travel or a specific trip helped you to increase your skill and knowledge of the language?

  But when I was still living in Greece I was very interested in visiting different villages and picking up dialects. It really helped me see all perspectives within the language and most interestingly, learn some new slang!

• What makes you a Superprof in language?

  To be a superprof in any language you need an incredible amount of passion, understanding and organisation. Your passion helps you strive for the greatest possible result and enables you to motivate your students every day. Understanding means knowing what it's like to learn a second or third language while also respecting the learner's age, or any learning difficulties they might be experiencing. Finally, organisation is key to providing flexibility and stability for your students while also being able to produce personalised lessons for each.