Georgia Protopappa Rizou was born in Laista, Zagori, in 1948 and studied at the Pedagogical Academy of Ioannina. After teaching in different parts of Greece during the 1960s, she met her husband, who had come from Canada to marry her. She later migrated to Canada with him while he was pursuing his MBA at York University. Because she did not speak English upon arriving in Canada, she began teaching in Greek schools in 1973 after the birth of her children. She later served on the Educational Committees of the Greek Community and as a counselor with the Canadian Board of Education. She also participated in seminars in Crete focused on revising Greek textbooks and curricula as Greek language education shifted from a first-language to a second-language model.
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[00:02:31] Early years and family background in Greece
[00:02:32] Education and work as a teacher
[00:04:28] Her husband who was studying in Toronto
[00:05:09] Her husband's return to Greece and their marriage
[00:05:23] Following her husband and starting a family in Canada
[00:06:33] Working in Greek Schools since '73
[00:06:53] Post-war memories and the years after without her father
[00:10:33] Trip to Canada during Junta and first impressions
[00:13:39] Living at York University and Greeks of YU
[00:14:21] Greek schools and Greek Heritage Program
[00:23:09] Textbooks and shaping the educational materia
l[00:29:06] Structure, challenges, and changes in Greek schools
[00:31:55 ] Collaboration with universities and re-writing textbooks
[00:34:19] The teachers of Greek Schools in 70's -80's
[00:36:36] A story of a student visiting Greece
[00:39:20] Teachers and pedagogies through time
[00:43:37] Greek School of Metamorphosis
[00:44:39] Greek school curriculum & Crete University seminars
[00:46:24] Greek as a Second Language
[00:47:50] Greek Schools from the students' perspective
[00:50:10] Challenges and changes in schools, ’70s–’90s
[01:01:08] Evening weekday vs Saturday Greek schools
[01:03:23] Schools of the Greek Community since the ’70s
[01:05:04] Greek Schools and traditional dances
[01:06:36] Certified Greek schools
[01:08:08] Challenges in preserving Greek across generations
[01:13:10] Decline of students in Greek schools
[01:13:48] Deciding to stay permanetly in Canada
[01:15:57] Multiculturalism and Greek Identity
[01:17:15] Stories and memories from the Greek schools
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