WEBVTT 00:00:04.116 --> 00:00:04.366 Dr. Alexiou Thomai 00:00:11.264 --> 00:00:13.694 The crisis we are experiencing nowadays 00:00:13.867 --> 00:00:17.097 is first and foremost a crisis of moral values. 00:00:17.748 --> 00:00:21.038 Values stem from our education. 00:00:23.123 --> 00:00:25.323 The cultivation we all receive. 00:00:25.453 --> 00:00:28.583 Education and principles start predominantly within the family. 00:00:28.771 --> 00:00:32.771 On a second level, they stem from school and then pass on to our society. 00:00:34.807 --> 00:00:41.117 Believe me, if we prioritize education even during periods of adversity, 00:00:41.314 --> 00:00:42.874 miracles will happen. 00:00:43.051 --> 00:00:45.581 And, believe me, it is never too late for miracles. 00:00:47.323 --> 00:00:51.323 I believe a lot in teaching, but I believe even more in education. 00:00:51.902 --> 00:00:55.722 In the morals and values of individuals and their holistic development. 00:00:56.293 --> 00:01:00.293 According to Plato, education can change and define lives. 00:01:00.494 --> 00:01:02.994 It's like a second sun for people. 00:01:04.206 --> 00:01:08.866 So, let's start with the first part, which has to do with the family. 00:01:09.098 --> 00:01:11.548 It is the main core of the society, after all. 00:01:12.194 --> 00:01:14.794 What do we need to provide for a child 00:01:14.966 --> 00:01:17.706 in order to ensure a proper and balanced upbringing? 00:01:17.778 --> 00:01:18.808 Love? 00:01:19.336 --> 00:01:20.416 Care? 00:01:21.740 --> 00:01:23.790 Protection? Security? 00:01:24.189 --> 00:01:26.989 Indeed, but these are self-evident. 00:01:27.202 --> 00:01:29.792 I don't know of any parents who don't love their children. 00:01:29.893 --> 00:01:32.493 With the exception of clinical cases, of course. 00:01:32.897 --> 00:01:37.847 What children really need to grow up in a proper and balanced way 00:01:39.018 --> 00:01:41.328 is roots and wings. 00:01:42.148 --> 00:01:47.218 Roots, to feel that they belong somewhere, 00:01:47.745 --> 00:01:50.655 but also wings, to feel that they can fly. 00:01:51.780 --> 00:01:55.780 This expression was first used around 1920 00:01:56.389 --> 00:01:59.699 and was then used in 1950 by Carter, 00:02:00.173 --> 00:02:04.173 but, really, it doesn't matter who said it first. 00:02:05.917 --> 00:02:09.317 What matters is that something as old as this 00:02:09.617 --> 00:02:12.807 is considered contemporary and timeless. 00:02:14.523 --> 00:02:17.623 Roots and wings, quite contradictive. 00:02:17.735 --> 00:02:20.915 From this, I will move on to my personal story to convince you. 00:02:24.800 --> 00:02:28.160 I grew up in Kastoria. Yes, I was lucky. 00:02:28.933 --> 00:02:32.933 My schoolyard and house had a view of the lake, 00:02:33.037 --> 00:02:35.647 the swans, and the ducks. 00:02:35.973 --> 00:02:39.733 The value of this experience for my life and sense of taste 00:02:39.808 --> 00:02:41.528 is something I realized much later. 00:02:41.619 --> 00:02:45.619 Because some things define our lives, but we recognize them much later. 00:02:47.698 --> 00:02:51.538 The value of our childhood environment 00:02:51.730 --> 00:02:53.970 is something that recurs over and over again. 00:02:54.103 --> 00:02:56.033 Even during the difficult times in our lives. 00:02:56.706 --> 00:02:59.446 I am lucky enough to travel a lot. 00:03:00.166 --> 00:03:02.826 But every time I go back to Kastoria, 00:03:03.647 --> 00:03:06.547 this sense of "coming home" is beyond all other feelings. 00:03:06.780 --> 00:03:08.720 You go home for a while. 00:03:09.703 --> 00:03:12.043 Therefore, you go back to your self. 00:03:12.972 --> 00:03:15.172 I remember when I was young, while studying 00:03:15.499 --> 00:03:20.699 my mother would quietly bring me some sage tea or orange juice. 00:03:21.187 --> 00:03:25.187 Even today, these smells remind me of my childhood. 00:03:26.542 --> 00:03:30.542 They bring back feelings of 00:03:31.464 --> 00:03:35.464 warmth, comfort, security, love. 00:03:37.267 --> 00:03:40.117 My father had his own business and worked long hours. 00:03:40.228 --> 00:03:42.728 Still, I can't forget that he asked our mother 00:03:42.818 --> 00:03:46.318 to keep both me and my sister up at night for fifteen minutes 00:03:46.432 --> 00:03:50.432 so that he could play with us, at least for fifteen minutes every day. 00:03:50.899 --> 00:03:53.999 Even today, thinking about this moves me deeply. 00:03:56.158 --> 00:03:58.738 I remember when I entered university, 00:03:58.846 --> 00:04:01.746 the Department of Early Childhood Education in Ioannina, 00:04:01.859 --> 00:04:04.609 my mother had a very typical "mum" reaction. 00:04:04.732 --> 00:04:08.442 Some of you, especially the younger ones, 00:04:08.547 --> 00:04:09.677 will recognize this reaction. 00:04:09.799 --> 00:04:13.349 She said "It's so far away, you aren't going anywhere!". 00:04:14.184 --> 00:04:18.074 Of course, my father's reaction was 00:04:18.223 --> 00:04:22.223 "No matter how far it is, you are going there to study." 00:04:23.935 --> 00:04:27.935 Four years later, I went to England to do my master's degree. 00:04:28.236 --> 00:04:31.196 My panic-stricken mother came to help me "settle in". 00:04:33.366 --> 00:04:37.366 The very first day, I remember, she made a tempting suggestion 00:04:38.559 --> 00:04:43.729 to spend some tuition money on shopping or whatever I wanted 00:04:43.829 --> 00:04:46.249 and go back home to Kastoria the next day. 00:04:47.784 --> 00:04:51.064 My father's instant reaction to this suggestion was 00:04:51.197 --> 00:04:54.757 "Send your mother back home packing on the first available flight." 00:04:55.222 --> 00:04:57.312 Which is what I did. 00:04:59.763 --> 00:05:03.763 A few years later, I received a full scholarship at a U.K. university 00:05:03.881 --> 00:05:05.771 for a three-year PhD. 00:05:07.207 --> 00:05:09.787 It was September and I was working in Ioannina. 00:05:09.863 --> 00:05:11.893 My parents lived in Kastoria. 00:05:12.076 --> 00:05:16.076 I called to let them know and my mom had again a typical reaction. 00:05:16.947 --> 00:05:22.557 "You can't leave for three years now, we just brought you winter rugs." 00:05:24.331 --> 00:05:27.111 Unbeatable arguments, as you can see. 00:05:27.440 --> 00:05:30.540 My father told me not to miss this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. 00:05:30.613 --> 00:05:36.713 From these stories, you can tell who gave me roots and who gave me wings. 00:05:38.511 --> 00:05:40.981 Both of which are important, however. 00:05:42.876 --> 00:05:46.876 About three years later, I returned to Greece with my PhD. 00:05:47.159 --> 00:05:50.719 I gave up a university position there, because I wanted to contribute here. 00:05:51.654 --> 00:05:54.944 For about five years, I was working in different universities in Greece. 00:05:55.561 --> 00:05:58.841 Until I found a full-time position. 00:05:59.451 --> 00:06:03.451 I want to say this for all the young people to hear. 00:06:03.992 --> 00:06:07.992 I had no contacts or parents in the academic world. 00:06:09.283 --> 00:06:12.603 In fact, my father only finished primary school. 00:06:13.111 --> 00:06:17.561 From the place that I am now, I can say he's my greatest teacher. 00:06:17.863 --> 00:06:20.353 He gave me the strongest wings in the world. 00:06:21.041 --> 00:06:25.041 My mother comes from a similar educational background. 00:06:25.909 --> 00:06:28.109 But she raised me not only with milk, 00:06:28.508 --> 00:06:31.908 but with "milk and honey", as Fromm rightly says. 00:06:32.544 --> 00:06:38.094 With roots so strong, I always find ways and reasons to go back home. 00:06:38.862 --> 00:06:42.862 What I want to say is, if a family is solid and strong, 00:06:43.537 --> 00:06:45.967 nothing can shatter it. 00:06:46.780 --> 00:06:51.440 No child has a problem on its own. A child develops a problem, 00:06:51.603 --> 00:06:53.123 if not properly guarded. 00:06:53.445 --> 00:06:57.325 From a very young age, I learned that I don't need expensive brands 00:06:57.418 --> 00:07:01.418 to feel that I am of value and, above all, to be happy. 00:07:02.124 --> 00:07:05.694 I also learned that education means thinking on your own 00:07:06.224 --> 00:07:08.634 and not always following the crowd. 00:07:08.973 --> 00:07:11.943 Only when you manage not to care about the image, thoughts, 00:07:12.049 --> 00:07:14.119 and opinions of others, 00:07:14.269 --> 00:07:18.269 will you manage to isolate the noise and listen to your own voice. 00:07:18.990 --> 00:07:20.950 It's not always easy. 00:07:22.347 --> 00:07:25.627 As my grandma used to tell me, when she was alive, 00:07:26.274 --> 00:07:30.274 "Don't ask me for advice about the future, but only about the present, 00:07:30.362 --> 00:07:32.692 because I have a lot to offer you from the past." 00:07:32.813 --> 00:07:36.023 "But if you ask me about the future, it is you who must decide." 00:07:36.192 --> 00:07:40.192 "Because your sun looks to the east, while mine to the west." 00:07:43.277 --> 00:07:47.277 So, let's move on to school education. 00:07:47.871 --> 00:07:49.691 Let's see what's going on here. 00:07:50.676 --> 00:07:53.786 A month ago, we received an official report. 00:07:54.635 --> 00:07:58.635 It foreshadows a bright future for education in Greece. 00:07:59.177 --> 00:08:02.247 I really believe that this can happen under certain conditions. 00:08:03.623 --> 00:08:08.433 Indeed, our school drop-out rates are low compared to other European countries. 00:08:08.667 --> 00:08:11.527 This means that our children don't leave school. 00:08:11.646 --> 00:08:14.396 I am very proud of this, as well as of the fact that, 00:08:14.515 --> 00:08:20.135 according to the report, our educators are highly qualified. 00:08:20.961 --> 00:08:24.961 Especially in this time of crisis that we are going through today, 00:08:25.651 --> 00:08:29.651 offering high-quality public education, 00:08:30.000 --> 00:08:32.620 for free, as I would like to highlight, 00:08:33.095 --> 00:08:35.065 is something actually quite significant. 00:08:36.857 --> 00:08:42.537 On the other hand, having travelled to multiple universities and schools 00:08:43.848 --> 00:08:45.098 across the world, 00:08:45.512 --> 00:08:48.422 I can personally assure you that our schools, 00:08:49.248 --> 00:08:51.518 the education quality we offer, 00:08:52.184 --> 00:08:55.164 as well as the qualification level of our educators, 00:08:55.331 --> 00:08:58.311 are by no means of lesser value compared to schools abroad. 00:08:58.640 --> 00:09:02.220 We are vastly inferior though with regard to infrastructure. 00:09:02.926 --> 00:09:05.186 But there are reasons behind that. 00:09:06.675 --> 00:09:09.585 What I would also like to mention 00:09:09.855 --> 00:09:12.945 are the countless opportunities we offer for further education. 00:09:13.205 --> 00:09:16.555 It is by no means incidental, and it is indeed inconcievable, 00:09:16.753 --> 00:09:19.113 how much progress has been done in this section. 00:09:20.237 --> 00:09:24.877 For instance, with MOOCs, distance learning programmes, and so on, 00:09:25.689 --> 00:09:29.689 access to education and training has been simplified. 00:09:30.731 --> 00:09:34.731 Namely, someone living in a remote village on a Greek mountain 00:09:35.706 --> 00:09:41.046 can enter an educational platform and without any charge, or for very little 00:09:41.722 --> 00:09:47.342 attend courses from Yale, Sydney, or anywhere else. 00:09:47.506 --> 00:09:50.356 These were inconceivable in the past. 00:09:50.763 --> 00:09:52.763 So, we have open access to education. 00:09:53.271 --> 00:09:57.511 To make a comment based on my field of studies, 00:09:57.596 --> 00:10:01.596 I'd like to say that one of the reasons for such opportunities 00:10:01.839 --> 00:10:05.839 is the fact that we have a high level of English language knowledge. 00:10:06.123 --> 00:10:09.203 The language of access to the world. 00:10:10.921 --> 00:10:15.791 Recently, since we are trying to emphasize English language teaching, 00:10:15.984 --> 00:10:19.304 English is now being taught from the first grade of primary school. 00:10:19.457 --> 00:10:21.867 I need to say, though, that with one teaching hour 00:10:21.933 --> 00:10:23.683 we will see no difference. 00:10:23.768 --> 00:10:26.388 These are not breakthroughs. They are half-measures. 00:10:29.570 --> 00:10:34.240 That was my field-specific comment. Let me ask something. 00:10:36.842 --> 00:10:42.692 Since we have a good education and our educators are of a high level, 00:10:43.627 --> 00:10:45.837 why is cultivation giving us such a hard time? 00:10:46.774 --> 00:10:49.704 So, let's move on to the school. 00:10:50.450 --> 00:10:52.390 Do we have love in schools? 00:10:52.765 --> 00:10:55.115 Are we ever going to add it to our reformation, 00:10:55.198 --> 00:10:58.098 as the dearly departed teacher, Mr. Tsolakis, used to say? 00:10:59.910 --> 00:11:03.910 Our schools are, unfortunately, even today, a sports field of grades. 00:11:04.029 --> 00:11:06.539 Their objectives are exam-based. 00:11:06.903 --> 00:11:08.753 The recent report also pointed out 00:11:08.822 --> 00:11:10.942 that less emphasis is to be placed on exams. 00:11:10.980 --> 00:11:13.390 We place too much emphasis on them. 00:11:14.150 --> 00:11:16.720 Therefore, we keep having obsessions. 00:11:16.819 --> 00:11:22.729 Grammar, maths, certificates of course, and technology more recently. 00:11:24.621 --> 00:11:29.461 We ask children to memorize information they will probably never need. 00:11:30.138 --> 00:11:32.468 We ask for one question only one correct answer. 00:11:32.573 --> 00:11:34.803 How against Socrates is this in learning? 00:11:35.880 --> 00:11:39.880 We essentially ask children to do things they won't need. 00:11:42.026 --> 00:11:46.026 Children lose their childhood. They lose unique talents in school. 00:11:46.712 --> 00:11:49.632 In our schools, children suffocate in their talents. 00:11:50.498 --> 00:11:51.708 Picasso used to say: 00:11:51.870 --> 00:11:54.770 "It took me four years to learn how to paint like Raphael 00:11:55.126 --> 00:11:57.956 and an entire lifetime to learn how to paint like a child." 00:11:58.287 --> 00:11:59.917 Yet we insist. 00:12:00.227 --> 00:12:03.537 We dictate pictures, shapes, letters 00:12:03.596 --> 00:12:06.326 we instruct them on how to logically remember history. 00:12:06.396 --> 00:12:08.516 God forbid they change anything in history. 00:12:08.592 --> 00:12:10.442 Mr. Trivizas is right when he says 00:12:10.488 --> 00:12:13.288 that what we need to cultivate in schools is imagination 00:12:13.380 --> 00:12:14.830 and innovation. 00:12:15.057 --> 00:12:19.057 This is a talent that we unfortunately strangle. 00:12:19.853 --> 00:12:23.853 I remember my godchild, back when she was three or four years old, 00:12:24.363 --> 00:12:26.063 we were drawing together, 00:12:26.993 --> 00:12:30.993 and I noticed that out of five markers, she was only using two: red and black. 00:12:31.940 --> 00:12:34.260 No blue, light blue, or green. Nothing. 00:12:34.507 --> 00:12:35.997 I became alarmed. 00:12:36.150 --> 00:12:40.150 I was looking between the lines for any other issues. 00:12:40.658 --> 00:12:43.108 I talked to her in person and asked: 00:12:43.555 --> 00:12:46.285 "Sweetheart, why don't you use more colours?" 00:12:46.528 --> 00:12:48.908 "Why only black and red?" 00:12:49.547 --> 00:12:53.547 She looked at me like I asked the most stupid thing in the world. 00:12:55.131 --> 00:12:57.221 In her childlike naivety she said: 00:12:57.487 --> 00:13:00.797 "But my other markers have dried out, godmother." 00:13:02.033 --> 00:13:04.933 I didn't even think of the simplest thing. 00:13:05.287 --> 00:13:07.337 So, let's move on to the practical part. 00:13:07.416 --> 00:13:11.416 What can we do to add cultivation in education? 00:13:11.515 --> 00:13:16.195 What can we do to guard children inside schools? 00:13:17.091 --> 00:13:20.591 Disciplines change and what we are teaching now 00:13:20.695 --> 00:13:23.775 might be outmoded in five or ten years. 00:13:23.912 --> 00:13:26.452 This is how things are, because everything runs fast. 00:13:27.077 --> 00:13:31.347 Humanitarian studies, however, never dissapoint. 00:13:32.920 --> 00:13:36.920 We need life lessons, as Mr. Yosafat has been saying for years, 00:13:37.026 --> 00:13:39.026 and we must begin in Kindergarten. 00:13:39.191 --> 00:13:40.591 Love lessons. 00:13:40.801 --> 00:13:45.671 Teach children empathy, ethics, respect for the other, 00:13:45.848 --> 00:13:49.338 what is actually the other, what is finally emotional intelligence. 00:13:49.661 --> 00:13:54.211 We need lessons of basic world knowledge that children will always need. 00:13:54.435 --> 00:13:55.615 From what to eat, 00:13:55.723 --> 00:13:58.373 because even eighteen-year-olds don't know how to eat, 00:13:58.958 --> 00:14:02.748 to what fills their heart during hard times. 00:14:04.222 --> 00:14:09.502 We emphasize all the rest so much, that we forget about the basics. 00:14:09.897 --> 00:14:12.847 Music, dance, culture, arts. 00:14:13.469 --> 00:14:17.229 These add quality to our life and can truly help us 00:14:17.654 --> 00:14:19.384 during hard times. 00:14:20.227 --> 00:14:25.847 Of course, we also need digital education and Internet lessons, especially today. 00:14:27.079 --> 00:14:32.859 I could, but I wouldn't like to mention the emphasis we place on technology 00:14:33.015 --> 00:14:34.745 in today's schools. 00:14:36.313 --> 00:14:39.383 Many dangers lurk, I can confirm that, 00:14:39.869 --> 00:14:42.939 but I am not among those against technology. 00:14:43.575 --> 00:14:46.205 I am, however, against one-sided obsession. 00:14:46.616 --> 00:14:51.396 In robotics lessons only, emotions cannot be cultivated. 00:14:54.164 --> 00:14:58.164 I'm moving on to the heart of cultivation in education. 00:14:58.465 --> 00:15:00.215 This is the teacher. 00:15:01.205 --> 00:15:06.665 Everybody in this space teaches, but we forget that we are educators. 00:15:07.775 --> 00:15:11.865 All teachers, in all levels, and of all fields, 00:15:12.014 --> 00:15:15.204 are above all educators, and therefore role models. 00:15:15.464 --> 00:15:18.684 Their influence is permanent through time. 00:15:19.083 --> 00:15:25.183 To convince you, close your eyes, and think of your favourite teacher. 00:15:25.626 --> 00:15:27.416 Of your childhood. 00:15:28.738 --> 00:15:31.828 You all recalled someone, a name. 00:15:32.097 --> 00:15:33.617 Do you know why this happens? 00:15:34.050 --> 00:15:37.240 Because, simply, nobody forgets a good teacher. 00:15:40.452 --> 00:15:45.432 If I ask each one of you why you remember this particular teacher, 00:15:46.089 --> 00:15:51.739 you won't say you remember them because of maths or grammar. 00:15:52.780 --> 00:15:55.600 Children don't remember what we taught them, 00:15:55.738 --> 00:15:59.078 but they forever remember how we made them feel. 00:16:00.906 --> 00:16:04.906 Therefore, the inspiring teacher, the one who envisions, 00:16:06.001 --> 00:16:10.361 knows that they are don't just teach, they educate. 00:16:10.739 --> 00:16:12.829 They facilitate learning and they educate. 00:16:13.108 --> 00:16:15.548 This is their main role. 00:16:15.754 --> 00:16:18.694 Moreover, they accept mistakes and failures, 00:16:18.976 --> 00:16:22.106 because they are part of the next success. 00:16:22.263 --> 00:16:25.183 Many people fail until they succeed. 00:16:25.317 --> 00:16:29.317 Therefore, we don't condemn mistakes. We embrace them. 00:16:29.562 --> 00:16:34.582 Finally, the right teacher knows that teaching stems from the heart, 00:16:35.160 --> 00:16:36.530 not from the brain. 00:16:36.683 --> 00:16:41.853 So, the example is always more effective than the lesson. 00:16:43.399 --> 00:16:45.099 Finally, and to conclude... 00:16:48.689 --> 00:16:53.459 to change everything, not just the education and family, 00:16:53.542 --> 00:16:57.042 but also the society, in order for it to offer the child 00:16:57.082 --> 00:16:58.642 roots and wings, 00:16:58.809 --> 00:17:02.209 we must change our mindset and take on our responsibilites. 00:17:02.665 --> 00:17:07.025 Change, re-evaluation of role models, based on humanitarian values and culture, 00:17:07.145 --> 00:17:09.295 to have meaningful education. 00:17:09.801 --> 00:17:13.801 Let's cultivate ourselves, enough with our image. 00:17:14.577 --> 00:17:16.417 Exupéry told us this years ago. 00:17:16.507 --> 00:17:18.627 The meaningful is invisible to the eye. 00:17:19.191 --> 00:17:20.261 The question is... 00:17:21.283 --> 00:17:24.443 The parents, educators, citizens of this world... 00:17:26.919 --> 00:17:29.989 Do we want to give our children roots and wings? 00:17:30.092 --> 00:17:31.462 I'm asking you. 00:17:32.507 --> 00:17:34.577 Do we want to? I didn't hear you, louder. 00:17:36.923 --> 00:17:39.193 Mediocrity and desire don't go together. 00:17:39.916 --> 00:17:44.156 Let's get pumped, open our eyes, open our heart above all, 00:17:44.292 --> 00:17:46.292 and let's take on life differently. 00:17:46.469 --> 00:17:49.389 Nothing mediocre fits or is worth it for our children. 00:17:49.567 --> 00:17:50.537 Thank you.