Reimagining education
Irene Zachariou
Irene Zachariou is a visionary, award-winning teacher-artist, researcher and school owner. Her mission is to invent and implement new teaching strategies to motivate students, enhance their learning experience and instil values, thus helping them meet future challenges and lead a prosperous and blissful life. In 2019 she won the Gold Award for Innovation in Teaching at the Education Leader Awards for her holistic method, "A Course of Action!". It combines drama education, theatre and technology with second language acquisition, aiming not only to teach foreign languages but also to educate the whole child as it improves the emotional, creative, social and cognitive abilities.
She was born in Kallipoli, Piraeus and has two children, Addie and Aggelos. She owns "ZACHARIOU LANGUAGE SCHOOL", an innovative and quality language school she has been running successfully for twenty-five years. She has studied English Literature at the University of Cambridge and has a Master's degree in "Drama in Education" from Trinity College, the University of Dublin. She has also studied "Teaching foreign languages to pre-school children" at the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens. In 2014 she became a certified Tomatis practitioner, and since then, she has been helping children and adults with auditory function disorders learn foreign languages. Being a holistic teacher, she is also taking piano and painting lessons to include this knowledge in her teaching methodology.
She is a philanthropist. Her love for children has guided her to Elpida Hospital for Children with Cancer which she supports yearly by donating a proportion of the school's annual income. In 2014 she decided to stand by the children of Elpida Hospital even more actively. She became a bone marrow donor and began a campaign to raise awareness among the people of Piraeus regarding this gift of life. Ever since, she has successfully recruited many donors. In 2018, with the help of her students, she raised 250 books which she donated to Chatzikiriakeio Childcare Institution along with two scholarships for the orphaned or homeless girls it shelters.
Her origin, the Greek island of Santorini, can account for her love of the sea and sailing. She has participated in many sailing regattas and has won numerous medals. She is also taking traditional Greek dancing lessons to keep Greece's culture and traditions alive. Teaching is her passion. Art, Literature, Music, Dance, Theatre, and Poetry are her sources of inspiration which she has integrated innovatively and successfully into Zachariou Language School's programme. Solidarity, Acceptance, Equality, Honesty, Justice, Respect, Teamwork, and Love are the values she lives by.
Our vision
At Zachariou Language School, we are pioneers in foreign language education in Greece.
Our vision goes far beyond teaching a lesson.
We strive to provide our students with a comprehensive language education that fosters communication in the target language and promotes their cognitive and emotional growth. We achieve this by using innovative teaching methodologies and applying sound educational principles. Our goal is to make the target language not a subject to be memorized but an enjoyble and momorable experience that enriches the lives of our students! With our holistic approach, we instill a love for language learning that will serve our students well beyond their time with us.
Thoughts during these difficult times of crisis
When the winds of change blow, some people build walls and others build windmills
We are currently experiencing an economic crisis that inevitably affects our choices. However, a crisis can have a positive effect as well. The answer lies in the Greek language.
The word “κρίσις” (crisis) in ancient Greek comes from the verb “κρίνω” which means to judge and decide. As a result, a crisis summons one to think and decide carefully. How can parents nowadays, faced with lowered income, wisely determine their offspring’s education?
How does one act in a time of crisis?
Nowadays, knowing at least one foreign language is a matter of survival. That is the reason why parents should exercise their judgement (κρίσις) wisely and decide to invest in a quality foreign language school that is reliable, has proved its professionalism in practice, adopts contemporary and innovative methodology and can guarantee proficient results.
Zachariou Language School uses the holistic approach to foreign language teaching and learning and can, therefore, assure parents that their children receive the best foreign language education in Greece.
In a time of crisis, each of us is asked to choose. At Zachariou foreign language school, we choose quality! What is your choice?
Teachers
At Zachariou Language School, we are also distinguished for the professionalism of our team. Our teaching staff comprises the finest, most highly qualified, experienced teachers devoted to lifelong learning.
Our school’s policy is to move from transactional to transformational teaching. Transactional teaching involves the transmission of knowledge from teacher to student. Learners are treated as empty cans to be filled, not as human beings who need to explore and learn naturally. Transformational teaching, in contrast, adopts a learner-centred rather than an instructor-centred approach. Our teachers lose their position of authority and come closer to children becoming facilitators. They encourage them to actively participate by providing a safe, inclusive, and stimulating environment where students can use all their senses and feelings.
We teach from the heart. A heart that is filled with love for children. We want to inspire and change students’ lives. That is our goal.