------------------------------------------------------------------------
| THE MONTREAL GREEK TIMES GOPHER NEWS SERVICE |
------------------------------------------------------------------------
February 2018
Former MNA Christos Sirros shares some thoughts on the Socrates Schools
of the Hellenic Community of Montreal
(GIF) article photo
By CHRISTOS SIRROS
(HCGM) I was asked by the HCGM to write a short article about Socrates
school and the fact that in addition to myself, my two sons went to
Socrates and now my grand-daughter is a student there.
Here then are some of my thoughts about Socrates school and why parents
should consider sending their children there.
One important challenge children of cultural minorities face as they
grow up here in Quebec and Canada is how to ensure a successful
integration into the mainstream society.
Central to this is obviously the mastery of the two languages that
will be the most useful to them here in Quebec, French and english.
Not to be underestimated however is the acquisition a good knowledge
of the language of their roots and, in our case, one that expresses so
much of western cultural values.
Between assimilation on the one hand and the comfortable protection
of the ghetto on the other, will they find this path to integration
in the wider society that allows them to be productive citizens of
Quebec and Canada without abandoning their identity as Quebec
Canadians of Greek origin?
That was the hope that was at the centre of the decision that led my two
sons, Alexander and Jason, to Socrates and it is what also led my son
Alexander and his wife Effie to choose the same path for my grand
daughter, Katherine - to have an educational environment that would
reflect the best of Greek values and give them a trilingual education.
Socrates can provide our children with the confidence they need about
their identity as full members of this society as well as give them the
basis for a lifelong attachment to their cultural heritage.
Western civilization was, after all, founded on Greek ideals, thinking,
and the search for truth and understanding of the world. It was the
first time humankind stopped being governed by the realm of the
superstitious and gave control of its destiny to inquiry and the mind.
The words of Socrates, after whom the schools are named, “The unexamined
life is not worth living,” sums things up nicely.
Insofar as Socrates school can teach these values and instil a
thirst for understanding and learning in our children based on
them, it can aspire to be the choice of preference of the
members of our larger community.
As our community grows locally with time and no longer through new
immigration, each new generation will find it more and more difficult to
transmit the basics of the Greek language, culture and heritage.
The grandparents that until now often played the role of keepers of
the language and culture will soon be grandparents born and raised
here by parents themselves born and raised here. English or French
will inevitably come spontaneously easier for them than Greek. That is
already the case for todays parents for the most part. That doesn’t
mean that these parents feel any less “greek” but they can well use
the support Socrates can give them in ensuring their children maintain
that “greekness” as well.
I feel the need to say here that the measure of this “greekness” doesn’t
reside only in the skill with which one speaks reads and writes Greek,
and certainly not in the development of blind nationalistic flag waving
with every mention of the word Greek. It rests rather on integrating
into ones belief system the values that have underpinned the society we
live in today and that flow from what Hellenism brought to the world.
The prerequisite to a decision by todays parents to send their children
to Socrates is that the schools provide a quality of education that
leaves nothing to be desired ( to strive for excellence is after all a
fundamental greek value). How do they compare educationally with the
better private schools? Do they have a good technological
infrastructure? Do they offer a respectful environment for the child? How
do the graduates fare in onetting in to the better high schools? What
percentage of Socrates graduates go on to higher education at the
university level? These are questions parents considering Socrates will
be asking themselves and should be asking the administration.
When their mother and I made the decision to send Alexander and Jason to
Socrates back in the late seventies and early eighties we did so because
we felt convinced that in addition to english they would master French
and learn Greek in an environment of our own cultural reality. It was a
decision made less on facts (which no one had then) and more on faith
and an attachment to the community.
Along with us as parents, Socrates and their grandparents did
succeed in this goal. Each today is fluent in french and english,
has a good understanding of the greek language and is comfortable
in their hellenic heritage.
I believe the schools have much improved since that time and there
should now be proof in studies and research that can comfort parents in
their choice of Socrates for their children.
I urge parents that are presently considering which school to choose
for their children to put Socrates in the mix. Compare, ask, question.
All other things being equal, the value of a healthy grounding in ones
roots and identity counts for a lot in my view. Enough, I believe, to
tip the scales to that choice.
* Christos Sirros (Greek: Χρήστος Σύρρος; born 2 February 1948) is a
politician in the Province of Quebec, Canada. He was a Member of the
National Assembly of Quebec (MNA) for the Laurier-Dorion riding for two
decades as a member of the Liberal Party of Quebec.
A graduate from McGill University, he first won the Laurier riding
in 1981. He was most notably the Minister of Indian affairs under
Robert Bourassa and Minister of Natural Resources under Daniel
Johnson, Jr. He was the National Assembly's First Vice-President
from June 2003 to June 2004.
Sirros left his seat in June 2004; he was then appointed Quebec
Delegate General for Belgium, and served in the position until
2013. In December 2014, he was appointed the Quebec Delegate
General for the United Kingdom.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
(DIR) [Back to Headlines]
(DIR) [Article Archive]
(DIR) [Home]
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Web: https://www.greektimes.ca
BBS: telnet://bbs.greektimes.ca
Gopher: gopher://gopher.greektimes.ca
Gemini: gemini://gemini.greektimes.ca
Web 1.0 for retro computers: http://retro.greektimes.ca
Community news via Finger: finger news@finger.greektimes.ca
Weather briefing via Finger: finger weather@finger.greektimes.ca
Onion: http://pdfjsjif5kr3ppaxzgukdtkqsfqvku3rzpumbyfa5oaw65iyuzhip3ad.onion