Second chance in life
At the five-year-old enterprise known as Second Chance Schools, people who never made it through junior-high are studying again at the age of 20, 30, 40 and even older so they can educate themselves into better jobs and lives. They leave their families, jobs and responsibilities to learn geography, spelling, vocabulary, English, computers and real-life math skills such as calculating value-added tax. They get to know their culture through trips to archaeological landmarks like the Acropolis and study Ancient Greek in Aesop’s fables. Until recently, traditional notions about girls growing up to be housewives and the oldest children staying at home to mind the younger ones kept many Greeks from studying beyond elementary school. But in 1995, a European Union-sanctioned program called Second Chance Schools prompted Greece and other countries to embrace a pilot project that offered education and training to people who lacked the skills and qualifications to get good jobs. In 2001, five Second Chance Schools opened in Greece, taking in students between the ages of 18 and 30. The number of schools has grown to 43 this year and also includes students in their 40s. «We give weight to the production of knowledge instead of its dissemination,» says Panayiota Hadzitheoharou, who directs the Second Chance School in Acharnes. «A visit to a museum is not typical; we don’t just get on a bus and go. The students prepare, an explanation ensues, and then they write up their observations.» At the Acharnes school, some students, such as Spiros, barely graduated from elementary school. Others, like Angeliki, could not continue their education because they had to help support their families. The students say the school helps them gain security and self-confidence, and strengthens their curiosity. One student, Panagiotis, would like to go to high school after he graduates. Angeliki had never been to the Acropolis until she went with Second Chance last year. She has since returned there three times with her husband and children. Equipped with a guidance counselor and psychologist, the school wants to encourage its students to stick with education the second time around, Hadzitheoharou says. Panagiotis describes the atmosphere warmly, like a family. A recent graduate, Alexandra, used to bring desserts to her teachers. So far, the school is succeeding: Hadzitheoharou says the dropout rate does not surpass 7 percent. But it’s not easy. «There are students who hide this from their bosses, others from their mothers-in-law,» she says.
