An inventive teacher's journey through teaching challenges | Stergios Parizas | TEDxThessaloniki

Stergios Parizas is not just a substitute teacher. He uses music as a tool to build a bond of trust with his students. In his talk, he describes how he created a song with his multilingual students, using words from their mother tongue, during his first year working at a school. When he was assigned as a teacher to Michalis, a special needs student, music became once again a foundation upon which he built a relationship. Together, they played the song he wrote, titled “Don’t forget to love”, in front of the whole school, in a moving moment for all. “True wealth isn’t found in money, and education deserves true wealth”, Stergios says, and he adds: “Asking people older than me, when they discovered true happiness, most of them said it was when they had a family and children of their own. Imagine how lucky a teacher is, spending his whole life next to and raising hundreds of children. This is our family”.

Video edited by Pnevma Productions.

Stergios Parizas was born and raised in Naousa. As a child he studied music (guitar and theory of music). In 2010 he graduated from the Department of Primary Education, University of Thessaly. In his attempt to integrate music in the classroom he observed the positive psychological effect this had on the students. In 2014 he was assigned a student with special educational needs in Rhodes island. Without any expertise he brought the student closer to school by making it as attractive as possible, based on values such as love and mutual respect, while using music as a means to positively affect his psychology. At the end of the school year they created and sang a song about what they had learned during their common journey. This year, Stergios teaches at the primary school of Kalymnos island. He believes in motivational learning, promoting creativity and encouraging free expression. He also trusts in teachers and students creating a better and more inspired world.

This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at http://ted.com/tedx