Historian, Teacher, Musician

Fokion K.

Hello! My name is Fokion and I am a history graduate with a minor in secondary education from the University of Massachusetts - Boston currently in the process of applying for masters programs in history/archaeology. I am fully bilingual, with my native tongues being English and Greek. I was lucky to have a father who insisted on our education in the Greek language while growing up stateside.

Over the last ten years I have had the great fortune to participate in Alea III's Summer Camp program teaching and introducing guitar to kids 3rd-12th Grade on the island of Naxos, while also performing as a member of choirs and music ensembles on the Trombone. I have worked with kids both in a small group setting with up to 5 or 6 kids in a class, a particular challenge when trying to teach the starting steps on guitar, but also one on one.

It was also my great pleasure to serve as assistant teacher and later on teacher of the 4th and 5th Grade at St. Nectarios' Greek School in Roslindale, MA, a most formative experience which gave me insight on what it is to work in a classroom setting, how to keep students engaged, focused, and on track. These skills were particularly important to develop quickly as we were only scheduled to meet twice a week and had lots to get through before the end of the year.

While I am in the midst of applying to Masters Programs, I am also studying to take the MTEL exams, required in the State of Massachusetts in order to teach. While I am not necessarily looking to teach in a classroom setting, just at this moment, I find that studying for these exams is giving me a greater understanding of the way curriculums are designed and how topics are chosen and focused upon.