Staff
Students are taught by dedicated, highly qualified professionals with teaching experience in a variety of different countries; a great benefit for the global education of our students. Our student groups are small with classes of up to 10 students. Our staff provides a secure and caring learning environment and strives for excellence in teaching and learning.
Teachers
Tina Anastasopoulou is a bilingual ESL teacher, born and raised in New Jersey, USA. She completed her Bachelor of Science in Economics at Penn State University, while at the same time working as a teaching assistant at a Greek language school. Upon graduation, in 2011, she moved to Greece, acquired the Greek teaching license and started teaching English in a foreign language school. Tina was eager to gain more insight into the field of English language teaching which is why she enrolled in the MA in TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages) program at Deree College from which she graduated in 2018, attaining a Master’s Degree as well as a Level 5 CertTESOL. For the past 13 years, she been teaching English to students of all ages, ranging from young learners to adults, both in person and online, and has also worked as an Oral Assessor for EuroPalso. She always strives to create a stimulating, inclusive and supportive educational environment, through which all students can truly develop their full potential and become fluent English communicators.
Eirini Arvanitidou is an ESL Teacher born and raised in Thessaloniki Greece. She has graduated from the Department of English Language and Literature of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki in 2022. During her undergraduate studies, her love for teaching motivated her to work as an ESL Teacher in three foreign language centers in Thessaloniki and in the Experimental School of Aristotle University of Thessaloniki. However, her curiosity of the functionality of other educational systems around the world, motivated her to be an Erasmus Student in Canterbury's University (CCCU) in the United Kingdom, where she also worked in a British kindergarten in Broadstairs, in 2021. She went on and completed her Erasmus internship as an ESL teacher to Spanish teenagers and adults in a foreign language center in Seville, in Spain in 2022, receiving also her TEFL (Teaching English as a Foreign Language) certificate. She has also received a European Excellence Scholarship award for her master’s degree in English Language Teaching in Trinity College Dublin in 2023. She became part of Anatolia’s team in 2018 as a teacher assistant and eventually as a teacher at Bridge & Bilingual and Link Program. Eirini loves traveling and her vision is to help her students travel with her in the beautiful world of the English Language.
Marula Benetatos was born and raised in San Francisco, California. She has a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration (International Business) from San Francisco State University. She has been living in Thessaloniki since 1994 and is married with two daughters. She has been teaching English since 1995 after acquiring the Greek teaching license. She discovered her love for teaching early on when she started teaching young learners. Marula continues to enjoy teaching and takes pleasure from seeing her students get excited when they learn something new. She not only has experience in teaching young learners but has taught a range of ages; from 3-year-olds to adult learners. She has worked in many schools and has been an ESOL examiner for several years. She is a believer of life-long learning, whether it is from students, colleagues or life itself.
Vicky Charalampopoulou was born and raised in Toronto, Canada where she had her first teaching experience at the age of 15 working as an assistant at Saturday School for the Toronto Board of Education. She studied at university in Greece while simultaneously working as an EFL teacher at language centers. For a few years she followed one of her hobbies and worked in the entertainment industry. She has now returned to teaching young learners and has been a part of Anatolia’s Bridge/Bilingual/Link team for four years. In her unique way she manages to combine education, entertainment, music and jois de vivre for truly impressive results.
Katherine Darai is a Bilingual ESL Teacher born and raised in Canberra, Australia. She has graduated from the Department of English Language and Literature of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki in 2020. Since graduation she has worked as an ESL teacher in English Language Centers, International Summer Camps and Private Elementary Schools. She has also been working as a Speaking Examiner for American and British Certificate Examinations (Michigan State University, Cambridge, ESB). She is currently working as an ESL Teacher at the Bridge Bilingual English Program and as a Substitute Secondary English Teacher in the High School of Anatolia College. She loves cats, reading Harry Potter books and literature, though she states that nothing is compared with the love she holds for children.
Georgia Farfara is a Greek American, born and raised in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She holds a BA in French Literature, with a minor in Business, from Saint Joseph’s University. She loves children and she knew from a young age that teaching was her passion. She began tutoring college students in French at Saint Joseph’s University. She moved to Thessaloniki in 2000, acquired her Greek teaching license and started teaching English at a foreign language school. She then continued to teach English at various private schools to children of all ages. Further interested in her professional development, in 2019 she took the panhellenic exams and was admitted to the School of English Language and Literature of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki. She completed her BA in April of 2024. She became part of Anatolia’s team in 2023 as a teacher at the Bridge/Bilingual/Link Program.
Eleni Gialama graduated from the School of History and Archaeology of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki with a BA in Classical Archaeology. During her studies, she received an Erasmus scholarship and she attended courses in Modern European History and the History of Medieval England at the University of Lancaster. In 2003 she completed her MA in Attic Pottery of the Classical Period. At about the same time, she decided that archaeology was not her calling and that her love for the English language and literature was much stronger than her interest in antiquities. So, she took the qualification test for admittance to the School of English Language and Literature of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki. She completed her second BA and a few years later her second MA in the concept of ‘Other/Other-ness’ in modern American society. She was a member of the teaching staff of Aristotelio College for four years and she taught at the Kindergarten and the Elementary school. Since 2015 she has been teaching at Anatolia College at various levels (IB, Junior High School, High School), and has been an examiner for the MSU Exams for the last 6 years. She loves reading and can speak French and Spanish.
Lucy Gindi, a native of Thessaloniki, is a dedicated teacher. She earned a qualification in English Methodology with the British Council and furthered her studies at Cloisters College in the UK. While working for private English schools, she continued her education and received the Cambridge University Diploma for Overseas Teachers of English (DOTE RSA). For nearly 30 years, she has served as an oral examiner for various exam boards, primarily Cambridge, while fostering a fun, welcoming, and dynamic learning environment in her classes. She adapts or creates materials to suit her students' needs and abilities. Her commitment extends beyond the classroom, as she has been participated in the program teaching English to children in the Pomak villages of Xanthi, Thrace.
Martha Hatzopoulou was born in Melbourne Australia and came to Greece in 1984 where she started teaching English as a Foreign Language a couple of years later making it approximately thirty years of teaching English at all levels. She is also an oral examiner for Michigan, EDI, ESB, TIE, Palso and MSU. She has worked in various English Language schools and summer camps including Rainbow Camp. Her love of children has led her to do courses on Child Psychology, Educational Psychology, Teaching Dyslexic Students and a TEFL course hoping to better understand and provide a healthy teaching environment for her students. An ambitious and hard worker always striving to give her best. She volunteered her time during the Kossovo War with the United Nations helping refugees and is currently a volunteer with different rescue teams. Providing high quality education for young learners remains her priority.
Paulina Lymbou was born in South Africa and completed her primary and secondary education in Mpumalanga before moving to Greece. She has a background in performance and has been awarded certifications in speech and drama from the international exam board of Trinity College. She was the valedictorian of her year and graduated from the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, receiving a degree in English Language and Literature. She went on to complete a master’s degree in English Literature and Culture. She is an oral examiner for the MSU exams and has worked as an English teacher for middle and high school classes, in addition to her work with younger learners.
Bessy Papadopoulou was born in Connecticut, United States. Coming to Greece at the age of 11, she had many difficulties as her Native language was English. Determined to learn the Greek language, her passion for teaching arose. Having studied at New York College, she finished her BA (Hons) in English Language and English Language Teaching. She then started teaching at many different language schools for different ages and also worked at Hamogelo Tou Paideiou and at summer camps as a language teacher. She became part of Anatolia’s team in 2017 as an assistant and later on as a teacher at Br/Bil/Link Program. She is also an oral examiner for the MSU exams. Her love and passion for teaching has helped her become one of the youngest teachers in her team and hopes she will have many more ahead since teaching is what she loves to do.
Aphrodite Pelopida came to Greece from Toronto at the age of 16. She studied English Literature & Linguistics at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, spending a semester in Denmark on an exchange program. She quickly set out to become a teacher as it was what she always dreamed of doing. From 2006 to 2012 she taught at an English language school, all the while engaged in various other part-time jobs. Aphrodite has also been an oral examiner for the MSU exams since 2012. She completed a Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL) course in the summer of 2017 in London along with another course on teaching young children. She started teaching English at the Bridge, Bilingual & Link program in 2011 and has been enjoying every bit of it so far! She had the pleasure of teaching English to children in the Pomak villages near Xanthi on three consecutive summers. She believes that all students are able to learn and teachers merely guide them so they can discover this within themselves. Learning can be fun and interesting as long as there is a spark of curiosity!
George Pitselis is a Greek Canadian, born and raised in Montreal-Quebec. He holds a BA degree in German Literature, with a minor in Business Studies, from Concordia University. A native speaker of English and Greek, with over 20 years of teaching experience. George is also fluent in French and has a very good working knowledge of German. He first started teaching English as a foreign language to people of all ages in 2000, working at various centers for foreign language learning, as well as freelancing. In 2008, George was one of the first teachers to apply e-learning, distance-learning practices to the educational field in Greece. With the use of various digital tools and platforms, he taught English for Special Purposes (ESP), in cooperation with Master-D and Burlington Books Publishing. Furthermore, George held the position of Head of Foreign Languages for 5 years at Master-D, a centre for independent learning. Further interested in his professional development, he obtained his CELTA (Certificate in English Language Teaching to Adults) in 2018. He is also an oral examiner for the MSU CELC-CELP examinations. Finally, in 2019, he aided in the coordination and instruction of the first English-speaking version of Summer on the Farm-Day Camp at the American Farm School of Thessaloniki.
Theoni Roilidou is an English native speaker born and raised in Maryland, USA. Thessaloniki has been her home for the past fifteen years, where she has built a life with her husband and seven children. She has cultivated a successful career as an elementary school English teacher in Greece for over a decade, primarily working at private institutions. She earned her Associate's Degree in education from Hood College in Frederick,Maryland, followed by a Bachelor's Degree in English Literature from Deree College in Athens, Greece. Theoni's passion for teaching English as a Second Language (ESL) shines through in her engaging classroom lessons. She creates a dynamic learning environment where her young students feel empowered to experiment with their newfound English skills and embrace making mistakes as part of the learning process. Theoni greatest joy as a teacher comes from seeing the joy bloom on her students' faces as they grasp new concepts and confidently express themselves in English.
Theano Tittel is an enthusiastic educator currently located in Thessaloniki, Greece. She holds a BA in English Language & Literature along with a TEFL/TESOL certificate. With over a decade of teaching experience both locally and internationally, she believes that happy young people can easily become happy learners. In her free time, you can find her reading books or enjoying long walks in nature.
Philip Wilcox was born in Panorama, Greece. He completed his undergraduate studies in 2016 at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki. During the course, he spent 6 months of practicum, teaching at the Greek-French School "Kalamari". During 2018-2020, he attended and graduated from the Joint Postgraduate Studies Program “Conference Interpreting and Translation” at his alma mater. Intending to further his interest in teaching, he attained the CELTA certification in 2021, teaching classes of all levels. He has worked as a teacher since 2014, tutoring one-to-one, working with small groups, and in private language school classes. A native speaker of English and Greek and fluent in French, Philip is deeply interested in languages, linguistics, educational methodology, and emerging technologies with regard to their implementation in the classroom. In his spare time, his hobbies include photography, nature walks, and learning about history.
Teaching Assistant
Maria – Eirini Boukouvala was born in Greece. At the age of 14 she moved to Italy where she attended a European School and received a multilingual education in a multicultural school environment. She holds a BA in English Language and Literature from the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki. In 2022, she completed her teaching practice at the Anatolia Elementary School and was awarded for Best Teaching Practice of 2022 by Aristotle University. She is particularly interested in the areas of applied linguistics, multilingual/bilingual education and the integration of literature and the arts in the language teaching experience. She speaks German and Italian.
Administrative Assistant
Myrto Kousera holds a BA in Business Administration and an MBA in Management from the American College of Thessaloniki. Since 2005, she has worked in the private sector and at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki. In the past few years, she has attained various business certificates and she has also studied the art of using silver, gold, microsculpture, and ceramic, which she has applied in her original creations. When she is not at Anatolia, she is in her studio applying her art. She also holds a certificate in Subtitling and did the subtitles for a TED video. She believes in life-long learning and this is a value that guides her work and her life. This is her seventh year at the Anatolia Bridge/Bilingual/Link Program and she looks forward to many years to come.
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