Teacher Travels to Turkey

History isn't confined to books, and sometimes it springs to life as it has for history teacher Sotirios Pintzopoulos.

Pintzopoulos was one of 30 teachers to travel to Turkey last summer.

In a recent interview Pintzopoulos said the council offered the program as a way to dispell negative associations about Turkey.

"It's a modern nation made up of peoples from many places," said Pintzopoulos. "There are many distinct languages and there are some, such as the Greek, which in some instances blends with Turkish," he said. 

"By having educators see for themselves the country's rich history, culture and traditions we gained first-hand insights about Turkey's place in history," said Pintzopoulos.  

"We visited amazing sites," he explained. "Everything from the largest and best preserved excavated neolithic settlement at Catalhoyuk to the churches of the Christian Orthodox period of Byzantium, the mosques of the Ottoman Empire and the dynamic crossroads present in Istanbul today."

Along with his colleagues Pintzopoulos cruised the Bosporus' Turqoise Coast, walked the vaulted rooms of the Egyptian spice bazaar and imagined the horse races at the Hippodrome. He visited the Blue Mosque, the former capital of the Ottoman Empire with its distinctive six minaretes and eight domes. He stood in Hagia Sophia, the church built by the Roman Emperor Constantine the Great, now a museum. 

The trip would not have been complete without visiting a local high school and reflecting on how this experience would inform his classroom teaching.

"Learning in this way, listening to lectures there and meeting state officials, helps build perspective on what you know," Pintzopoulos said. 

"The AP World History course I teach is perfect for using the experience I've gained," said Pintzopoulos. "You know about these places because you've studied them but nothing can match the added element you have from spending time in the country."

A graduate of Stonehill College with a double major in International Studies and Economics he minored in East Asian and Middle East studies. He earned a Masters in Teaching History (MAT-History) at Salem State University.