Teacher's American Dream Is Inspiration -- Greek-Born Instructor's Lessons In Tolerance Produce Essay Winners

KIRKLAND

The students in Irene Georvasilis' fifth-grade class keep her on her toes. Gifted pupils in the Quest program at Kirkland's Benjamin Franklin Elementary, they devour foreign languages, economics and classical literature.

Georvasilis, however, says the most important lesson she teaches her 19 students doesn't require calculators or a background in Latin.

"I tell my students if there is one thing I want them to take away from my class, it's respect and tolerance for other cultures and people," she says. Her students seem to have learned that lesson well.

The entire class recently entered a national creative-writing contest that asked entrants why they were glad America is a nation of immigrants.

Their answers apparently pleased the judges.

Five of the 11 statewide finalists, from 115 entries, were plucked from Georvasilis' class.

"When the results came back and I told them, oh, I could not teach them for the whole day, they were so euphoric," she said.

Sponsored by the American Immigration Lawyers Association, which promotes a positive image of immigrants, the contest has never had a single school scoop up so many awards, says state coordinator Lisa Ellen Seifert.

"It was simply amazing," says Seifert. "Definitely a first in this state, but then look at the teacher."

Originally from the Greek island of Leros, Georvasilis, 51, arrived in the United States in 1966 with nothing more than a dream and a suitcase.

Despite her excellent grades, her family had discouraged her from enrolling at the University of Athens. She was, after all, just a girl. Unwilling to accept that, she entered a writing contest and won first prize. She presented the award to the U.S. Embassy and received a student visa.

Although she spoke four languages, Georvasilis didn't speak the one most important in the U.S.

"I didn't know a word of English," she recalls, "and it was really tough in the beginning." She lived with family friends in Issaquah while she attended high school to learn the language.

"In Greece," she says, "I was a 4.0 (grade-point average) student, one of the top of my class. But when I came here, every time I opened my mouth everyone looked at me like I was an idiot."

Georvasilis had few friends and never went out.

"I never took the bus," she says, "because it was too lonely. So every day, I would walk from the high school to the house and I would cry. Even now, talking about it, I start to cry."

Georvasilis endured and was accepted by the University of Washington, where she discovered it only got harder.

"I remember going to class on the first day," she says, "and the professor was speaking so fast, and everything was so sophisticated. I went home and cried."

The next day, she asked whether she could bring a tape recorder, and survived higher education by taping her classes.

Georvasilis took some time off to get married and have children but eventually graduated in 1987 with a degree in education and English literature.

"I don't know how I did it," she says, "but I never thought of giving up. I wanted to make my family proud."

Almost immediately, she landed the job at Benjamin Franklin. Although a little apprehensive about teaching gifted students, Georvasilis quickly settled in, adding her own twist to the curriculum.

Besides incorporating a unit on the various ethnicities in the United States, she sets aside a half-hour each day to teach Greek.

But her first and most important lesson is about respect.

"I think the greatest satisfaction I have," she says, "is when I see them walk into the class in September. They are making fun of others who are different, but after a month or two with me they change."

Georvasilis uses herself as an example.

"I tell them I have an accent and because of that they might think I am not very intelligent. But if I weren't qualified, I wouldn't be here. So how would you feel if you were in a different country and they are making fun of you?"

Steve Gordon says he's seen a change in the behavior of his son, Tyler, since the child entered Georvasilis' class. "Toward other kids, other cultures, even towards his sisters, he's now a little bit more understanding and sensitive," Gordon says.

The Gordons, along with the families of the other contest finalists, attended the Ethnic Heritage Council's first annual Spirit of America Awards Ceremony on Wednesday at the Paramount Theatre in Seattle.

The two first-place winners, Elise Randall from Ben Franklin and Julie Stutzman from Centennial Elementary in Olympia, advance to the national level. They recited their essays at the ceremony, which honored immigrants who have contributed significantly to the community.

Steve Gordon says he was surprised to learn his son was a finalist for his fictional autobiography about a young Jewish boy.

"He has never really been into creative writing," Gordon says, "but he was really enthusiastic about this contest. It just shows you what an impact a teacher can have."

Naomi Dillon's phone message number is 206-464-2291. Her e-mail address is ndillon@seattletimes.com ------------------------------- WHAT STATE FINALISTS WROTE IN CONTEST

First-place tie: Elise Kathleen Randall penned an eight-stanza poem that noted the virtues of an immigrant society. In part, she wrote: "Immigrants teach us many things and open our eyes to the different cultures that make us become wise."

Third place: Kit Culbert's essay included: "If America wasn't a nation of immigrants, my teacher wouldn't be here. Also the guy who delivers the mail and the guy from the repair shop. Many, many people wouldn't be here."

Fourth place: Tyler Gordon assumed the character of a young Jewish boy: "When I walk down the street I get teased. At school no one plays with me. I think I'm a pretty normal 7-year-old. I asked my mommy why no one likes me and she said it was because it's 1939 and I am a Jewish immigrant."

Eighth place: Alexander Jouravlev, born in Moscow, related the sacrifices some make when they leave their homeland: "Immigrants go through many hardships to benefit this country. They leave behind their homes, their friends, their most priceless possessions and their relatives with whom they grew up. Sometimes they have to leave their family."

Ninth place: Stefanie Morris chronicled the journey across the Atlantic of an Irish girl named Kristen, then projected her subject 20 years into the future: "Kristen is grown up now. Her friends have now been making differences in the country. A neighbor boy, Albert, had just become famous for his great mind."