Head of Humanities (Years 7-12 )

Overview Perseverance and resilience are Lou Spanos’ keys to success in his life. As Head of Humanities at Mentone Grammar, these qualities are what he tries to instill in his students, and what he still lives by today. Early life Lou grew up with his brother in Hampton, as the son of Greek immigrant parents. His father arrived in the 1950s, and his mother in 1961. They married in Australia and both worked in small businesses. Education He attended Hampton Primary School, then Malvern Primary School, and later completed secondary school at Haileybury when it was still a boys’ school. Parts of school life proved challenging: “I was a poor speller and a reluctant reader… I never saw myself as particularly talented, but I forced myself to read more.” Determined despite frustrations, he says: “I couldn’t imagine not finishing school, even though at the time only about a third of students completed Year 12.” He read, then re-read his novels and Year 12 texts, which improved his reading, “though spelling remained a challenge – and still is.” Computers, he believes, have helped, but ideas and imagination in writing are more important than perfect spelling. Career path While in Year 11, Lou began to consider teaching as a career path as he enjoyed history. Gap years did not exist in those days, “They would have been considered outrageous,” he recalls. So, after school, he completed a Bachelor of Education at Melbourne State College (now part of the University of Melbourne), majoring in history and minoring in economics. During his degree, he particularly enjoyed the classroom element – working with students, forming connections, and helping people. To earn extra money during his studies, he worked in Hampton in a pizza parlour – a job he was lucky enough to enjoy – which got him through university and helped with bills. There was enormous pressure to finish his degree and get a job straight away. This came both from his hard-working immigrant parents and his own desire for financial stability. In addition, he became engaged to his now-wife in his fourth year of university. She was already working, which further fuelled his determination to start his career as quickly as possible. Lou has had a long and interesting career as a teacher. After applying for many teaching jobs around Melbourne, he started work in Cranbourne, in a mixed-ability classroom. The experience came as quite a shock as it was very different to the teaching rounds he had undertaken at university, and he felt unprepared for the discipline challenges. He taught humanities at Years 7 and 8, which at the time often included English rather than history. English, however, “wasn’t my passion or training.” The school proved to be a very hard place to work. While he had enjoyed his university course and placements, he now acknowledges they only taught about an ‘ideal classroom’ and best practices. “What they did not teach,” he says, “was about literally keeping students in their seat … when a class is wild, and doesn’t want to be there.” Even when many teachers were leaving the Cranbourne school, and he found the role very tough, he never questioned his choice of profession. He simply felt the school was not the right fit. After two years, he moved to a small Greek Orthodox school (now Oakleigh Grammar), where he taught senior classes in economics, legal studies, and accounting. He enjoyed the smaller classes and being closer to where he lived. Next came Melbourne Girls’ Grammar, where he stayed for twenty-two years. “I loved the variety, the motivated students, and being able to teach history and economics,” he says. His next move was to Geelong Grammar as Head of Commerce, a position he held for eight years. His family lived on campus, which they found to be a unique and immersive experience. Sadly, his father and father-in-law passed away during COVID, and he decided to return to Bayside to be closer to family. With encouragement from a former colleague at Melbourne Girls’ Grammar, and while renovating his home, he applied for a role at Mentone Grammar. He is very pleased to be part of the Mentone Grammar community, where he has been working since 2023. He currently teaches Years 11 & 12 politics, Year 10 global politics, and Year 9 humanities. “It’s a fantastic school, close to home, with great students and staff,” he observes. He adds that Mentone Grammar is very well resourced, with excellent management that trusts staff to try new approaches and improve their practice – something that inspired him to apply for the role. Philosophy and teaching Professionally, he considers his greatest achievement to be the fact that he is still teaching and still loves what he does. He admits that his schoolteachers would probably be most surprised to learn he became a teacher at all, given his self-confessed struggles! But he feels fortunate to have found a career he enjoys so much. Lou finds great joy in seeing students succeed, especially when they have doubted themselves. Progress, in his view, is just as important as top results. He enjoys sharing the journey with his students and celebrating small wins. For his senior classes, since the students have chosen to be there, he likes to focus on “encouraging them in a friendly way rather than telling them what to do.” Looking back, he reflects: “teaching found me, I didn’t go looking for it.” Although normally an introvert, he becomes more extroverted in the classroom. He likes what he calls “the performance element” – the storytelling, the relationships – and relishes the challenge of helping his students achieve more than they thought possible. Advice and outlook After a long teaching career, he has some valuable advice for his students: “Do not let others define you. I struggled in maths and spelling, but I had perseverance and grit – and that’s what matters most. You always get back up, no matter what. Resilience is fundamental. Every day won’t be easy, but perseverance is the key.” We applaud Lou’s “true grit” attitude to life. In his words: “If you want to learn or achieve something, you must persevere. It might not happen the first or second time, but quitting is easy; persistence is hard. The reward, however, is unmatched. Never surrender.” #J-18808-Ljbffr

Created: 2025-09-18