This article attempts to reflect on the place of the Holocaust in school discourse in the Polish language course that constitutes part of three stages of education. While discussing — on the basis of particular texts — the evolution of one of the fundamental topoi of the Holocaust, namely a diary or journal, the authoress presents such ways of interpretation that will support the contemplation of the Shoah at school. However, the article does not offer any specific methodical solutions; it rather constitutes an invitation to a deeper reflection over the well-known literary texts, when enriched with new contexts

The omnipresence of contradictions and paradoxes in Twardowski’s poems gave me the idea to situate the priestly poetry in the network of philosophical, literary and theological references and inspirations in the context of school education. And, strictly speaking, in the context of a student’s intellectual journey in search for the source/sources of paradoxes in the writer’s poems. The idea for a series of lessons for secondary schools, titled Sources of Reverend Jan Twardowski’s Poetical Paradoxes, is not supposed to constitute simply an instruction on how to analyse and interpret Jan Twardowski’s poetry, but it is to show how paradox and this poetry are positioned — in the broader sense — in culture. The article shows that what may turn out to be attractive for secondary school students is pointing to some directions in the poet’s fascination with paradoxes, seeking their roots, reaching not only to the poet’s literary experience, but more broadly — to his biography, theological and philosophical interests, of which the poet often spoke himself.

The works created in a German concentration camp by Gustaw Morcinek — an author well-known to literary circles and present at schools or in academic perception (though today almost forgotten), and recognizable to the Polish readers thanks to Łysek z pokładu Idy (Baldie from Ida Coal Seam) and Wyrąbany chodnik (Clear Drift) — prove that the problems shown in them are still of utmost importance. Judasz z Monte Sicuro (Judas of Monte Sicuro) — a novel by Gustaw Morcinek, on which this article focuses, gives an honest picture of traumatic wartime experiences, devoid of simplifications and distortions. It may become an important commentary on short stories by Tadeusz Borowski and The Tin Drum by Gunter Grass. Regardless of these works’ genesis, the attitudes of their protagonists are similar: they follow a subjective hierarchy of values, rejecting moral norms, and — repeatedly — causing conflicts with their surroundings. In school practice, Judasz z Monte Sicuro can be considered a significant work from both the historical and literary perspectives. It constitutes a record created by an eye-witness and chronicler of other people’s observations, and at the same time, it is an original work, written in simple language, unfettered by any rigid principles of the genre, and thus attracting attention with its authenticity and frankness. In school environment, reading Judasz… — which is appropriate in accordance with the core curriculum approved by the Ministry of Education — can bring a variety of interesting effects. One needs to remember that literature in secondary schools is primarily an event, whose content is unpredictable, diverse and complicated.

In her article, the authoress proposes that — because of changes in both the contemporary society and the family model — contemporary children’s literature should be de-stereotyped. She refers to the Swedish and Norwegian experience: literary texts for children (available in Polish translation) by F. Nilsson and M. Nilsson Thore, R. Lagercrant, E. Eriksson, in which the authors address the problem of fear of “otherness”, describe students from the perspective of a child and life from the perspective of the so-called misfits. Schools should not — according to the authoress — resign from the books that depict models of, e.g. gender, in a way that is different than the ones desired in the contemporary society. Moreover, the image of a mother should also be de-stereotyped, as in Dorota Masłowska’s book titled Jak zostałam wiedźmą. Opowieść autobiograficzna dla dorosłych i dzieci (How I became a witch. An Autobiographical Tale for Adults and Children). Children’s literature is to teach young readers how to accept themselves and others, and to educate the young generation how to be open to “Otherness.”

The article presents the results of research into the linguistic and cultural image of a teacher in the Polish society. It begins with a brief discussion of the role of teachers in social and educational systems. Afterwards, it moves on to describing the causes of a crisis of trust in the educational system and the weakening of teacher’s authority. The analyses presented here have been carried out on the basis of opinions posted under an article discussing an open letter addressed to parents and guardians published by the Ministry of Education in the online edition of The Rzeczpospolita daily. The resulting image of a teacher was patchy, and the differences in the attitude to the profession stemmed from views on social equality, education, and balanced working time. The opinions often expressed temporary emotions and frustrations of people forming them.

The present article attempts to review collocations with the somatic component of GŁOWA , included in the contemporary dictionaries selected for usage at schools. Its authoress presents and evaluates the students’ explanations of several idioms with the aforementioned component. The article ends with proposed teaching requirements, pointing to the need for a reliable selection and description of phraseological units in the dictionaries as well as for further work on the understanding of the importance of collocations at school.

The authoress analyses function words (conjunctions) occurring in the Polish language textbooks for middle schools, taking into account their stylistic mark. As the reference point for her analysis, she has chosen the classification of conjunctions according to the stylistic criteria created by Andrzej Markowski. The article examines examples of conjunctions that appear in the informative reading material and exercises included in the textbooks. It determines the occurrence frequency of neutral, literary, obsolete, colloquial, formal, solemn, and humorous conjunctions, as well as the contexts of use and types of exercises, in which the textbook authors place their connectives.

Sylwia Karolak: Doświadczenie Zagłady w literaturze polskiej 1947-1991 : kanon który nie powstał. Poznań 2014 [recenzja]

Magdalena Ochwat: Poezja paradoksów - paradoksy w poezji : poetycka teologia Jana Twardowskiego, Janusza Stanisława Pasierba, Wacława Oszajcy. - Katowice, 2014. [recenzja]

Ewa Ogłoza: Wokół opowieści Hansa Christiana Andersena : o radości czytania. - Katowice, 2014 [recenzja]

Helena Borowiec: Dziecięce rozumienie świata : (studium lingwistyczne). - Lublin, 2014. [recenzja]

Helena Synowiec: Śląska ojczyzna polszczyzna z perspektywy edukacyjnej : wybór zagadnień. - Katowice, 2013 [recenzja]

"Językowe, literackie i kulturowe ścieżki edukacji polonistycznej (tradycja i współczesność) : księga jubileuszowa dedykowana profesor Helenie Synowiec w czterdziestolecie pracy naukowej i dydaktycznej / Red. Danuta Krzyżyk, Bernadeta Niesporek‑Szamburska

Bogumił Hoff (1829-1894) - "odkrywca" Wisły. Red. Renata Czyż. - Wisła 2014 [recenzja]

Małgorzata Karwatowska, Leszek Tymiakin: Światy uczniowskie : język, media, komunikacja. - Lublin, 2014 [recenzja]