Interviews


Brains’ prisoners. Why school doesn’t teach what it ought to teach?

An interview with Dr. Joanna Górecka, a teacher, educator, trainer of other teachers, and curriculum developer. Dr. Górecka works at No Bell School in Konstancin-Jeziorna. She is also an ambassador of the Holistic Think Tank.

14 May 2024

Children reports school violence and hear, “Don’t make a scene.” They’ll never go to an adult for help again.

Violence isn't just about physically attacking someone. It's also about mocking, humiliating, and excluding others. It always escalates. So what can a teacher do? An interwiev with Professor Iwona Chmura-Rutkowska, pedagogue and sociologist.

05 April 2024

IDS reminded me what school is really about

An interview with Magdalena Jasińska, a teacher of biology, physics, chemistry, and geography in primary schools near Bielsko-Biała, an evaluator of IDS lessons' scenarios.

22 March 2024

Sylwia Międzybrodzka: There are very simple methods to stop school from being a place associated with stress

An interview with Sylwia Międzybrodzka, a school teacher, certified trainer, coach, mentor, and certified Positive Discipline educator.

05 October 2023

Leszek Olpiński: Teachers often choose quiet quitting. I did it my way

An interview with Leszek Olpiński, philosopher, physicist, former teacher (he worked in schools for 22 years), and today: educator, social skills trainer, and coach.

21 September 2023

Jolanta Okuniewska: Every true teacher has reflexivity and flexibility

Interview with Jolanta Okuniewska, early school education teacher and teacher trainer. She has received numerous national and international awards for her teaching activities, including the Medal of the National Education Commission and the Title of Honorary Professor of Education. She was a finalist for the "Teacher Nobel Prize" - the Global Teacher Prize.

07 September 2023

Mariola Bogucka, Ph.D.: Believing young generation is inferior means losing touch with reality

An interview with Mariola Bogucka, an English philologist, Ph.D. in social sciences, and academic teacher at the University of Gdańsk. Dr. Bogucka is also a member of the Scientific Board at the Holistic Think Tank.

24 August 2023

Abusers of school shootings have usually been victims of peer violence themselves. Meanwhile, a teacher can prevent it

Interview with Prof. Jacek Pyżalski, pedagogue, academic teacher (from Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań), trainer in the area of communication and school violence prevention, and author of numerous publications - both scientific and popularizing - in the field of pedagogy. Prof. Pyżalski is also a Holistic Think Tank's Scientific Board member.

Photo: Jose Alonso/Unsplash

27 July 2023

Teaching children with special educational needs is a mission

Interview with Barbara Skrok, an English teacher with over 40 years of experience and trainer of other educators in teaching neuroatypical children and those with other difficulties. Lecturer and participant in numerous trainings and conferences on polysensory teaching and inclusive education.

13 July 2023

Piotr Walda: Stop punishing children for our own mistakes. It’s not right

Piotr Walda, history teacher: Sometimes I hear pedagogues saying, "This kid is so stupid, he didn't learn again." Zero self-reflection, asking the question: "What did I do wrong that the child did not learn?".

22 June 2023

Małgorzata Nowakowska: As a teacher and as a mother, I dream of schools that teach how to live wisely

An interview with Małgorzata Nowakowska, physicist, school teacher, founder of the blog "Fake news busters," and Copernicus Science Center employee. Małgorzata Nowakowska is also one of the IDS Ambassadors, working with the Holistic Think Tank.

07 June 2023

Reputable pedagogue: If we are serious about the future, there is no sector more worth investing in than education

Interview with Bogusław Śliwerski, pedagogue, professor at the University of Łódź, chairman of the Committee on Pedagogical Sciences of the Polish Academy of Sciences.

25 May 2023

Edyta Kłeczek: One of the fundamental mistakes in relationships with students is an assumption that we don’t need each other

Interview with Edyta Kłeczek, historian, an English teacher at a primary school in Brzeźnica near Skawina (Małopolska), school coordinator of the Erasmus Plus and English Teaching programs, and ambassador of the IDS Program established by the Holistic Think Tank.

18 May 2023

How to remain Human in the World of Artificial Intelligence

Prof. Ryszard Tadeusiewicz: Thanks to Artificial Intelligence, we can build a future where everyone lives with dignity. But for the world to have justice, we must first believe in that justice.

11 May 2023

Dr. Joanna Górecka: It’s time for schools to be a place of humanity

Interview with Joanna Górecka, a doctor of humanities, a Polish language teacher at the "No Bell" school in Konstancin-Jeziorna, and director of the Institute of Educational Innovation there. Dr. Górecka co-creates innovative curricula and conducts training in non-oppressive and engaging pedagogy. She is also one of the "IDS Agents of Educational Change" that work on developing lesson scenarios and implementing them in schools.

04 May 2023

Prof. Dominika Dudek: I dream of schools that teach students how to deal with stress

Interview with Prof. Dominika Dudek, psychiatrist, president of the Polish Psychiatric Association, head of the Department of Psychiatry at Jagiellonian University's Collegium Medicum, editor-in-chief of the journal "Polish Psychiatry," organizer of meetings with people of art, sports, and science in the series "Talks about the human being."

30 January 2023

Anna Szulc: Yesterday’s teachers are using the day before yesterday’s methods. How is it supposed to work well?

An interview with Anna Szulc, a mathematics teacher from Kazimierz Wielki High School in Zdunska Wola, Poland, who does not give grades, does not assign homework, does not quiz at the blackboard, and does not conduct tests. Anna Szulc is also a mediator, tutor, teacher trainer, the initiator and organizer of the conference "Empathic Education => Empathic Poland" and the author of the book "New School. Changing education is worth starting at the blackboard".

16 January 2023