Below is the complete, professional English translation of Pan Misza’s 1982 Giessen speech. Every handwritten edit and correction my father made to the original typescript has been seamlessly integrated to maintain the full historical accuracy and authoritative tone of the document.
Speech by Pan Misza (Michał Wasserman Wróblewski) – Giessen Korczak Symposium, May 1982.
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We have gathered here for another Korczak symposium under exceptional circumstances. In one corner of the world after another, new flashpoints of war are continuously emerging. Nationalisms of every stripe and breeding are proliferating; discrimination against national or religious minorities, violence, and outright aggression are the order of the day. I fear that this will lead to emotional numbness—blunting the sensitivity and reactions of even those countries not directly touched by the contagion. Therefore, the fate of the "minority population"—as Korczak was fond of calling children—evokes justified anxiety and fear.
Among the Korczakians gathered here from various countries, people who are... no longer young, with gray hair and hunched backs, predominate. The old guard! However, one can also notice young faces among the veterans. This, too, is a distinct phenomenon. Let us ensure that this does not remain an exceptional occurrence. I see in them a "changing of the guard" that can take the baton from us to carry it forward, into the future—to draw even more broadly and perhaps more deeply from the humanistic, ethical, and pedagogical ideas of Janusz Korczak. The resonance and universality of these ideas are reflected, among other things, in the number of countries where associations have spontaneously emerged and continue to form.
It is with regret that I note the absence among us of Prof. Edwin P. Kulawiec, a representative and active member of the American Korczak Committee. He officially announced his resignation from the International Janusz Korczak Association as a protest against the introduction of martial law in Poland, which has been in force since December 13 of last year to this very day. Let us hope that we do not lose the potential represented by the Professor as a result of his decision. It largely depends on us to ensure that he remains with us—as a Korczakian.
We have gathered here under exceptional circumstances, because we stand almost on the eve of the 40th anniversary of his death... No! Not death, but the murder committed against Dr. Henryk Goldszmit and the children of the Warsaw Ghetto by Nazi perpetrators in the Treblinka mass extermination camp. The mass, horrific, organized murder of millions.
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By a strange coincidence, I escaped the fate of the Doctor, the children, and the other caregivers. On that tragic Wednesday, August 5, 1942, I had gone outside the ghetto walls with three older boys to work on the so-called "Aryan side." And so here I am now—a former resident of the enclosed Jewish district, a near-miss source of raw material intended for industrial soap production in the factories of the Third Reich—landing on German soil without any, shall we say, prejudices. For I am clearly aware of the profound transformations toward democratization, for instance, that have taken place here. I am convinced, and not merely by words, that the younger generation of Germans is being raised and has been raised in an entirely different spirit. /Yet another proof of the immense possibilities of education in general. Of course, this is a colossal simplification. But facts remain facts and speak clearly for themselves./ Is this reaction, are these feelings to which I have just given expression, not a distinct phenomenon in themselves??
I—a long-time caregiver of orphans in Warsaw, a long-time vice-chairman, and also president of the Korczak Committee in Poland—represent here the Swedish association Föreningen för Janusz Korczaks Levande Arv. I was forced to leave Poland in 1969. Sweden welcomed us refugees from the Polish People's Republic (PRL) with extraordinary hospitality, just as it continues to welcome political immigrants from other countries today. Despite unemployment at home, it continues to accept political refugees from Poland as well as Roma people, whom Poland, in turn, is attempting to get rid of. The 8-million-strong Swedish nation—it is worth emphasizing—holds a leading position among the countries effectively aiding the Polish populace and the Polish nation by sending food, medicine, and money.
I do not intend to concentrate solely on sad, painful matters. The achievements accomplished by Korczakians from various countries inspire optimism. Poland can be proud of this, having published so many of Korczak’s works and studies about him. Some of his works have been published in countries where the Doctor's name was previously unknown. We already have that stage of the journey behind us. Currently, in some countries,
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Korczak has begun, so to speak, to take root in the cultural life of the nation. He has begun to appear in fiction, in encyclopedias, on the stage, and has carved a path into institutions of higher education. I shall return to this.
At this point, I would like to thank our esteemed German colleagues, led by my friends Professors Dauzenroth and Hample, for inviting representatives of our association to the symposium in Giessen. On behalf of our delegation, I wish to convey expressions of recognition and admiration for their immense and comprehensive contribution to our shared endeavor.
Taking advantage of the floor granted to me, I would like to raise a few issues of a pedagogical nature. I am not a scientist, but a practitioner of pedagogy by experience and formal training—and a Korczakian by deep conviction and, I suppose, attachment. I ask, therefore, that my words be understood as reflections and perhaps even as concrete proposals.
– Korczak, when speaking of adult caregivers of a child, sometimes uses the term "warden" (dozorca) and sometimes "educator" (wychowawca). Some are inclined to understand this distinction as follows: a warden is a distrustful guardian, a guard, "a cattle herder tasked with keeping them from causing damage." An educator, on the other hand, is a wise, understanding guardian who loves and understands children. It seems to me that the dividing line does not run this way at all, and that this is by no means a purely semantic issue.
– After years of practice and reflection, Korczak speaks of his "former" self with undisguised self-irony: "I was carried away by a false ambition—to be a doctor and a sculptor of the child’s soul"—neither more nor less than a sculptor as well. It is worth recalling that he spoke of himself as having worked as a "warden" at the summer camps in Michałówka. I am inclined to argue that this concerns the very possibilities and limits of education. If child development is treated as self-development—much like teething, or like the spontaneous integration of the younger generation into their environment—then the caregiver is left with a role akin to that of an astronomer, an observer, or eventually a guard—in other words, simply a warden. If, however, one accepts that beyond innate factors or those stemming from a statically perceived environment, there are other factors that can influence the shaping of individuals or groups, then—
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—a wide field of activity opens up before the educator and pedagogue, including changes within the scope of their capabilities that border on transforming the environment.
– And now, did Korczak himself believe in the omnipotence of education? Far from it! He points out that we commit a cardinal error when we approach a child with "I will make a man out of you," instead of "Who can you be, human being?" In essence, Korczak stands on the ground of what I would call pedagogical realism, formulating his fundamental credo: "I can create a tradition of TRUTH, ORDER, and DILIGENCE, but I will not remake any child into someone other than who they are... I can awaken what slumbers in the soul. I will not tell cornflowers to be wheat."
– I dare to argue that the Doctor undervalued his own achievements, that he was an excessively modest man. I will rely here on the opinions of others and on my own observations. When, during the celebration of the 25th anniversary of the Orphans' Home (Dom Sierot), the then Minister of Labor and Social Welfare, Dr. Hubicki, spoke with deep and by no means "occasional" recognition of the Doctor's uncommonly profound pedagogical achievements, Korczak was visibly embarrassed; he felt abashed, as if unjustly rewarded. He told us afterward that he could barely restrain himself from leaving the hall, emphasizing that he was, after all, painfully aware of what he had failed to accomplish, of what had not succeeded, yet here were so many words of praise for his pedagogical triumphs.
And Korczak, who said of himself, "I have a mind that is constantly inquiring, not inventive," kept posing his next questions and searched on, unsatisfied with his results up to that point. It is worth mentioning that the educational authorities in interwar Poland frequently directed visitors arriving from abroad to the Orphans' Home as a leading experimental institution—naturally including psychologists, pedagogues, and social workers. I want to mention that among these individuals was even Jean Piaget. He stated that it was a progressive institution, realizing the most modern pedagogical tenets. He was particularly struck by the re-education of newcomers and the peer court. And now, my own—
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—impressions, observations, and conclusions. These are photographs of an educational process, and not of mere "educational moments" captured by a casual visitor who dropped in for a few hours and carried away random impressions. Nor are they the work of someone who conducted a cleverly designed survey and drew conclusions from neatly categorized questions, only to later stamp them with the character of justified generalizations. I was there. I lived under one roof with the children. I saw them when they arrived at the Orphans' Home and when they left the institution, remaining for the most part in constant contact with us afterward.
Thus, I state with a full sense of responsibility that they were absolutely transformed people—and not just because they had aged a few years. I remained in close contact with them; I know what kind of attitudes, shaped in the Orphans' Home, they carried out into the world; what values they always cherished despite the various convoluted paths that awaited them and the highly difficult economic and social situation in the country. I continue to maintain contact with many of them who survived the annihilation.
Despite individual differences and diverging life paths, one can discern common traits among these adults—indeed, these aging individuals. For instance: they are not egoists or egocentric; they work well in various sectors and different professions. A substantial number, despite unfavorable conditions, attained higher education, and the majority received vocational training. They are not merely passive executors of top-down orders; they are constantly changing things within their environments or demanding improvements. They never exhibit a purely consumerist attitude; it is as if, at the call of the Doctor in his Playful Pedagogy—"Pull through, young man!"—they willingly take the burden upon themselves, because they realize that roasted pigeons do not fly straight into one's mouth. They build families in the best and most unexaggerated sense of the word. A tremendous bond exists among them. They take an interest in one another and help each other mutually.
I have rushed into the present tense. Allow me to return to the past. What did the community of children look like on a daily basis at the Orphans' Home? The children lived not just alongside each other, but together. They were united by more than just spatial proximity and time. They worked together, ate together, played together, and learned together,
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performing a vast array of duties. They dreamed and they planned...
An ideal picture? Far from it! They argued and quarreled frequently; they liked and disliked one another. At times, they picked on themselves and others. There were minor lies and evasions. Naturally. What is crucial, however, is that their lives were never regulated by an administrative command from above, that absolute obedience was never demanded of them in the name of some lofty, distant, and incomprehensible goals. The child-human was treated genuinely as a partner.
The educator had to earn sympathy and authority among the children; it was not an attribute automatically tied to adulthood or official position. The educator stood before the same court when they erred, for instance, in relation to the children. Violence was never used, nor was it ever tolerated. I mean not only "violence"—or to put it more gently, an authoritarian attitude toward children, a frequent phenomenon at the time in various care institutions—but also the relations festering among the children themselves. It was not uncommon for various grievances and personal scores to be settled—and they continue to be settled—with fists. The stronger preyed upon and mistreated the weaker; the bolder, more insolent child preyed upon the timid, fearful one. A single child or a few. A clique, a gang. With us, that did not exist.
Nor did it exist in Bielany. Because a constitution existed, and it was not merely a collection of beautiful-sounding phrases. Children settled conflicts openly and legally, because law meant law. And it encompassed everyone without exception. In this unique children’s republic, we all learned a civic, rather than a slavish, relationship to reality—to our immediate and wider surroundings. We learned a sense of personal dignity, a sense of duty, and responsibility. A sense of security. Loyalty and justice. A tolerance that did not deteriorate into carelessness. A far-reaching freedom, but not anarchy. Korczak used to say: /I quote/ "There is no room here for iron discipline, stony gravity, harsh compulsion, or unyielding conviction."
There was respect for the hard work of their growth, for their individuality, for their tears, for their dreams, and for the chestnuts they gathered with such enthusiasm.
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I will not enter here into the organizational details, guiding thoughts, and continuous searches for how to do things better and more effectively. But I saw the results then, and I see them now.
– When I recall how things were and ponder why or thanks to what, it seems to me that it is high time to turn to research pedagogues in various countries with a request. Utilizing Korczak’s legacy—that is, his works, accounts from diverse people, memoirs, and potential research—they should conduct a factual analysis of his pedagogical thoughts as a source of inspiration and guidance. They should analyze the Korczak system as it was once applied in both institutions and attempted by schools. As a result of this analytical work, they should formulate certain general conclusions of importance to us, which in turn—or so it seems to me at least—by drawing from the rich deposits of Korczak’s pedagogical thought, could be relevant for our "today" and "tomorrow."
Am I exaggerating? The Old Doctor belongs to old times, a bygone era. In response to this, I throw onto the scales not heavy-caliber arguments, but a seemingly marginal observation that speaks volumes about the Doctor’s pioneering endeavors. Care institutions at the time were, as a rule, separate for boys and separate for girls. Korczak created a co-educational institution. The division of children into groups according to age was also a universal phenomenon back then. Yet in Korczak's facilities, groups formed spontaneously, just as the children chose to bond; a single group contained toddlers alongside 14-year-olds. Only recently, treated almost as a new discovery, have groups begun to be organized on the model of siblings. It turned out that this approach is more natural and yields better educational results than the old, rigid division, which was supposedly meant to make the caregivers' work easier.
I do not mean to imply that certain Korczakian thoughts could not have aged. Which ones? What kind? And speaking of the system, which links in the chain should be removed and what should replace them? For this cannot be done mechanically or automatically. How, then,
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can we proceed without disrupting the cohesion of the whole? How do we modernize? What remains relevant—perhaps more so today than years ago? Although Korczak’s clinic was the Orphans' Home, I remind you that the Doctor was immensely interested in upbringing within the family, that he dealt with the school, and that he dedicated many innovative thoughts in his writings—perhaps less known than How to Love a Child—specifically to the school. Let us also not forget that Korczak served as an expert witness in the juvenile court and was a lecturer at the Institute of Special Pedagogy.
– In many countries, including Sweden, the problem of the school is a topic of highly controversial debates, and the Swedes know how to detect deficiencies, errors, and failures in a timely manner. These matters do not constitute any taboo. Factoring in a different era, altered conditions, and local backgrounds, how much more can still be learned from the Old Doctor? An expression of this vivid interest is the 5-member delegation from the Swedish Korczak association, Föreningen för Janusz Korczaks Levande Arv. The majority of this delegation consists of researchers, young researchers. You may have had the opportunity to listen, for instance, to a paper by Dr. Siv Fischbein, for whom there was a lack of space and time during the official sessions, and who agreed to deliver her address under rather strange conditions—on a bus en route to Dachau!
In searching for new paths, let us not forget the old ones. Is this only true in Sweden? I think not. The problem of unadjusted youth, for example, remains relevant far beyond Sweden. Prevention and therapy!
What if these matters were taken up as a scientific workshop, not by one country alone, but taking into account local specificities?
I dream that following such analysis and reflection, a course could be created—a pedagogical training program organized for interested young teachers, for instance. Years ago, Korczak spoke of the need to create not just institutions that train teachers, but institutions that train educators. What if we were to create precisely such a course for teachers, where knowledge that allows one to better raise youth would be valued equally with subject knowledge and didactic skills? A course to "awaken what slumbers in the soul," so as not to write anyone off as a loss, ensuring that positive stimuli unleash the best potential capabilities,
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so that children are treated as partners, not objects. And then, following such an education, we could distribute the graduates of the course experimentally—not sending a single one to a different school, but placing several into one school, so they can form a core and exert a genuine influence. I am not speaking of some mass campaign, but of a trial—to see if such an experiment would pass the test of life.
An international symposium is surely the right place to confide such dreams, which do not have to be unrealistic illusions at all, but can become a turning point in our shared long-term program. After all, because the life of Dr. Henryk Goldszmit was cut short 40 years ago, we are not going to talk about HIM merely as a man who dedicated his life to the cause of children and paid the price of his life for the consistency of his convictions and actions... though in that itself, one can find an exemplification of ethical problems, one of the deepest moral foundations... I throw out the idea, and leave its realization to the reflections and goodwill of dreamers and people of practical action.
May 23, 1982
Speech prepared for presentation at the symposium in Giessen, FRG, on May 24–29, 1982, by the delegation of Föreningen för Janusz Korczaks Levande Arv.
* The abbreviation NRF used at the end of the Polish text stands for Niemiecka Republika Federalna (Federal Republic of Germany / FRG). In communist-era Poland, this was the standard official term for West Germany before the reunification in 1990. The Giessen symposium in May 1982 took place within the territory of West Germany.
