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| On the left is the only photograph of the little shop in the Orphans’ Home on Krochmalna Street. A small table is placed in the doorway to serve as a counter. This may be the same table that Korczak describes in 1942. |
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| On the left is the only photograph of the little shop in the Orphans’ Home on Krochmalna Street. A small table is placed in the doorway to serve as a counter. This may be the same table that Korczak describes in 1942. On the right is one of Korczak’s documents, which Pan Misza rescued on August 5, 1942. |
The Little Shop was located in a tiny room at the end of the Recreation Hall on the ground floor. Children "bought" pencils, notebooks, pens, erasers, nibs, shoelaces, needles, thimbles, buttons, and soap there. They bought these without money, but all "sales" were receipted. In addition to school supplies, children could also purchase sweets (e.g., nut brittle) with their money, which made the place especially attractive.
To avoid chaos, the shop was open once a day at a designated time. A child who was late or forgot their shopping had to wait until the next day. These restrictive opening hours taught children to plan for their own needs and to take care of their own belongings.
Janusz Korczak visited the shop in person; there, he would accept wagers from the children (e.g., regarding habit changes), which was a specific form of working on the pupils' character.
During periods of famine, such as during the First World War, the "Shop" also sold food.
After the Orphans’ Home was forced to move to the Ghetto, the "Shop"—which was an element of the broader system of self-governance in the Home, alongside the peer court and the self-government council—was present at both Chłodna 33 and Sienna 16.
The existence of the "Shop" in the Orphans' Home in the Ghetto can be learned from reading an article by Korczak in the Home's weekly newsletter. The "Shop" is mentioned as a "shop table," which was used during meals as a dining table.
(Korczak) But here is my explanation:"When I clear [the tables] myself, I see cracked plates, I see bent spoons, scratched bowls. I free up the tables for the monitors to clean tables more quickly, as well as the shop table. I see how careless groups, partly like aristocrats and partly like boors, scatter spoons, knives, salt shakers, and mugs instead of putting them in their place. Sometimes I glance at how extras are being handed out, or I see who is sitting next to whom, and I think about this and that. Because when I do something, it is never thoughtless. This waiter's work is both useful, pleasant, and interesting to me."
Ida Merżans´description of the Little Shop when occupied on Saturdays by Korczak:
On Saturdays, before breakfast, bets took place in a small room—a room so tiny that I could barely squeeze between the table and the window to sit on the windowsill. At the table, where a large journal and a bag of candies lay, sat "the Doctor," and on the other side of the table — a child. In the journal, Korczak only noted whether the child had won or lost, and how many times they had broken their commitments. The child would stand before the table, almost always alone. The Doctor would ask dispassionately: "About what?". The older ones always remembered, but new and younger children often had to remind themselves what they had bet on (about shouting, lying, a smaller number of court cases, hitting, swearing, or name-calling).
The child focuses, recalling the course of the entire week—all the defeats, all the victories. Hard work for a child! The Old Doctor respected these spiritual struggles. He recommended gradual progress; he advised not to take on too much at once. He imposed nothing; he was full of understanding for weakness, sometimes urging a start from the beginning... The conversation was always brief. The Doctor would ask: "What did you bet on?" and check the notebook. "How many times did you lie?" And then a reach for a candy and, in a playful or encouraging tone, he would matter-of-factly ask: "Want to again? How many?" The Doctor looked at each child differently and spoke in a different tone. Joyfully or sadly, indifferently or kindly, etc. Only one tone was missing—a lack of trust. The child knew that Korczak believed them, that he did not verify the truth of their confessions, and this fact disposed them toward sincerity.
A bet with an individual child lasted only a short time, but it held the character of a great act, a transformation taking place within the child. The fact that it was voluntary was of great significance for those who sought improvement through this path.
Korczak experienced these bets no less than the children. This was evident not only in his face but in the way he gave a candy to those who won and a "consolation candy" to those who did not keep their bet, with a sympathetic look when a child lost. I remained silent then. He did not speak to me, explained nothing, and did not translate his thoughts as he usually did. Of course, at educational meetings, he spoke about the results and conclusions he drew from the tests for the group and for individual children. He warmly encouraged the bursars to take on bets, but only a few individuals expressed a willingness, believing they could take on obligations without the Doctor's involvement.
For Korczak, the bets were a child's examination of conscience. The matter of conscience was a very important element for him, helping a person in self-improvement. In 1914, he writes from the front to the children and advises them (this was before Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement) to confess to Mrs. Stefa. Perhaps this was the seed of the bets? In one of the introductions to "Tygodnik Bursy" (The Bursa Weekly), he explains the meaning of confession as an examination of conscience. In the ghetto, he explains to a student-postman the significance of the profession of a judge and the problem of every human being's conscience. Hence the mood of stern gravity and authentic respect for the child fighting their own flaws that accompanied the bets.
The child focuses, recalling the course of the entire week—all the defeats, all the victories. Hard work for a child! The Old Doctor respected these spiritual struggles. He recommended gradual progress; he advised not to take on too much at once. He imposed nothing; he was full of understanding for weakness, sometimes urging a start from the beginning... The conversation was always brief. The Doctor would ask: "What did you bet on?" and check the notebook. "How many times did you lie?" And then a reach for a candy and, in a playful or encouraging tone, he would matter-of-factly ask: "Want to again? How many?" The Doctor looked at each child differently and spoke in a different tone. Joyfully or sadly, indifferently or kindly, etc. Only one tone was missing—a lack of trust. The child knew that Korczak believed them, that he did not verify the truth of their confessions, and this fact disposed them toward sincerity.
A bet with an individual child lasted only a short time, but it held the character of a great act, a transformation taking place within the child. The fact that it was voluntary was of great significance for those who sought improvement through this path.
Korczak experienced these bets no less than the children. This was evident not only in his face but in the way he gave a candy to those who won and a "consolation candy" to those who did not keep their bet, with a sympathetic look when a child lost. I remained silent then. He did not speak to me, explained nothing, and did not translate his thoughts as he usually did. Of course, at educational meetings, he spoke about the results and conclusions he drew from the tests for the group and for individual children. He warmly encouraged the bursars to take on bets, but only a few individuals expressed a willingness, believing they could take on obligations without the Doctor's involvement.
For Korczak, the bets were a child's examination of conscience. The matter of conscience was a very important element for him, helping a person in self-improvement. In 1914, he writes from the front to the children and advises them (this was before Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement) to confess to Mrs. Stefa. Perhaps this was the seed of the bets? In one of the introductions to "Tygodnik Bursy" (The Bursa Weekly), he explains the meaning of confession as an examination of conscience. In the ghetto, he explains to a student-postman the significance of the profession of a judge and the problem of every human being's conscience. Hence the mood of stern gravity and authentic respect for the child fighting their own flaws that accompanied the bets.
