Polish Saturday School

The classes for school age children are held every Saturday throughout the school year. The degree of difficulty is customized to the level of proficiency among the students in every group. The school curriculum provides basic knowledge of the Polish language, lays solid foundation for future studies and strongly encourages further training. The teachers help the students acquire fluency in speaking as well as proficiency in reading and writing. They make the classes interesting by organizing games and mini-plays. Teachers also initiate engaging discussions touching on culture, elements of history, geography, and everyday life in Poland. The showings of Polish films and study of Polish literature teach the children appreciation, love and respect for Polish culture and traditions. 

The school implements positive progress evaluation technique by focusing on the students’ achievements and not on their failures. The teachers tactfully correct the students’ mistakes as not to discourage or embarrass them. They always strongly support individual progress and acknowledge and praise achievements. Ewa Kędzierska, Aneta Komendarczyk, Beata Olszok, and Marc Zayac are the Polish Saturday School teachers.  We present them below.

Information provided by the Principal and founder of the Polish Saturday School, Maryla Adamczyk and the teachers.
 Edited by: Joanna Babińska. Translated by: Hania Williams
Photos: Krystyna Prus
and Bożena Zaremba

	Ewa Kędzierska teaches the beginner as well as the intermediate class. Ewa is a graduate of the College of Education and Psychology in Bydgoszcz. Her specialty is elementary education. Her experience comes from 4 years teaching at the elementary school and 2 years involvement in special education program. Ewa’s Mother, who is her hero and a role model, inspired Ewa to choose the teaching profession. Ewa likes to listen to classical music, especially Bach and Vivaldi. She also enjoys the poetry of Wisława Szymborska and Halina Poświatowska. In her spare time Ewa likes to swim and play volleyball.
	Aneta Komendarczyk is going to teach the youngest children as well as the adults. She is a graduate of a Teacher Training College in Toruń. In 1999 Aneta acquired a licence in English Linguistics at Mikołaj Kopernik University. In 2002 she continued her studies at the A. Gieysztor School of Humanities, where she acquired her M.A. Aneta taught English at the Post-Secondary Culinary School and was also involved in organizing and managing foreign language contests in Toruń schools. She also designed a program for gifted students. In a Sacred Heart Junior High School near Boston she taught drama and supervised a Drama Club. Anita’s interests lie in social psychology and in the English speaking countries and their culture. In her spare time she loves to ride a bike, although she regrets she had to leave her favorite one behind. In the US she also found a new interest in exotic cuisines but in her opinion polish bigos still reigns supreme.
	Beata Olszok teaches the oldest children. She was born in Silesia and is a graduate of Silesia University in Katowice. Her degree is in Polish Studies. Beata taught Polish at a High School for 5 years. Many of her students successfully participated in numerous language competitions. Since 2000 Beata teaches Polish at Polish Saturday School in Atlanta. One of her students, Piotr Janewicz, was awarded a special letter of recognition for excellent grades and exemplary attitude by Polish Consulate in Washington. Beata enjoys Polish literature, especially Mickiewicz and Sienkiewicz, as well as the theatre and classical drama. Shakespeare is her favorite playwright. She also has a great interest in arts and in designing Internet pages. Beata likes to reflect on cinematographic works of Krzysztof Kieślowski, Andrzej Wajda and Agnieszka Holland. Her life motto is: “ Blaze new trails. Make your own tracks, be spontaneous and always stride forward”.
	Marc Zayac is going to teach English to the adult group. He has a B.A. and M.A. degrees in History from John Caroll University. Except for the dissertation, Marc has completed all the requirements for his Ph.D. at the Kent State University. He has taught history professionally for 6 years at the Ohio State and 4 years at Georgia Perimeter Collage in Atlanta. Marc spent several years in Slovakia and Poland mastering both languages. While in Warsaw he taught English at the British-American School of English and co-authored the translation of “Decorator” which continues to play at the Polish capital’s Teatr Kwadrat. In Bratislava he translated several plays for the local radio programs. Marc loves traveling and watching Polish historical movies. On weekends Marc enjoys going out with his family for a late night coffee.

(03-10-01)