A group of over 30 future teachers of Polish language, history and social studies, biology and natural sciences, and mathematics have started their studies at the School of Education of Polish-American Freedom Foundation and the University of Warsaw.
It has been 10 years since the establishment of the School of Education, whose goal is to support and promote the development of education, as well as to train and improve the professional skills of teachers. People from all over Poland participate in the free postgraduate studies.
On September 8, students began the 2025/26 academic year by participating in a four-day Summer School at Jadwisin near Warsaw. The students were welcomed by Marianna Hajdukiewicz, Program Director of Polish-American Freedom Foundation, which is the founder and sponsor of the School of Education. She stressed that the tenth edition of the program is special because it coincides with the 25th anniversary of the Polish-American Freedom Foundation, for which education has been one of the key and consistently pursued areas since its inception. “Strength lies in partnership and cooperation. Thanks to our collaboration with the University of Warsaw, over the past ten years the School of Education has built a community of people who, with full commitment and dedication, drawing on the best global models, support teachers,” Marianna Hajdukiewicz emphasized.
In her inaugural lecture, Prof. Jolanta Sujecka-Zając, Director of the PAFF and UW School of Education, focused on the role of commitment in building positive teaching attitudes. “We have an influence on what happens to us; we can strengthen our effectiveness and competence so as not to succumb to exhaustion and stagnation. It is important to think about expanding our resources and the fact that we can constantly develop,” said Prof. Sujecka-Zając, encouraging participants to notice the positive aspects of life and themselves.
After the official part, the participants went to the first workshop entitled “Puzzles” led by Aleksander Pawlicki, a lecturer at the School of Education.
Four days of intensive work at the Summer School are a prelude to 10 months of classes and daily practice in primary and secondary schools.
Established in 2015, the PAFF and UW School of Education is a joint undertaking of the Polish-American Freedom Foundation and the University of Warsaw. Its program was developed in close cooperation with the renowned teacher training center – Columbia University Teachers College in New York. The PAFF and UW School of Education offers the only free full-time postgraduate studies in Poland that grant teaching license.
