‘The feeling of agency and effectiveness determines the level of teachers’ happiness. We will give you these powers’ – that was the promise students of the academic year 2023/24 heard at the School of Education.
Future Polish, mathematics, biology, and history teachers were welcomed by Director of the School of Education Prof. Jolanta Sujecka-Zając. In her opening lecture she focused on the issue of the sense of self-agency, referring to the research carried out by Canadian and U.S. social psychologist Prof. Alberta Bandury.
“We pay a lot of attention to forming the sense of self-agency and effectiveness at the School of Education, especially in teachers’ work. These are the traits one can learn, develop, and plan. They give the strength, motivation, immunity to frustration, allows to focus on reaching proper objectives, on profit not losses,” Prof. Sujecka-Zając explained.
And she added that the level of teachers’ happiness is determined by their conviction that they can influence school situations, are assertive and build valuable relations. The bigger is our sense of our resources, the more ambitious objectives we will set, and that refers also to teaching.
Another person that addressed the students was Polish-American Freedom Foundation Program Director Marianna Hajdukiewicz. She noted that each class means different history and new input into development of the School of Education. She ensured that PAFF has been supporting schools, teachers, and students for years. “Our programs are not for a moment – they are the long-term ones. We consistently take care od good, wise education. We are learning ourselves – we regularly evaluate our activities, check what works and what needs to be improved. We build the community of both our present students and our alumni. We build cooperation networks, to ensure that we will not lose contact and continue supporting each other,” Marianna Hajdukiewicz pointed.
That is already the eighth round of free of charge teachers’ postgraduate courses at the School of Education. Its first stage is Summer School which gives the students opportunity to meet but also have first teaching and psychology/education classes. Soon the students will also start their practical classes at schools. In June they will receive teaching licenses and start working as mathematics, history, biology and life sciences or Polish teachers.
