Our Mythical Childhood...

“Strumienie” High School in Józefów

e-mail: barbara.strycharczyk@sternik.edu.pl

My interest in Antiquity began during my studies of Polish Philology at the University of Warsaw. In the first year, we mainly dealt with Old Polish literature. Then, it turned out that without the knowledge of classical languages and ancient culture it is difficult to understand Polish literary heritage. So I decided to study also at the Institute of Classical Philology. It absorbed me so much that Antiquity – Rome in particular – became my passion, which I wanted not onl to develop, but also to share. I decided that I could do it as a high school teacher of Classical Languages. It was the beginning of my adventure with Latin. It started at the Mikołaj Rej XI High School in Warsaw, where, for many years, I taught Latin and Ancient Culture for the class of Classics Profile. For the needs of this class, I have developed my own original syllabus for classical languages and culture. One of these programmes is a study trip to Rome. It was my greatest dream not only to talk about Rome within the school walls but also to be physically present there with my students. This is why, every year, Rome becomes for a week our classroom for ancient culture.

Currently, I work at the “Strumienie” High School of “Sternik” Education and Family Support Association. I teach Latin and the Ancient Culture both at the advanced and basic level, using the programmes I prepared. I continue also the tradition of studying in Rome brought from Rej High School and this is our annual trip to the source of ancient culture. Extremely inspiring and creatively motivating both for students and teachers at “Strumienie” High School, is also the cooperation with the Faculty of “Artes Liberales” in the project Our Mythical Childhood, which began in 2012 (the year of the foundation of our school). Thanks to his project, Latin and culture of the Romans have become for us an important tool for understanding true interdisciplinarity and the importance of traditions and our own roots. Students of the Rej High School and their Latin teacher Anna Wojciechowska, with whom we regularly cooperate, were also involved in the project Our Mythical Childhood. The management of the “Strumienie” School suggested that beginning in the school year 2021/22, I should also teach Latin to the 5th graders of “Strumienie” Primary School.

Publications:

	Katarzyna Marciniak and Barbara Strycharczyk, “Macte Animo! – or, The Polish Experiment with ‘Classics Profiles’ in Secondary School Education: The Warsaw Example”, in Lisa Maurice, ed., Our Mythical Education: The Reception of Classical Myth Worldwide in Formal Education, 1900–2020, Warsaw: Warsaw University Press, 2021, pp. 237–291 Open Access.
	Naturae congnoscere causas (Educational Materials), edited by Katarzyna Marciniak, Janusz Ryba, Barbara Strycharczyk, Olga Strycharczyk, Anna Wojciechowska, trans. Joanna Dutkiewicz, Warsaw: Faculty of “Artes Liberales”, University of Warsaw, 2021, 200 pp.  Open Access
	De viris mulieribusque illustribus (Educational Materials), ed. by Katarzyna Marciniak, trans. Joanna Dutkiewicz, Warsaw: Faculty of “Artes Liberales”, University of Warsaw, 2019, 95 pp.  Open Access