HOME EDUCATION DURING THE PEOPLE’S REPUBLIC OF POLAND – A RETRIEVED CASE
HOME EDUCATION DURING THE PEOPLE’S REPUBLIC OF POLAND – A RETRIEVED CASE

Summary/Abstract: Introduction: The article concerns home education in the People’s Republic of Poland whichwas cultivated by Danuta and Bartłomiej Maria Boba. They did not send their five children toschool in the years 1952–1981; despite the ban, they educated them on their own.Research Aim: The aim of the study was to fill an existing gap in the knowledge about the storyof home education in Poland after the Second World War. So far, there have been no knownexamples of homeschooling in the socialist times. It was thought that it did not take place at alland only started to emerge after the political changes.Method: The study is of a qualitative nature; it was conducted using the narrative interviewmethod. The resulting material was subjected to analysis and interpretation. Additionally, doc-ument examination was used.Results: Despite the government’s efforts to force all citizens into participation in the educationsystem controlled by the state, there was a case of homeschooling in Poland. The reconstructionof the Boba family’s experience gives knowledge of the motivation to raise children away fromthe influence of school, as well as on the methods and effects of teaching off school. It bringsknowledge of the values the family attached to home education and provides a proof of determi-nation of the parents who stood firmly in their commitment despite repressions against them.Conclusions: The case retrieved is isolated. The hardships suffered by the Boba family did notcontribute to any legal changes, nor did they affect other families’ fates. Their fight against thecommunist regime complements the image of home education known so far and enables a bet-ter understanding of it. It shows how important it can be for parents to raise children in linewith their own conscience. Freedom, reconstructed in previous studies as a core value attribu-ted to home education both nowadays and in the distant past, turned out to be the core valuein this case as well. The Boba family education is a historical link between tradition and thepresent day of Polish homeschooling.

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