Humanity lesson to the mankind- The life of Janusz Korczak

While researching Janusz Korczak’s life in front of my eyes enliven the image of a real teacher, intellectual, the great personality who is ready to sacrifice his life for his faith without blinking an eye.  Neither Janusz Korczak’s life, nor his creative works, at last, neither his death can be compared to others’ life, activity or death. When I was a pupil I heard about him from my teachers. After my teachers’ talks about him I began to read his works. I searched for his books in the old library of our village, and found his some books. In his books the real face of the life was described in a simple language that any child could understand. Though I didn’t know Russian very well, what my favorite writer had written seemed to me obviously. I thought that Janusz Korczak was a legend. He described a village life, the hobbies of the children, the little pupils who hurry to school every morning, ‘the magic” of the classrooms, wisdom, at last, the war, captivity that seemed me as a tale when I was a child…Janusz Korczak had described all these so clearly I felt that I was side by side with those children, cried with them, laughed with them, sat at the desk side by side with them, it seemed to me that  even I could feel their breathing, heard their voices, listened to their heartbeats. While reading Janusz Korczak’s works I tried to immortalize the lives of the babies destroyed by the war, in my feelings. In my dreams I turned the lives of those babies to the leading characters of the works that I created in my imagination. While reading his works I thought that a real human being, real teacher had to be just like him. He wasn’t satisfied with teaching, educating the children, he could be able to see the depth of the heart of each child, could be a remedy to the wounded souls.  For the children he was like the waves in an ocean, he could give them breath. Janusz Korczak’s life was spent in such a period of time that there were a lot of hearts that needed to be calmed.  There were a lot of persons who expected him to console them.  Janusz himself had made a step to his early youth years under the blows of the life. It was his lot to live a life full of struggles. He lived in the garret of the orphanage that he had established.  Janusz had written most of his works, including his narrative “When I am little again” in that garret. His works arose from the voices of little, sorrowful children and touchy heartbeats in his poor garret.

Janusz could feel the heart of any child from their eyes, the grief hidden inside of their looks, from the harmony of their voices. As he was a doctor by profession, he could feel the children exactly, as a pedagogue he could understand their spirit, as an educator he could know what they want, at last, as a writer he wrote what he felt. Each of his work resembled to a monument erected with love for the children.

Janusz Korczak was born in Warsaw in 1878 or 1879 ( sources vary) to the  Jewish family. His grandfather was a doctor, his father was a respected lawyer, his mother was a careful housewife.  His real name was Henryk , second name was Goldszmit.   Henryk didn’t have happy childhood years. He was always thoughtful, as if he was flying in the wings of the dreams he had imagined. Because of such strangeness his father used to call him “absent-minded” or “dullard”. His father often took him to far places, including to River Wisla to sail in a boat.  Janusz Korczak loved Wisla very much. While touching the waters of Wisla he supposed he was embracing the entire Poland. The silent waves of Wisla as if were whispering him dismal Polish songs. But Henryk’s happiness didn’t last long.  His father who had great authority in Warsaw fell ill, and soon he passed away. The death of his father influenced to the material situation of the family. Janusz’s family became poorer, they were obliged to move to the poor quarters of the city. In order to help his family Henryk began to work.

The pedagogical activity that began when he was 17 years old

Janusz was diligent pupil at school, he knew Russia, German, French languages, and he began to earn money as a tutor. So, the first pedagogical activity of Korczak began when he was 17 years old. He taught willingly the pupils as little as himself. It seemed to him that the secrets of the science that he taught them filled their heart with love of motherland, love to humanity.

“Doctoring helped me to see the inner world of the people. Even I could realize deeply the nature of children’s games just because I was a doctor.”

The severe illness and death of his father changed Janusz’s world outlook completely.  The silent child turned to a struggling young guy.  The difficulties of his life strengthened hi, he became not only the hope of his family, but the hope of a lot of people who were in need of care..He could be able to rescue himself out of the vice of the pangs, and with his mother’s recommendation he entered the Medicine faculty of University of Warsaw. Afterwards Janusz wrote in his diary as following: “Literature consists of the words, but doctoring is a real job.”  “Doctoring helped me to see the inner world of the people.  I could understand the nature of children’s games because of being a doctor.

 “During studentship years Henryk took his first steps in the field of creative activity. He began to collaborate with the newspapers “Warsaw courier”, “ Shipi” Those newspapers published his plays and narratives with pleasure. He used to read the works of famous Polish writer Krashevski. He took the name of – Janusz Korczak- one of the characters of his works as a pen name. Afterwards he became well-known with that pen name. When Janusz was 18 years old  he wrote his first article dedicated to pedagogical problem. In his article he touched the problems of how to educate, to bring up the children. Janusz considered that theme to be very urgent.  It isn’t accidental that his first book that reflected the miserable life, sorrowful situation of the children was titled as “Children of the Streets”.  The matter that saddened Janusz was that the number of the abandoned children increased day after day, they turned to a thief, criminal, or a robber. He knew that if it continued in this way the number of them would be more. He thought that the children were the foundation of the society, if the foundation was

“rotten” the society that was formed on that foundation would be “ill”. The life manners of the children, the difficulties they faced, the miserable life that they suffered from saddened Janusz’s heart, led him to go straightly to the children.

It wasn’t by chance too.  He also had spent poor life, and that was why he could understand them very well. Just those feelings made him research the children’s problem, to carry out educational researches, in one word, to be educator.  In his book “Children of the Streets” ” he wrote that it was possible to join the children to physical, spiritual health.  In order to achieve success in this field it is necessary to start the cures when they are babies. We read these lines from the diary of the great pedagogue: “It is my responsibility. If me, a doctor doesn’t do this but who else would do?”

Janusz Korczak thought that illnesses can’t be healed only by doctoring, it is necessary to look for other ways.” It is impossible to heal the ill person without healing him spiritually.”

In 1903 Korszak graduated the university, his profession was pediatric physician.  When he was going to demonstrate his skills for to heal the children, in 1904 he was sent to the Far East- to a war with Japan as a military doctor.  Korszak was devoted to his spiritual principles. So in the war he healed not only bullet wounds of the wounded soldiers but also their spirits. Because it was impossible to heal the ill  persons physically without healing him spiritually. All what Korszak saw in the war prepared him to interfere in the struggle for the spiritual, physical health of the children. The revolutionary events happened in 1905 influenced Korszak’s world outlook. He joined to the meeting of the railwaymen.

 In the meeting he made a speech about the situation of the children, emphasized that it was necessary to be interested in the children. In his speech Korszak said that the revolutions that happen at that time target the healthy society of the future. “If the children aren’t healthy today, we can’t speak about the healthy society in future.  It is impossible to revolt without thinking the children’s situation. The knowledge and education that the children get today is necessary for all of us.”

Janusz  Korczak thought about what needed after healing the children. Maybe the children must be abandoned to the streets full of difficulties? He answered to his question: “No, the healed children mustn’t be left in the streets. The children are wealth, they are our future, it is necessary to protect them. The knowledge, education that  the children get today is necessary for all of us.

Janusz Korczak  considered 10 gold principles to be the main rules in educating: Don’t expect your child to be as you. Teach your child to be not as you, but as himself ( herself).  Don’t want your child to pay off all what you have done for him.  You have given a life to your child, how the children can pay off for it to you?  The day will come, your child will give life to his children, it is the  rule of thankfulness that can’t be paid off. 

Don’t pour your anger to your children, for not “ to eat bitter bread” in future.

“You reap what you sowed.”  Don’t think that the problems of your children aren’t important. The God endows each of us the load that we can carry. Think that the problems of your children are more difficult than yours.  Think that your child is inexperienced compared to you. Don’t lower the children! Don’t forget that your main meeting is the one with the children. Pay attention to them attentively. We never know whom we bring up. If you can’t do anything for your children in this case don’t torture yourself. Torture in the moment that you can but you don’t do . Remember that if you didn’t do  everything for your child it means you didn’t do for him enough. A child isn’t a tyrant that rules your life, consisting of flesh and blood. Children are the best gift of the God, for you to protect him and to do your best in order to bring up them.  The parents bring up the human beings who have their own hearts or spirits. Try to love the others’ children too. Don’t do to other children what you don’t do to your children. Love your children whatever they are, whether they are talentless, even they weren’t brought up normally. Be glad while having a talk with them, because when your children are with you it is a holiday. Janusz Korczak’s  humanist spirit  whispered the above mentioned words to the mankind. He was the greatest humanist of all the times. In his book “Child of the drawing room” published in 1906 , Janusz wrote that the parents, society were responsible for the upbringing of the children.

After returning from the far in Far East Korczak began to work as a children’s doctor. He became famous within a short time. All over the Poland his name was well-known.  One of the different features of Janusz Korczak was that he got money from the rich and spent that money  for the children from the poor family.

( to be continued)

Translator: Sevil Gulten