Scientific Opinions

Academic and Teacher Reviews

Scientific Opinions

Staff members of the Jagiellonian University in Kraków wrote:

"Ms. Małgorzata Pawlusiewicz has prepared an exceptionally reliable set of textbooks for teaching in Polish diaspora schools, based on excellent pedagogical foundations. The textbooks offered by Wisdom Publisher Co. should be viewed as a coherent whole due to their objectives, content, methodological solutions, and target audience, especially as they cover language learning from four-year-olds up to the sixth grade of primary school. The author introduces students to the world of semantics, starting from what is closest to the child and moving outwards, concluding in the sixth grade with topics related to adolescence: peer group cooperation, friendships, first loves, assertiveness, empathy, and positive role models or authorities. In doing so, she gives young people the opportunity to open up about their problems in the language they are learning. The textbooks prepared by Ms. Małgorzata Pawlusiewicz are designed for students of various ages, which is reflected in their distinct graphic design, levels of difficulty, text lengths, and appropriate font sizes... The author arranged the educational and upbringing content concentrically, expanding into broader informational circles, and spirally – consistently returning to previously acquired knowledge and skills... This reliable and consistent work can serve as a model and reference point for other authors, both in terms of substance and methodology. The subject matter is treated comprehensively with a clear concept and guiding theme, integrating information about Poland, the wider world, and the Polish emigration."

— Dr. Jerzy Leszek Kulczycki, Jagiellonian University (UJ)

"The 'First Grader's School Starter Kit' (Wyprawka pierwszoklasisty) by Małgorzata Pawlusiewicz, consisting of three parts, required an extraordinary amount of work. The author has included teaching aids to develop all the skills a child needs... A strict correlation is maintained between the different components of the kit. It was developed in the USA, a Polish diaspora environment with a long tradition of teaching the Polish language. It was created by an experienced teacher with 25 years of service in a Polish Saturday school. The author has therefore taken into account the precise needs of children and parents who send their children to Polish schools. Małgorzata Pawlusiewicz has created something that is a dream come true for both parents and teachers. It is a fundamental set covering all aspects of language teaching: speaking, reading, writing, and text comprehension. She has established a standard that others can follow... This educational aid can easily be used by parents and individuals who may not necessarily have professional pedagogical training."

— Mgr. Magdalena Szelc-Mays, Jagiellonian University (UJ)

Teachers' Opinions

"Finally, Polish diaspora children and their parents have received a set of textbooks tailored to our times. The entire set of Polish language textbooks is professionally prepared in terms of content, methodology, and graphics. The textbooks feature content revolving around topics closest to the child. They serve perfectly to enrich their vocabulary, and the beautiful, colorful illustrations /bursting with action/ inspire children to speak. Words of gratitude go to the author for her hard work over many years, which has proven to be so effective."

— Mgr. Elżbieta Romanek, T. Kościuszko School, Chicago

"(...) We believe that the textbooks authored by Ms. Małgorzata Pawlusiewicz are the best we have used to date. We previously used 'Wesoła szkoła' and other textbooks published by PWS. The set of textbooks offered to us by Wisdom Publisher Co. in Chicago is perfectly adapted to teaching Polish outside of Poland. It is also tailored to the realities of teaching in Polish diaspora schools within a schedule of three hours of classes per week."

— Maria Deris, New York, USA

"Dear Ms. Małgorzata! You are the best methodologist, teacher, psychologist, mother, and grandmother I have ever met in my life. You know our Polish children abroad very well, and the fruit of this expertise is the wide variety of textbooks that have come from your hand. With respect,"

— Jolanta Michałek, Wheeling, IL - USA

"(...) Your textbooks are wonderful. They are filled with joy, happiness, empathy, and great patriotism. They reflect the values of the Polish family, profiles of outstanding Poles, Polish traditions, customs, and habits. They contain everything that should be there, everything that a child, youth, parent, and teacher in a foreign land expects. I am happy to be able to work with children using these textbooks. Sometimes I get so moved that it is hard to hold back my tears. Therefore, all the trouble I went through to import them was completely worth it."

— Agata Knichala, Germany

"I would like to express my appreciation to you for the entirety of your work. The textbooks are an invaluable help to me and a treasure trove of knowledge about Poland, Poles, and the Polish diaspora worldwide. The integration of literary, historical, artistic, and musical content is in line with the spirit of the times and the latest reforms in Polish diaspora education. By reaching for these textbooks, we teachers practically have everything handed to us on a silver platter. This leaves plenty of time for creative reflections on lesson planning. The large amount of material allows the teacher to choose the content that is easier for understanding the topic, as well as to adapt the appropriate exercises to the level of their class. With expressions of gratitude,"

— Zofia Podobińska, J. Słowacki School, USA

"Every textbook by Ms. Małgorzata Pawlusiewicz is a rare gem. It embraces its recipients, the children, with a tender warmth toward Polish culture. Ms. Małgorzata is not only a professional but also a magician. Not everyone can write from the heart – it is a great gift. The 'First Grader's School Starter Kit' was presented at the Warsaw exhibition – PRIMERS OF THE WORLD – and aroused immense interest among the visitors. Everyone highlighted the beautiful graphic layout and the huge contribution of your work. Overall, Ms. Małgorzata's textbooks were described as the essence of Polish identity in a nutshell."

— Renata Zaborska, Warsaw

Review of the textbook series authored by Małgorzata Pawlusiewicz for teaching Polish abroad, expressed by Teachers of the Polish Mother Tongue School in Leicester after their first year of using these books:

"A few words about the textbooks for Grade 1:

• 'Ćwiczenia elementarzowe' (Primer Exercises): I consider them very good in terms of content and choice of exercises (great variety and progressive difficulty). The wide selection of exercises leaves parents with the opportunity to work with the child at home.

• 'Elementarz dla dzieci polonijnych' (Primer for Diaspora Children) & 'Ćwiczenia w mówieniu' (Speaking Exercises): They have a very beautiful, colorful graphic layout, which greatly stimulates students to talk about their content. The texts for learning to read are also appealing to students. The selection of songs is also highly popular among the children. Overall, the textbook set is very helpful in a teacher's work and increases the attractiveness of the classes."

— Małgorzata Nutter

"In my opinion, the textbooks are written in a clear language that is easy for children to understand. Children solve the tasks contained in them without any problems. The textbook helps us choose the right path for teaching. Thanks to it, we can be sure that no crucial topics will be omitted. I am very satisfied with these books."

— Rozalia Góralska

"Overall, I evaluate the textbook for Grade 3 positively. I must add that it has significantly eased the workload in preparing for Saturday classes as well as homework. The content for this group is appropriate for their level, and the exercises are very clear; just a minor note regarding the exercises – there is a lack of handwriting practice with soft consonants in the spelling section."

— Gabriela Makowska

"Regarding the Grade 1 textbooks: The exercises are very good, although the font graphics should be adapted to the style children use in English schools. The content contained in the exercises is readable and comprely understandable. The Primer is very good, introduces many new words, and enables the development of skills to construct sentences and short stories."

— Joanna Milczarek