Home Education During the People’s Republic of Poland – a d Retrieved Case

Abstract

Introduction: The article concerns home education in the People’s Republic of Poland which was cultivated by Danuta and Bartłomiej Maria Boba. They did not send their five children to school 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 story of home education in Poland after the Second World War. So far, there have been no known examples of homeschooling in the socialist times. It was thought that it did not take place at all and only started to emerge after the political changes.

Method: The study is of a qualitative nature; it was conducted using the narrative interview method. The resulting material was subjected to analysis and interpretation. Additionally, document examination was used.

Results: Despite the government’s efforts to force all citizens into participation in the education system controlled by the state, there was a case of homeschooling in Poland. The reconstruction of the Boba family’s experience gives knowledge of the motivation to raise children away from the influence of school, as well as on the methods and effects of teaching off school. It brings knowledge of the values the family attached to home education and provides a proof of determination 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 not contribute to any legal changes, nor did they affect other families’ fates. Their fight against the communist regime complements the image of home education known so far and enables a better understanding of it. It shows how important it can be for parents to raise children in line with their own conscience. Freedom, reconstructed in previous studies as a core value attributed to home education both nowadays and in the distant past, turned out to be the core value in this case as well. The Boba family education is a historical link between tradition and the present day of Polish homeschooling.