Does Korczak have a future?
An edited version of an article by Gérard Kahn which first appeared in the Korczak Society Newsletter (http://www.newsletter.korczak.nl/)
Although it has been more than sixty years since he died, there are still people in all four corners of the world who are committed to the ideas and principles of the Polish doctor, writer and pedagogue, Janusz Korczak (1878-1942). There are schools, kindergartens and homes that carry his name, and his complete works will shortly be available in Polish, German and Hebrew. Texts by and about Korczak are available in over 20 languages. This success is partly down to the fact that there are people who have dedicated their lives – or at least a significant part of their lives – to Korczak. These include researchers, publishers of his works, practising teachers who respect the children entrusted to them as a matter of course and members and donors of Korczak societies.
At first sight, there seems little reason to question whether Korczak will continue to have an impact in the future. Yet a closer look reveals that although much has been achieved in the past years, there have also been some marked changes. One of the main problems is that the membership of Korczak societies is getting older.
There are many pedagogues who closely adhere to Korczak's principles but who would never describe themselves as 'Korczak teachers'. Children are directly involved in shaping and discussing certain educational establishments, they publish their own newspapers or sell their 'treasures' during the school break. In some countries there are Korczak training projects for street children, and musical and artistic events for children and youngsters. But some other establishments have a more flighty approach to Korczak: aside from a bust in the entrance hall or some black boards and bookshelves, there are precious few reminders of his ideals. Drawing competitions to draw the best Korczak are hardly in line with his teachings.
On an international level, there are conferences where those interested in Korczak can meet: contacts are made which lead to other activities, such as mutual visits, lecture series and international holiday camps for children with or without disabilities. A significant part of this networking is carried out via the Dutch Korczak society, headed by Theo Cappon, through its homepage (http://www.newsletter.korczak.nl/).
The publications and translations of many of Korczak's works are also key, as is the distribution of his literature to areas where it was previously hard to come by (such as Bosnia, Croatia and Vietnam). There are also cultural representations – in musical works, film, theatre and the visual arts – in which Korczak is often depicted as a hero and martyr who fought for children until the very end. This view is justifiable, but commemoration should not be the only goal if his ideas are to live on.
All these various projects are bound by the same fundamental principles of respect and consideration – or at least, they should be. Children have a right to be as they are, they have the right to live their own experiences and must not, should not and cannot be shaped by adults. Among Korczak's most famous quotations is the following: "I can account for a tradition of truth, order, diligence, honesty and openness, but I cannot change any child into something which he or she is not. A beech tree will always be a beech tree, an oak tree an oak, and a burdock a burdock. I can awake that which slumbers in the soul but I cannot create anything new." Children have the right to their own experiences, meaning that they must also make their own mistakes and be able to start afresh.
This means looking at children in a way that is open and free from prejudice: observing them, listening to them and taking their joys, fears and needs seriously, having faith in them without losing sight of one's own views – this is what Korczak demands. We as adults do not have the right to decide what is best for a child just because we are more experienced. But it goes without saying that it is also our duty to share our knowledge with children in a way that also respects their point of view.
Obviously this raises its own challenges, but Korczak warns against resorting to simple formulas; he himself constantly re-examined and revised his methods. What mattered to him was consciously remaining critical and watchful: not blindly putting one's trust in someone (we should not trust him blindly either), but also thinking and seeing for oneself; no book, no doctor can be a substitute for one's own alert thoughts, one's own considered observations. "The book, with its own completed formulas, has clouded our judgement and has made our minds sluggish," he wrote. "We are so used to living with borrowed experiences, investigations, points of view that we have mostly lost our self-confidence and no longer want to trust our own eyes." This, in other words, means that it is our own experiences and thoughts which are important and formative, not those which we unquestioningly absorb from others. Being true to oneself, to children (and to other adults) is key to Korczak's principles.
Korczak's biography may well be important and can serve as a gateway to his ideas. But he would never have wanted people to get caught up in the story of his martyrdom and put him on a pedestal without giving a thought to what they can and should do themselves.
In the practical work it is the attitude and not the form that matters. So it is not a question of drawing a pretty Korczak or setting up children's courts or newspapers, but rather of involving children in discussions, allowing them to have their own experiences and to learn from their own mistakes, and for us to accept them as they are. As educators we must recognise that we do not have the right of disposal over children because of our greater experience and that, on the contrary, we should always strive to observe and listen without prejudice. Making mistakes is not the exclusive privilege of children – adults are not without their flaws, but they should have the honesty to admit their mistakes to themselves and to others, and learn from them. Korczak does not require one to follow ideas blindly, but rather to engage critically with new concepts with the aim of constantly revising and adapting one's own position.
One of the problems in spreading Korczak's ideas is that his pedagogy is not prescriptive, that he did not, like Maria Montessori or Célestin Freinet, develop a methodology that merely needs to be tailored to today's requirements. Adapting an attitude is far harder than perfecting a technique.
Perhaps Korczak societies should develop exchange programmes for teachers or document examples of Korczak ideals being put into practice and produce books, DVDs and videos which could be used for training purposes. But how is this to be done as we all grow older and older? If Korczak societies want to survive, they must deal with the generational change.
Lending support to projects such as the summer camp of the Russian Korczak society might be a way of attracting young people. Just as before, it is still also the role of Korczak societies to support the publication of his works, to finance translations, to encourage the spread of his work, to organise conferences and seminars which seek to tackle contemporary issues from Korczak's point of view. Naturally, the figure of Korczak can be used as a peg – but there can be no real developments in the short or long-term unless there is also real content in the discussions.
Korczak societies are not the only organisations dedicated to protecting children's rights, so they should work to support initiatives with similar objectives, such as children's rights organisations, child protection agencies, groups that seek to promote democracy and anti-racism, etc. It is not a question of erecting more Korczak statues, but rather of putting his ideas into practice.