The poll for the kindest teacher was held in all seven secondary schools in Bolesławiec, but at II Liceum Ogólnokształcące imienia Janusza Korczaka in Bolesławiec, students opted for a decidedly more modern and technological solution: an electronic voting system created by Wojtek, a fourth-year student specializing in cybersecurity and modern information technologies.
At II Liceum, the honorary title went to a Polish language teacher Agnieszka Król-Solińska, who has been proving for years that the Polish language is about more than analyzing poems, quizzes on literary periods and the matura exam. It is about conversation, thinking and the courage to have one’s own opinion. Students emphasize that in her classes, no one is afraid to say: “I don’t understand.” And at school, that means a great deal.
As supervisor of the Student Council, she turns school dreams into plans, and plans into events. She gives students the freedom to act, while also teaching them that every action comes with responsibility.
More than Polish lessons
The principal of II Liceum Ogólnokształcące spoke about the school community’s choice:
“Mrs. Agnieszka Król-Solińska was chosen as our liceum’s Favorite Teacher because she does more than teach classes. She is part of school life, present wherever something is happening, where help or conversation is needed, or simply where someone is needed to look at a problem from a different perspective,” says Mirosław Sakowski. “As supervisor of the Student Council, she can turn students’ ideas into things that genuinely have a chance of happening. She gives us space to act, but when necessary, reminds us that every idea also comes with responsibility,” the principal adds.
In the principal’s view, her commitment has something of a Promethean quality—like Prometheus, she shares with others what she has most valuable: knowledge, courage and faith in young people’s abilities. She does not do it for recognition, but to help students spread their wings and become more independent.
Lessons with their own rhythm
Her lessons have their own rhythm. She can patiently explain difficult topics until everything begins to fit together, while at the same time refusing to let students pass by a subject indifferently. She encourages questions, discussion and independent opinions, so in her classroom there is no need to be afraid to say, “I don’t understand,” or “I have a different idea.” She knows how to make knowledge stop being just another thing to memorize and become something that can truly be understood and used.
The look behind which lies concern
Of course, she would not be herself if she were always so gentle. Mrs. Agnieszka also possesses a weapon well known to students—the look. One precisely aimed look can say more than an entire speech, and suddenly the classroom falls silent, with nothing more needing to be added. But behind her demands there is always fairness, and behind her firmness—concern.
It is precisely this balance that makes her such an exceptional teacher. She can be demanding, but never takes away students’ sense that they are being treated seriously. She can joke, ease tension and laugh with them, but also knows when to stop and simply listen. Her sense of humor, calmness and warmth make the school a place where people can feel at ease while maintaining mutual respect.
A teacher like a compass—helping students choose the right path
Mrs. Agnieszka is somewhat like a compass—she does not choose the path for students, but helps them find it. As a teacher, she teaches; as the supervisor of the Student Council, she creates opportunities to act; and as a person, she reminds them that school is not only grades, tests and the next items on the curriculum. Above all, it is people, relationships, shared ideas and moments that stay with us much longer than the material from a single lesson.
Congratulations to Mrs. Agnieszka Król-Solińska on receiving the title of Favorite Teacher of II LO. And congratulations on that famous look too—it supposedly works better than the bell signaling the start of a lesson.