Pedagogy of a Lonely Man? Reflections on the Pedagogy of Janusz Korczak from the Perspective of His Diary

Janusz Korczak, the creator of a unique pedagogical system, has been captivating and inspiring successive generations of educators all over the world for several decades. On the one hand, they continue his legacy and perform their own research, on the other, they try to thoroughly understand his ideas and the assumptions of his pedagogy. His Diary suggests that the decision to devote his life to neglected children as well as the main assumptions of his pedagogical system could be traced back to his childhood feelings of loneliness and alienation and the resulting suffering and shame, which in adulthood transformed into affirmation of his separateness. Therefore, in the text I ask the question whether the concept of loneliness (in its essence and with its consequences) can be considered one of the keys to understanding Janusz Korczak and his pedagogy.

Janusz Korczak, the creator of a unique pedagogical system, has been captivating and inspiring successive generations of educators all over the world for several decades. On the one hand, they continue his legacy and perform their own research, on the other, they try to thoroughly understand his ideas and the assumptions of his pedagogy. His Diary suggests that the decision to devote his life to neglected children as well as the main assumptions of his pedagogical system could be traced back to his childhood feelings of loneliness and alienation and the resulting suffering and shame, which in adulthood transformed into affirmation of his separateness. Therefore, in the text I ask the question whether the concept of loneliness (in its essence and with its consequences) can be considered one of the keys to understanding Janusz Korczak and his pedagogy.