Alicja Gawlik
Class 7
Stanisław Konarski Elementary School in Kielce
11 November [1946]
My memories of secret teaching
In 1939, the world war broke out. The Germans conquered the Polish lands very quickly and immediately introduced their rule on the conquered territories. These were terrible governments, written with blood and iron. The denationalization and destruction of the Polish population, especially the intelligentsia, was the slogan of the German government.
To this purpose, the teaching of Polish history and geography was deleted from the curriculum of elementary schools, patriotic songs were forbidden to be sung, libraries and historical paintings were taken away. Secondary schools and universities were also closed, and university professors were deported deep into the Reich for hard labor or to concentration camps. In these camps, special methods were used to exterminate the Polish element.
However, Poles did not allow themselves to be denationalized at any price, and Polish children, looking at the unprecedented martyrdom of their fathers and brothers, decided to fight the enemy and study secretly. Therefore, when going to the secret classes, they had to hide their books under their coats or blouses. Walking down the street, they would carefully examine whether there was a German gendarme standing on a street corner somewhere.
I and four of my friends were in this position. We attended secret lessons with a teacher. The lessons took place three times a week at [illegible] in the afternoon. Our agreed password was the word: book [?].
We were making average progress in our studies, we were doing the fifth grade of elementary school. During the whole year of schooling, only one misfortune happened to us. While we were learning history, a gendarme entered the flat. Seeing him through the window, we immediately hid our books high up on the tiled cooker, and played a game of fiddles ourselves. The gendarme searched the flat and left, and we continued to learn history.
During this year of clandestine classes, I matured spiritually, I became more brave and bold, I understood what war and slavery are, and I am even ready to give my life for Poland.