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Parents' Council in Secondary School no. 6 I.J. Paderewski in Poznań has a long tradition. Its history goes back to the years before the war when the Parental Society of the Students of Junior High School of Paderewski in Poznań was created. The aim of parents' social engagement in the school's life has always been the creation of the best conditions to study and comprehensive students' development and at the same time care for the external image and opinion of one of the best secondary schools in Poznań. In cooperation with the headmasters and teachers, parents do their best to make the school's level of education as high as possible, to make the school's atmosphere as friendly as possible for the students.
I cannot describe what was part of the Parents' Council years ago. I have the honour to have been in charge of the Council for a year and a half and I will take the liberty of synthetically summarising those last two years. In order to fulfil this funcion properly and truely participate in the processes taking place in the School we decided that some changes in the Council's structure, statutes and eleciton system were needed. Currently, chairmen of the Classes' Three Chosen Parents are autmatically the members of the Parents' Council who represent their classes in the Council. It is not true, as I suppose, and I totally disagree with this stereotype that the Parents' Council is an additional source of financing the school's and students' needs, and in addition from the financial sources which come from parents. It is not an incident I'm writing about that in this order - school and students. It is quite the opposite. We manage a few dozen zlotys annually which come from voluntary donations from parents. Our priority is to spend the money on the students needs, both social and others which support their intellectual, physical and civil development. The Parents' Council is above all collective wisdom, parents' engagement in everything which serves students, teachers and school well. We deal with and solve various matters and tasks, we participate in all activities and we support the school's headmasters whenever our help is needed and possible. Personally, I highly assess the standard of this cooperation and I believe it is as highly assesed by our school partners.
And the most important initiatives from the past two years? It is, above all, the competition Laur PRIMUS INTER PADEREK mentioned above. We believe it is impossible to overappreciate the fact of students' engagement in assessment and creation of the best one among themselves. Can there be anything more educational than a reliable self-assessment and award resulting from that? We are just "a tool", the subject and decision-making body are the students. Our engagement in the annual Christmas Concert is very important as well as other significant undertakings which we will support not only financially but also in essence by proposing actions which will be even more integrational for the school society - the whole school.
I have met with the school's government a few times. Nothing of what students asked me for was neglected and their opinions and suggestions influence the Council's actions. A very important thing, even understood as moral duty, is what we do in the social sphere. A lot of students, unfortunately too many, need financial support. We are not capable of doing this job for the organisations socially obliged to support those in need and what we do is the awareness of the need, heartfelt action and belief that it is the proper thing to do. We proudly note that the school is becoming more and more modern, aesthetic year after year. The efforts and economical effectiveness arouse our recognition and respect. As far as possible, we also try (from our sources)
to support the process of rebuilding and making the school's standard higher. This year our financial sources went to the computer library as well as to the first stage of the modernisation of the hall's loud-speakers. Students undertake a number of initiatives, they participate in various events, take up guests from abroad and they have a good time in other countries themselves. We try to support these things too, believing that any forms of extraclass interests, developing passion and talents, self-realisation as well as openness for the world are an essential attribute of the present world. We have adopted a principle for two years that the engagement and generosity of the parents' from individual classes must result in the students benefitting from it. That's why from every sum raised from the class to the Council's fund, 10-15% is given to the class' autonomic needs. We do not interfere in what this money is spent on - it is the students, together with their form tutor, who decide what they will spend the money on. We think such action is an important motivating factor for parents but also educating students to spend the money easily but intentionally and wisely and what's more in consensus and that is an important educational experience.
What plans for the future?
We want to preserve and multiply everything what has proved to be useful and effective so far, everything which serves the students and school well. We believe that an important challenge for us parents is to modify the relations of students as society and us parents. It is just an illusory paradox. There has been (as could be observed over the last two years) an excessive alienation and lack of community: of students, our children and us their parents. We understand that in their "adulthood" our children are cutting themselves off from the roots, from their parents who live through their presence at school. It can be seen in the situation when all events "we do on our own" - in our own company and for ourselves. We want to change that. An important role in that process should play the earlier mentioned Christmas Concert but also joined participation and experiencing touching moments of the students and their parents during such events as: graduation day, matriculation party etc. And a basic order for the Parents' Council - to be actively involved in everything the everyday school life carries with itself. The Parents' Council of Secondary School no. 6 I.J. Paderewski in Poznań currently as well as in the future will do everything to serve the community from PADEREK, the community of teachers, students and us - their parents.
The president of the Parents' Council