The “Rooted” Project is a collaborative initiative by the students of Class 2A at Primary School No. 110, Rev. Jan Twardowski, Kraków.
Project Coordinator: Elżbieta Rzepecka
Teacher of History and Early Primary Education
The aim of the project is to provide patriotic education in accordance with the current priorities established by the Ministry of National Education. The project has been preceded by history classes for upper grades during which students were eager to share their personal stories, pictures, and information about their ancestors. Due to an insufficient number of history classes, I decided to introduce extended knowledge in the area of patriotic education for the second grade. It will involve children (and parents) finding their ancestors, who have often left their mark on Polish history. The children will have a unique opportunity to prepare their family tree (interactive or traditional), with an emphasis on identifying someone who has made a significant mark in the history of their family, their city, or their homeland.
Together, we will write the history of such “forgotten” heroes, since history often remains silent about those who shed their blood. We do not know the names of those who participated in uprisings and wars or those who undertook sabotage actions during the occupation, yet we know that such heroes were part of our families. Without a doubt, the added value of this innovation is discovering such heroes and the historical circumstances they lived through. Given the fading of national values and the blurring of borders, national identity is particularly important. Patriotic education from an early age will allow us to raise a generation that is proud of its history and not ashamed to say and feel Polish. This is especially true in families where the spirit of a hero has lived for generations, so that the children's roots—the foundation of everything—remain consistent and stable, taking root permanently in our homeland, wherever life takes our young citizens.