What is „school schisophrenia” and how did it come to being?

Abstract

On the basis of the results of the analysis of selected public debates devoted to school humanistic education, the author of the article attempts to describe the condition of Polish language and literature teachers, and to reconstruct the sources of the disintegration of relations between thoughts, emotions and behaviour, which have been sometimes referred to as “school schizophrenia”. Among these sources there are permanent changes in the syllabus, school reforms, authorities who decide upon these changes, the introduction and the character of the changes, the method of measurements of the results of Polish language teachers’ work, as well as the cult of standards and procedures. The final part of the article offers a reflection upon the possibility to teach students on the basis of one’s own values, beliefs, knowleagde and competence in such diverse and complex social and political context.