Polish Educational Opportunities vs. American Educational Opportunities

There are many different aspects of the life of the student in Communist Poland and the life of a student in the United States in present day. The obvious difference between these two time ways of living is that they are in two different time periods. Another difference between the people living in Communist Poland and the people living in the U.S. today are that in Poland if you were a part of a successful family, you would not be one of the top candidates to go to school in Polish schools, or to go to Polish universities. In the packet the author states, “At the very bottom of the ladder were the miserable children of the so-called “independent professionals”----that is, doctors and lawyers with a private practice---as well as small shopkeepers and craftsmen with their own workshops. They were miserable indeed, for their applications were as a rule considered last of all and turned down” (116-117). So the children of these well-to-do parents were considered last to go into schools. On the other hand, in the United States these children of well-off parents, especially doctors and lawyers are more likely to be accepted to schools because of the wealth of their parents to be able to pay for their education. I am not the daughter of a doctor or a lawyer, but I my parents are members of the middle-class. It took me a while to get my mind around the fact that if your parents were successful individuals that that would negatively affect their children’s futures. In America, it’s typically the more money you have the more successful you will become. This one aspect of life in Poland and America is in complete opposition: black and white.


Another difference between Communist Poland and modern-day America is the fact that in Poland a ‘family business’ or passed on career would not be allowed to occur. If your father was an architect and you also wanted to be an architect that idea would be thrown out by the communist government. It says within the packet concerning the education in Communist Poland, “Thus the Cracow Academy of Fine Arts rejected the application of the granddaughter of a famous painter, stating that ‘the party will not lend support to the formation of artistic dynasties’” (119). This is a very commonly practiced career path that children take in America. If a child has been brought up in an environment where he/she is around their parents work, there is a very good chance that that child will want to do the same occupation as their parent. For example, both of my parents are teachers. My father works at the local high school as a Career Counselor, and my mother works at the local college as a professor of nursing. My ties with education go even further than my immediate family and into the fact that my aunt is a math teacher at my high school and my uncle is a social studies teacher there. If I was told that I could not become a teacher, which is what I’m going to school to become, I would be crushed. I feel that I have a calling to do this, and if I wasn’t allowed simply because my parents already ‘had dibbs’ on that occupation for my family I would be extremely upset.


In many ways I feel very sorry for the children and students in Poland that were not given the opportunity to go to college or pursue the career of their choice. Reading articles like this one really makes you appreciate the wonderful gifts and opportunities that we have here in the United States. It makes you realize how much we actually take for granted.