On weekdays they go to schools across Iceland and on Saturdays they learn Polish at the John Paul II Polish School at the Polish Embassy in Reykjavík. The school provides almost 200 Polish children in Iceland with the opportunity to participate in various initiatives dedicated to Polish culture and history. „The children are the same everywhere; they are always curious about everything”, says Sister Beata Ciszewska MChR, Headmaster of the Polish School in an interview with Family News Service. On 1 June we celebrate Children’s Day.
The John Paul II Polish School at the Polish Embassy in Reykjavík was established in 2020. This school year, which is coming to an end, as many as 194 students took part in the lessons: 181 pupils at the primary level and 13 teenagers at high school level. Only some of the children are from mixed marriages, mainly Polish-Icelandic. The vast majority are children of Poles who have settled in Iceland. „Most of them have already been born here and therefore for them Poland and Iceland are one and the same homeland. Still, they know that their parents are most often from Poland”, points out Sr. Beata Ciszewska, a religious sister in the Congregation of the Missionary Sisters of Christ the King for the Polish Diaspora Abroad.
Sr. Beata has been working as a catechist for over a decade; „This is my true passion. I really enjoy working with children. We teach the children, but they teach us, too. I derive enormous satisfaction from this”.
Sr. Beata notes that working with children in Poland is similar to that among the Polish Diaspora abroad. However, logistical issues can often be a problem. „A Polish school is attended by children coming here from different parts of the city and its vicinity, as we also have children who live outside Reykjavík. For them it is sometimes a 30-, 40-, or 60-minute drive to school”, indicates Sr. Beata.
Not only Polish lessons
The pupils of the Polish School in the Icelandic capital not only learn their mother tongue, but also participate in various initiatives, such as the National Reading Project, School Sings the Anthem, commemorative assemblies on national anniversaries, e.g. Independence Day or the 3rd of May. Furthermore, the school organises St. Nicholas’ Day, Christmas Eve, a nativity play, a Christmas carol concert, Easter workshops, and activities to learn more about Polish customs. Pupils try their hand at the Teddy Wojtek Polish Board Game Tournament, as well as competitions such as „Being Polish”, „Poland in a Word” and school poetry recitation competitions.
In 2023, the Parents’ Council of the Polish School held the first family fete, inviting their Icelandic friends as well. On 1 June this year, the next edition of the festival will take place. „Of course, we will have a barbecue, bigos, cakes, and waffles. There will be a bouncy castle, face and nail painting, tattoos, a book fair, a raffle, target throwing and all sorts of fun activities for kids” – enumerates the principal of the school, which is part of the Centre for the Development of Polish Education Abroad (ORPEG-U) and is answerable to Poland’s Ministry of Education and Science.
Bilingualism and biculturalism – more opportunities
According to the head teacher of the Polish School in Reykjavík, bilingualism and biculturalism are two advantages of studying abroad. There are „a lot of Polish children in Iceland, so we can say that they somehow enrich the Icelandic culture, blend into it and this culture enriches them in a way, too”, says Sr. Beata Ciszewska.
Young Poles on the island of fire and ice learn Icelandic, Polish and English. As the Missionary of Christ the King points out, this gives them „more opportunities when it comes to secondary school or even university, so I believe that the more culture, the more richness, it is clear that children also develop better”. Although bilingualism is sometimes seen as a difficulty, on the other hand it „really enriches”. Some phrases from the Icelandic language seep into the vocabulary of young Poles, but as Sister Ciszewska observes, „the children speak Polish well”. A real difficulty is the relatively small number of hours allocated for acquiring the Polish language and Polish culture, only on Saturdays at that.
Polish children in Iceland „have very frequent contact with Poland, which is the homeland for them”, says Sr. Ciszewska, and adds „We quip that they usually associate Poland with their grandmother and grandfather, and with holidays”.
The Polish community in Iceland is young. The largest number of Poles came to the country after 2000, especially after Poland joined the European Union. An estimated 20,000-25,000 Poles currently live on the island, the vast majority of them in the capital Reykjavík and two other major cities.