Józef Czechowicz, From a diary of 1926

The manuscript of Józef Czechowicz's text Z dziennika 1926 roku [From the Journal of 1926] - purchased together with other materials from Wacław Mrozowski - consists of sixteen pages written in black ink, on one side, with a few corrections and deletions.

It was written when Czechowicz began teaching at the Special School No. 23, located in a tenement house at 6 Niecała Street in Lublin. At that time, the poet already had several years of teaching experience, but he became an educator in a special school for the first time. In his diary, he writes down observations on the behaviour of students in order "to look deeper into the psyche of children, to form a framework for conduct". The journal covers the period from 29 September to 6 October 1926; it begins on the day when Czechowicz is appointed the position of class educator, and ends when he is successful in teaching, gaining the sympathy and trust of his pupils. The notes made by the poet show that he treated his students with great understanding and patience, wishing to develop - as Józef Zięba writes - "the often exuberant individuality of each child".

From the memoirs of the poet's friends, we learn that Czechowicz treated his teaching work very seriously. Kazimierz Miernowski writes: “He was a teacher out of love and an excellent one. If not for poetry, nothing would have distracted him from the teaching profession. He was extremely liked by children and his pupils, because he also knew how to approach them and get to their souls”.

It is worth mentioning that positive comments about the professional work of the author of Kamień [Stone] also appear in the official entries made in 1927 in the Extract from the list of the state of service and qualifications of Józef Czechowicz. According to one of the inspectors, the poet "although he has no qualifications for a special school - he owns quite good results to his pedagogical tact, great patience and methodical skills." Elsewhere we read: “The school was visited several times. Mr. Czechowicz always stands out. He should graduate from the Institute Pedagog.”. This suggestion - in line with the desires of the poet himself - has been realized. In the years 1928–1929 Czechowicz studied in Warsaw at the State Institute of Special Education.