Ustanowienie „domów takowych, w jakich uczciwe szlachcianki formowane byłyby na nauczycielki” ‒ początki zainteresowania przygotowaniem zawodowym i kompetencjami nauczycielek

Abstract

Women have always taken care of children, it is the role and the calling of every mother – this is what has been claimed since antiquity. In addition to mothers, other women have cared for children and participated in their upbringing: wet nurses, nannies and various types of governesses or teachers. Among the last group, we can distinguish between domestic teachers and school teachers, both from private schools for girls and, in time, in public schools. Over the years, there were significant changes in education and in the situation of women, which led to the gradual entry of women into the teaching profession. It was one of the few professions relatively early available for women and also socially approved. At the end of the 18th century, statements calling for the education of female teachers appeared in the writings of the Commonwealth, as in other territories. Initially, the creation of schools for governesses was called for in order to limit the employment of foreign women. Statements on this topic were made by Franciszek Bieliński, Adam Kazimierz Czartoryski, Grzegorz Piramowicz, Antoni Maksymilian Prokopowicz, Hugo Kołłątaj and Tadeusz Czacki, among others. Finally, in 1825, the School of Governesses was established in Warsaw.