Sharing Polish Culture with Maciek's class

As published in the Polish Heritage Society's December Newsletter.


Community Outreach
Third Graders introduced to Polish-born Author and Illustrator Janina Domańska.

On December 13, 2008, I was invited to share Polish Culture with my son Maciek and his third grade classmates at Denmark Elementary School. His teacher, Marie Michel allowed me to share Bajka (bye-kah) – fairy tales and Polish crafts.

I shared books from the Polish born author Janina Domańska (1913 - 1995.) Domańska attended the Academy of Fine Arts in Warsaw, Poland. She moved to the United States in 1952. Domańska is best known for her self-illustrated children's books. She won Caldecott Honors for her book If All the Seas Were One Sea in 1971. 1 She illustrated more than forty

The class was recognizing Maciek’s one-year anniversary of American Citizenship. My husband Tim and I brought home our three adoptive children Emma, Maciek and Michal, from Poland on December 13, 2007.

I found Domańska’s King Krakus and the Dragon at the Denmark site of the Brown County Library. I was delighted to see the Polish fairy tale and sought to buy as many of Domańska’s books that I might find. With the help of Amazon.com, I quickly acquired five titles from Domańska, mostly used, in good shape and reasonably priced.

Maciek’s class was treated to King Krakus and The Dragon, Din Dan Don It’s Christmas, Marilka, and The Best of the Bargain. I read this and did my best to capture the enchantment and depth in these stories.

On our trip in 2007, I purchased children’s DVDs. One was of Polish Baika that included 13 tales from TVP (Polish Public Television.) We watched The Golden Water or Zywa woda.

This tale follows a family whose mother has become ill. The local Herbal Healer Woman explains to her three sons, that Golden Water must be brought down from the spring atop the mountain to cure their mother. But there are dangers and distractions a long the path to the top and the Healer gives them strict instructions about how to proceed. The oldest brother decides to go fetch the healing water. But he is distracted and trapped. The Healer is alerted to his fate by a bell the rings when there is danger. The middle brother takes on the duty and is also trapped.

The youngest brother realizes he must attempt the challenge but is determined to follow the words of the Healer. She sends him with the bell to alert him of an impending trap. He proceeds with caution and nearly falls for the trap other have fallen for, but he is reminded by the bell to stay the course despite the harsh journey. He reaches the summit and finds the spring with the Golden Water. A jug appears and he fills to bring to his mother. But on the way down the mountain, he passes those who were trapped. He sprinkles them with the Golden Water. They become free of their traps. When he arrives home, his generosity leaves him with little water left, but just a sprinkle is needed to restore his mother to health. She wakes and asks her sons to bring firewood in to heat the stove for cooking. They are all grateful for the returned health of their mother and for the perseverance of their youngest brother.

I was also able to share Polish cultural objects with the class. I brought woolen slippers - kapcie (cup-CHAY), carved wood boxes, painted wood eggs, woven straw ornaments, children’s non-fiction books of Polish Culture, and a Polish soccer piłka nożna (pihwa-KAH nosz-NAH) scarf. I also provided simple wycinanki that the class used to decorate their window for Christmas. I found some simple designs with a search on the Internet.

I was pleased to share some cultural heritage with Maciek’s class. They were attentive and interested, asking questions and wanting to know more.

Please contact me, if you are a teacher or group organizer and would like a presentation of such as this. This is part of the mission of the Polish Heritage Society. You may reach me at perryworth@gmail.com or contact the Polish Heritage Society.








King Krakus and the Dragon 1979, Din Dan Don It’s Christmas 1975, Marilka 1970, and The Best of the Bargain 1977.

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other information found online



Janina Domanska; Children's-Book Author, 82

Published: February 15, 1995

Janina Domanska, an author and illustrator of children's books, died on Feb. 2 at Naples Community Hospital in Naples, Fla. She was 82 and lived in New Fairfield, Conn.

She had suffered a stroke recently, said her stepson Robert Nossen.

Ms. Domanska was born in Warsaw and studied at the Warsaw Academy of Fine Arts. She came to the United States in 1952 and worked in New York City as a textile designer and freelance artist before turning to creating picture books for children.

She wrote, adapted or translated 22 books, each accompanied by her own illustrations, which frequently evoked Polish folk art and drew upon folk tales from her childhood. She also illustrated 23 books by other authors. Among her best-known books are "If All the Seas Were One" (1971), "King Krakus and the Dragon" (1979), "Busy Monday Morning" (1985) and "A Was an Angler" (1991).

In addition to her stepson Robert, of Naples, she is survived by her husband, Ernest Nossen; another stepson, Edward Nossen of Cherry Hill, N.J., and five stepgrandchildren.

http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=990CE4D71E38F936A25751C0A963958260

Janina Domańska (1913 - 1995) was an award winning Polish artist, author and illustrator.

Domańska attended the Academy of Fine Arts in Warsaw, Poland. She moved to the United States in 1952, where she later married writer Jerzy Laskowski. Domańska is best known for her self-illustrated children's books. She won Caldecott Honors for her book If All the Seas Were One Sea in 1971.

Some critics have been less approving; Josh Gartland commented that ' If all the Seas Were One Sea is a horrible book that delights in man's destruction of his environment and therefore conveys a very negative message to the children at which it is aimed.'

Feast of the Nativity, Solstice Letter 2008

What a year 2008 has been for us! We've done our best to let everyone know about the additions to our family. Our three adoptive children created an impact on our lives. And their lives have changed drastically as well.

Emma, Maciek (mah-CHECK), and Michal flew into Chicago from Warsaw on December 13, 2007 with their new Mom and Dad. In the beginning, it seemed as though we were on some strange reality TV show and other times our new melding family was as average as any.

We all adapted in different ways at different times. Beth's mothering instincts kicked in quickly and the kids' desire to be mothered surfaced soon as well. She didn't anticipate the sheer exhaustion involved. Tim took a while to get used to the inclusion of an instant family, but over the summer he found his sea legs. He's refereeing a roller derby in the basement as this is typed.

The kids liked arriving at winter break but were ready for peer social time without their new mom and dad. Their teachers were phenomenal as were their classmates. The kids hit the three-month language immersion milestone and became more conversational in English. Before that point, we used four-dozen Polish words, drawing, picture dictionaries and gestures to communicate. By July, all three were nearly using all English, even with each other.

In late May, Beth underwent a hysterectomy and was thankful to have done so. Grandma Phyllis and Grandma Perry helped Tim with kid-wrangling duty during her recovery. A former co-worker of Beth's, named Beth earned her future Godmother status at that time, too.

Beth called it the carefree summer. She occasionally, but rarely tried workbooks to bolster academics. This strategy seemed to pay off in emotional growth for everyone. All three attended summer school sessions, which had some fun electives to offset math and reading work. When Tim went to Virginia for a training session in late June, Beth, Emma, Maciek and Michal went camping at High Cliff State Park. Grandma Perry joined in, in between shifts at the hardware store. Beth, Emma, Maciek and Michal went camping at Peninsula State Park in late August. It was tent camping this time and it got down to 45° F but everyone survived and had a super time at the beach the next day.

The kids were nervous about going back to school but were full of excitement getting off the bus that afternoon. Some academic catch-up work remains but these are three bright kids making great strides. First quarter conferences brought good reports with suggestions for areas to concentrate. The boys shined at their holiday concerts and amazed their family with their excitement for music and performing. Emma will have her concert in spring.

Emma turned 10 in September and had fun birthday party with three favorite girl friends. She progressed to fourth grade and works more independently every day. She spends time in her room with various crafts or will take the dog for a survey of the property, inspecting the latest flora and fauna. She's been thrilled by the record snow and is bugging Dad to get the snowmobile ready for action. She played soccer with the school league and wants to repeat Tae Kwon Do at the YMCA. She keeps pace with mom while shopping and is a super snuggler.

Maciek hosted 25 classmates and friends for his 8th birthday. (Mom wasn't sure who to invite and in mid March, all came out of their groundhog hole due to cabin fever!) He accumulated a variety of Lego sets and sought to assemble them immediately and until they were complete per instructions. He's logged hours on Disney's Toontown Web site, exploring neighborhoods as his created 'Toon' character. He's taken a handful of piano lessons and we'll see if the noodle sticks to the wall. He progressed to third grade this fall, where his reading is improving and his math abilities impress both teacher and parents.

Michal entered Kindergarten in January. It was an uncertain beginning, but he made improvements as the days and weeks ticked off. He's steadily become Dad's shadow in the yard and on projects. He's also found common interests with a neighbor boy as they explore the woods near our house for treasure and adventure. He was tentative but headed to his the first day of first grade with bravery. He's connected with the rest of his class and likes school. He celebrated his 7th birthday in October. He, like his sister and brother, is a cozy snuggle bug.

Tim continues work at a nuclear power station. The job change is good for the family and allows for more time at home. He misses his former coworkers and transportation work, but there are cool projects at the plant, too! This past year did not see a significant amount of home improvement, but Tim is replacing the basement floor and drainage. This provides extra space for the kids to run and yell during the winter months. Mostly he's done his best to be the best husband he can be and find his inner Daddy-ness.

Beth stopped working her graphic design job at the end of April. She had a few weeks to prepare for her six-week post surgery bed rest. Summer filled itself easily with just lazing around the house, keeping the kids busy, camping and attending festivals. Beth delighted in the approach of the first day of school. But soon she followed the kids into school to help for an hour a day with reading in Michal's class and computer support in Maciek's class.

On July 26, about 85 friends and family gathered with our Pastor to bless our new family and celebrate after. We had great weather and were so happy to have such enthusiastic support from those who could make it and those who sent their best wishes. See photos at http://perrywattleworth.shutterfly.com/

We've been grateful to receive news from you over the year. Your friendship and courage has helped us to do the best we could for our new children. We wish you a belated Merry Christmas, Blessed Solstice and Adventurous New Year!

With love,
Tim, Beth, Emma, Maciek and Michal

catching up while we are at home (from Beth)

We've been home for almost two weeks now. We had stacks of mail to go through and a few voicemails to answer.

I'll be posting more notes about our experience during our court hearing, which went very well, soon. Photos to come, too, I promise!

I spoke with the kids on the phone yesterday. And of course our conversation was brief. I asked how they each were and told them I loved them. But that is usually the most conversation you might have with anyone their age. Actually I think Maciej was being silly. I'm sure I slaughtered the phrase 'my name is' and then asked for the children by name. They came in a minute or two. I expected Milla (Emilia) first, and all I heard were zerbit noises. And finally Maciej let on that he was on the phone. He said he was fine. I told him I loved him and then asked for Michal. Michal told me he was fine, too. and I told him that I loved him. Emilia and I had a few more phrases that we could share and I was happy to connect with them even for a short bit.

I really started to miss them on Thursday, and Friday I was very sad. But I know this time apart will be very short and we will probably travel to see them sometime in December if all goes well. We'll spend about 8 days in Warsaw while the US embassy processes their paperwork. And I've said it enough times - I don't feel superstitious to say that they will probably be home for Christmas.

I called the Denmark schools this week and updated them on our trip. Lori (sp?) the receptionist said that the teachers had all been wondering about us. She said that everyone had been looking forward to news and having the children arrive. What a blessing to know they are anticipating some new students. We also have a quite a few friends from church that are teachers. One friend Becky, knows of a Polish international student at DePere High School - 10 miles away. I need to see if it will be possible, but Becky suggested that Magda (the hight school student) could join the kids with the ELL (English Language Learners) teachers once or twice a week.

So thank you everyone for the warm wishes and notes of encouragement while we were away and now at home. You don't know how much it means to me to hear all the kind words and excitement from those of you who have shared. It has been a long wait while we slogged through infertility and the adoption process. Obviously the hardest work is yet to come, but knowing so many of you are interested and care has and will make all the difference.

Love and Peace,
Beth

and about photos

many of you have requested more photos. I of course, took the photos at a fairly high resolution and file size. This would mean long upload times and that wasn't possible when the kids were with us. And we didn't have internet access the first 6 days - how did I survive!

So more photos are to come along with a few short videos that may get posted, too. It will be easiest at home with my suite of photo manipulation software which I miss dearly. But I'm grateful we've had this older laptop to communicate and not be worried about its value if it got lost or stolen.

Tim says its time for bed even though it is 2:30 in the afternoon (central standard time.) Here it is 9:30 - Dobranots (sp) - good night,
Beth

an evening without the kids

So we are closing in on the end of this first trip. We'll have been away for 26 days and are looking forward to being home.

Today we drove a few miles outside of Bialystok to the children's home where the kids have been living for two years. It seemed like a comfortable place, kind of out in the middle of now where. There were about 4 buildings. Emilia, Maciej and Michal live in the same building that seemed very similar the dorms like I had at Whitewater. Two beds in a room with two dressers and two wardrobes.

They were pretty happy to be in the place they called home. But earlier in the day, Emilia and Maciej were tipping their cards a little bit. They've been with us for three weeks and seem to think that having a mommie and daddy is a pretty good idea. So Emilia asked if she could stay with us instead of going to the orphanage. It was very sweet and could have made me crumble. But thankfully Lech, our guide/driver/translator/supernanny prepared us. He explained that Tim and I would be more upset than the kids. The kids would be going to the place they have called home and would be just fine.

I was trying to not to project how I would feel when we returned them to the children's home. I packed my pockets with tissue. But there were no tears. The kids were excited to show us their rooms and run around to check in on their friends. Of course, three weeks is a long time to hang out with two strangers and their siblings.

Tomorrow, Tim and I go to court. We were prepared this afternoon with Lech and our assigned lawyer. They went over questions we might be asked by the judge or anyone else concerned who will be at the hearing. We've had two interviews with the appointed psychologist so that helped us get used to being questioned and knowing what basics of what they are looking from us.

Last night we invited our court appointed interpreter Barbara, to our hotel room to chat with the kids about considering new names. Thanks to anyone who sent us responses. I guess it was the path of least resistance, but we remained pretty close to the kids original names. Emilia Elizabeth, Matthew Lukas and Michal Paul. Mom and Emilia talkied about Stella, but then Barbara help me show Emilia that she will be part of a lineage of women with names starting with E. My grandmothers were Elizabeth and Esther, my mother's name is Elaine, and I'm Elizabeth. So Emilia would be the forth generation in the E pattern.

We Anglicized Maciej to its form of Matthew to keep things easy. He mentioned Pavel or Paul last week, but said Lukas last night. So maybe he will be M. Lukas Wattleworth if he really prefers - we'll see. Michal will stay the same since the spelling will be easy in a US context. He suggested Mark a few days ago, but requested Paul last night.

So mom and dad are resting quietly in the room. I bought about 12 DVD movies that will play in both Polish and English. I accidently grabbed the English/Hugarian version of Spiderman! So we watched Shrek in English.

Did I mention it is really quiet in here.

This has been an unusual way to create a family. Of course, about 95% of the people we told about our intentions to adopt three kids said - 'WOW - instant family!' This trip is where we feel like this was the most true. We were without our standard resources and support network. We don't know the language though I think I've picked up about 20-30 words. Apparently I must say 'oh my goodness' a lot, because, Maciej was repeating that back to me like a myna bird. Another hurdle has been keeping the kids busy for the entire day in a hotel room and a town you are not familiar with.

There are a few things that will be worked on when we get home. The kids haven't been exposed to people of different cultures, abilities or colors. Poland is fairly homogeneous place like many European countries have been, but of course are changing in this interconnected world. So Green Bay will offer a few chances for 'teaching moments'. I'm thinking swim lessons at the YMCA will be a big hit with them. I can't believe how fast their swimming improved over the span of a week. I didn't want to force them learn anything, but I guess there are somethings that come naturally if you spend the time. The YMCA teachers will instruct on technique and will be easier when the can understand English instructions.

I'm thinking that Maciej/Matthew and Michal will probably get enrolled in Karate or another martial arts program. They have such strength and probably feel the need to physically defend themselves often. Martial arts might help channel that and show when it is appropriate to use your defenses. Emilia may be signed up for that, too.

Emilia and Maciej/Matthew are very artistic. Their drawings and coloring is very thoughtful and advanced. Art camp will be on the list. Otherwise first things first and school will be primary. We're grateful that we'll have ESL English as a Second Language (or it might be called another acronym now) in Denmark's school district.

We might travel back to Poland for our second trip to bring them home during the first or second week of December. We'll see if it makes sense for them to stay home from school until the second semester resumes. We'll just see how the kids do when we get home and how the school wants to place them. Then we move forward from there.

Most of the parents we've spoken to from our Polish adoptive connections said that they had more limited visits with their adoptive children. So we may be misunderstanding their stories, but I'm amazed we've manuevered this gauntlet. For newbie parents I'm pretty pleased. I've been tired, exhausted and at my wit's end countless times. Though I'm still happy with our plan to try to build our family this way. Tim was struggling during the first few days but gave me confidence with his support of me. But Tim has hit a stride - he's getting the hang of this daddy thing. And we've only had two brief spats.

Of course, we'll have (hopefully) a lifetime more of the wonderful, the good, the boring, the bad and the ugly, but that's what it is all about.

your chance to . . . .

suggest a name for the children.

Currently Emilia age 9, Maciej age 7.5 and Michal turned 6 on the day we met the kids, October 15.

I didn't realize that we are supposed to submit new names on this trip. I guess we'll do so for our court appearance on 5 Nov at 10 am.

I didn't bring any of the baby name books that I had. I'd love to hear any ideas for names if you have any. Emilia and I have tossed a few names around - the one that is sticking has been Stella. She is very fiery, smart and verbal. She has that mahogany colored hair, plum red lips and fair skin color. She can be very sharp and shrill with her brothers but also affectionate and contemplative (or maybe just bored sometimes.) I tend to call her Milla (Mee-la) and with all the polish conjugations is also referred to as Emilka - which I don't think will be very popular in the dairy state.

So Stella seems to be on the top of the list, but what 9 yr old girl doesn't want to change her name. She is an excellent drawer and artist. She like the Barbie style doll she picked out and the pink horse that came with it. She's also strong and fast - chasing her brothers at the playland and taking full advantage of the playground equipment when we are at parks. As I've written, she's used to being the head of the household, but quickly allowed mom to baby her at bath and bed time.

Before we met, I liked Emilia Jane Perry Wattleworth. I also liked Lucia (loo-sha or lu-chia) because its root is Lux meaning light, pure light. So Stella Lucia seems to work, meaning star light. Today, I'm thinking Stella Blue - Star of Blue, But her personality has always come off as red to me.

The boys may be best off with their original names and we'll use nicknames for everyday use. Maciej (Mah-check) is a form of Matthew, which Emilia and Maciej are tossing around. Tim has always liked it for a boys name and it is ok with me. When asked he said he likes Pawel (Pavel) or anglicized Paul. Maciej is very gentlemanly, bowing and directing me into the van when we are headed somewhere. His first line of protection/defence is charm. He's a bit impish trying something he's not supposed to do, and then beaming a huge smile to deflect any distractions that might give him away. He is physically affectionate and eagerly receives kisses from mom and high fives from dad. He'll sit on either one of our laps without thought. He is also very good at drawing and coloring. He enjoys order and can be very serene. Though he's awfully good at defending himself in a physical scuffle and making explosion noises during play.

Michal (Mee-how) said he liked Marek or Mark. As I've said before, Michal has the toughest armor. He has pulled it back for us but we are still unsure what is beneath. I'm guessing a fairly sensitive little guy who has had to toughen quickly in his rough life. He is incredibly strong and energetic. He is fairly good at coloring. Though Polish kids start kindergarten at age 6, so he's had more unstructured play/learning. He will accept a kiss when no one is looking. And he wants a sleeping partner though he's so chatty at night, Emilia and Maciej want to find their own corner. He slept with us from one am on, two nights ago. It has been the only night anyone woke in the middle of the night and called to me/us. We had just finished watching Harry Potter II so he may have had some scary thoughts. He is definitely the most cautious one and watches to see how his older brother and sister handle something before he'll consider something. He's working in his own time and that is pretty normal from what I know of other kids.

We met with the court appointed interpreter and I think we will meet with her tomorrow to see if she wants to help us communicate with the kids about new names and what connotations they will have in the US. She was a lovely lady and she is kind of like a woman from my church. In the short time we spent with her, (during an interview with a psychologist and a short trip in the car to drop her off) she asked if I had ever gone mushrooming. What a question! Though I know it is a popular Polish hobby. She said she enjoyed it better than a hobby like fishing because you can search for mushrooms and eat them without killing anything. She was excited to speak with native English speakers so I'm sure she would enjoy the visit as much as we would appreciate it.

pass along any ideas you like and hopefully we'll get them before our court appointment.

mom gets a few hours to herself

Tim took the kids to the indoor playland so I've had a few hours to nap and catch up on email.

We have two more days left and we are so looking forward to going home. Of course the kids will stay here. Our guide says that we should not worry about the children while we are gone because the are going to the home they know and it will be generally very comfortable for them.

I think he's right and we'll have a tougher time after being accoustomed to the noise and action. I know there are things that we need to get done, too. We need to set up the bunk beds for the boys. I want to do some picture hanging and decorating in Emilia's room. I also need to go through the clothes I've accumulated from resale, rummage shopping and hand me downs.

Emilia is about a 7/8 - on target from the information we initally received. She has a good shape/proportion and is usually a good eater.

Maciej is about a 5/6. The caretakers said that he is a picky eater, but we haven't seen that. He might have just been sick of the same ole, same old food that was served. Really I've just noticed that he's a slow eater. Not a bad habit in our fast food nation. He is rather thin, but overcame a head cold he had earlier during our visit. The psychologist encouraged us to give him medicine and vitamins. I guess I didn't realize it was ok to do so because US schools are so strict about who can dole out medicine that I held back a little. I had baby aspirin and children's motrin, but thoughtlessly bought Theraflu which has acetominphin (not good for kids with a fever I think.) We didn't have internet access initally so I couldn't check for sure. Communicating with the pharmacist was not easy after the psychologist gave me the message to use whatever I had at my disposal. I gave Maciej the benedryl I had for myself, hoping the anti-histamine would help. He didn't have a fever or at least that is what the thermometer said (I think he understood to hold it under his tounge.) Something worked and his nose stopped running and he was more energetic. I also doled out vitamin C and a children's daily to everyone at breakfast, too.

Michal is on the smaller side, about 4/5. Some of the clothes sent with them had 3T on the tags. They fit him in the waist but not length, so that seems like a good sign. He has been the pickiest eater, but mostly he's just playing games to see what he can get away with. We've seen him devour just about anything we serve, but on the next day, he'll act as though we've offered him a plate of mud. He is ultra strong, the first week I had bruises from his tantrum meltdowns. We were at an round about traffic intersection and he didn't want to hold mom's hand. Man alive - he wailed me, kicking my thighs and somehow he nailed my hips so it was difficult to lay on my side at night. We are catching the meltdown pattern faster, so I only have one bruise on my right knee, but that could be from anything at this point.