We are proud to announce that our lecturer, Przemysław Staroń, is among the top 50 nominees for the 2020 Global Teacher Prize, established by the Varkey Foundation in collaboration with UNESCO. The Prize recognizes exceptional teachers from around the world who have made outstanding contributions to their profession. The best teachers have been selected from among 12,000 nominations, submitted by 140 countries.
Winners will be announced on October 12, 2020, during a celebratory gala in London, UK.
Teaching - Passion and Mission
Teching is Przemysław Staroń’s passion. His mission is to inspire young people to believe in themselves, think critically, and to instill in them a sense of agency. Respect for people of all ages, meaningful conversations, relationship building and teaching are paramount for Przemysław.
To implement his mission, Przemysław founded the Order of the Phoenix, an organization inspired by the Harry Potter books, focused on building cross-generational ties between young people and seniors in local communities. He is a huge Harry Potter fan, and is endlessly inspired by the novels’ educational and humanistic message.
Przemysław Staroń is a psychologist and culture expert by training. He specializes in working with adolescents, adults and senior citizens. He also runs projects supporting development of youth, unemployed, and disabled persons as well as inmates. He also provides creativity training sessions and consultations for business.
In 2018, he received the national Teacher of Year award.
Lecturer at SWPS University
Przemysław Staroń teaches philosophy, ethics and culture at the Bolesław Chrobry High School No. 2 in Sopot. He also conducts training sessions at Centrum Rozwoju JUMP (JUMP Center for Development), and teaches at the University of the Third Age in Sopot.
Additionally, he teaches developmental psychology, and conducts workshops on working with teenagers and seniors for students of the psychology program, at SWPS University in Sopot.
The most important moments are those, when young people come to you and thank you for changing their lives for the better. Because, as Dumbledore said, happiness can be found in the darkest of times.
Przemysław Staroń
Making the world a better place
Asked what are his greatest achievements, Przemysław lists the following:
- Establishing the Order of the Phoenix ‒ an intergenerational philosophy group
- Helping people leave the Plato’s Cave and opening their eyes to the world, spreading wisdom, goodness and love
- Coaching 50 students in getting to the finales of the national high school philosophy competition
- Making close to 200 LEGO minifigures of famous philosophers
- Participating in projects recognized internationally
What are Przemysław’s plans for the future? He wants to develop replicable education methods that have been implemented by the Order of the Phoenix, research their effectiveness, and expand the Order as widely as possible to change the world for the better.
In cooperation with LEGO, he would also like to develop a mobile app for teaching philosophy and critical thinking. Furthermore, in collaboration with teachers from around the world, he would like to promote philosophy ̶ the science of wisdom and goodness, in Poland, Europe, and around the world.
The Global Teacher Price
The Global Teacher Prize is a US $1 million award presented annually to an exceptional teacher who has made an outstanding contribution to their profession.
The goal of the prize is to underline the importance of educators and the fact that, throughout the world, their efforts deserve to be recognized and celebrated. It seeks to acknowledge the impacts of the very best teachers – not only on their students but on the communities around them.
The Prize was established by the Varkey Foundation in collaboration with UNESCO. The first prize was awarded in 2015.
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