Battling with language
The English Language College, commonly known just as the "Methodists' School", has been a traditional site on the Warsaw's map since the early 1920s.
It was established in 1921 by the Methodist Church Episcopal South in response to appeal to American society by the former Polish Prime Minister (and a renowned pianist) Ignacy Paderewski. He felt it was essential that Poland should be treated with an English language injection in the wake of winning back its independence after 125 years, in order to help build its political, economic and educational system from scratch.
The first Methodist missionaries came to Poland just after World War I and initially they concentrated on charitable activities, but quickly began to undertake more concrete projects like establishing vocational schools, high schools and medical clinics. The English Language College (ELC) in Warsaw, located on Pl. Zbawiciela and still residing in the same building 84 years later, was among those projects. The school quickly expanded and, according to the school's website, it numbered 1,266 students in 1923. In addition to the Warsaw institution, the Methodists set up schools in Poznań and Lwów. Further growth and expansion was halted by World War II.
The school recommenced classes in September 1946 following the end of hostilities and the number of students soon returned to pre-war levels. It was granted the status of a public school by the Ministry of Education and was treated just as any other state school. However, soon the ELC faced tough restrictions during the Stalinist period - both as a church institution and for having an American (meaning imperialist) background.
Most of the American teachers were forced to leave Poland, the status of a public school was revoked and every year the school had to apply for a license to teach English. But it managed to survive the hard times partly due to its popularity among Varsovians and partly because many state and communist party dignitaries attended classes at the school.
Following the system change in 1989, the school benefited from the rapid increase in the demand for English classes among Poles. New branches were opened and today ELC is present in six Polish cities - Warsaw, Katowice, Gliwice, Kraków, Ełk and Grudziądz - and has an affiliated school (Foreign Languages Center) in Łomża.
It was established in 1921 by the Methodist Church Episcopal South in response to appeal to American society by the former Polish Prime Minister (and a renowned pianist) Ignacy Paderewski. He felt it was essential that Poland should be treated with an English language injection in the wake of winning back its independence after 125 years, in order to help build its political, economic and educational system from scratch.
The first Methodist missionaries came to Poland just after World War I and initially they concentrated on charitable activities, but quickly began to undertake more concrete projects like establishing vocational schools, high schools and medical clinics. The English Language College (ELC) in Warsaw, located on Pl. Zbawiciela and still residing in the same building 84 years later, was among those projects. The school quickly expanded and, according to the school's website, it numbered 1,266 students in 1923. In addition to the Warsaw institution, the Methodists set up schools in Poznań and Lwów. Further growth and expansion was halted by World War II.
The school recommenced classes in September 1946 following the end of hostilities and the number of students soon returned to pre-war levels. It was granted the status of a public school by the Ministry of Education and was treated just as any other state school. However, soon the ELC faced tough restrictions during the Stalinist period - both as a church institution and for having an American (meaning imperialist) background.
Most of the American teachers were forced to leave Poland, the status of a public school was revoked and every year the school had to apply for a license to teach English. But it managed to survive the hard times partly due to its popularity among Varsovians and partly because many state and communist party dignitaries attended classes at the school.
Following the system change in 1989, the school benefited from the rapid increase in the demand for English classes among Poles. New branches were opened and today ELC is present in six Polish cities - Warsaw, Katowice, Gliwice, Kraków, Ełk and Grudziądz - and has an affiliated school (Foreign Languages Center) in Łomża.
