Poland

Poles place great emphasis on family and education. Self-reliance is valued in Polish society.

Wealth is best defined by powerful positions and different types of ownership and possessions, usually cars, clothes, and houses. Some in Poland live in deplorable conditions and wish for things like running water, electricity, and money to pay debts and bills.

A professional person's title is used before his or her last name. Only the person's title is used in formal conversation or business. Teenagers and children are called by their first names, but between adults, first names are used only by mutual consent. Women greet close friends by kissing both cheeks. Young girls often kiss each other on only one cheek when they meet. Adults generally shake hands upon meeting.

Common greetings include "Dzien dobry" (Good morning/afternoon) "Dobry wieczor" (Good evening) "Czeoa" (Hello)

When trying to get someone's attention, people usually call “Przepraszam!” (Excuse me)

Formal, extended visits are arranged in advance. Unannounced visits among friends and relatives are standard. It is customary to give hosts flowers for even a brief arranged visit. Entertaining is more commonly done in the home because going out is expensive.

Young people (students) mainly socialize in the city center, in the pubs and clubs. Meeting in the pubs for beer on weekends is very common among young people. In the pubs, some people may play billiards.

Parties at home involve sitting at the table, eating, and drinking (preferably wine or vodka). Sometimes, parties include dancing.

Because clothing is expensive, people's wardrobes remain small. Fashions are generally conservative, although the youth favor current European trends. Business people wear conservative suits or dresses. Students, children, and people who do not work or work in places where no official clothes are needed wear jeans.

Because workdays begin early, Poles often have only a light breakfast, taking a sandwich along to eat at 10.00 am. The main meal consists of soup, meat or fish, salad, and potatoes. Pastries or ice cream are eaten for a late-afternoon snack. Some common dishes include pierogi (dumplings with cream cheese and potatoes), uszka (a kind of ravioli), and bigos (sausage, mushroom, cabbage). Pork is more popular than beef.

Poles usually eat "niadanie" (breakfast) before 8 AM. The main meal "obiad" is at 3 PM pm and is the meal the family expects to gather for. The evening meal "kolacja" is smaller and is eaten before 8:30 PM.

The continental style of eating is used. Both hands (not the elbows) are kept above the table during the meal. Eating should not begin until everyone has been served and the host or head of the family has begun. When eating as a guest, it is impolite not to finish one's first helping.

Meals are usually eaten at home (apart from “second breakfast” that is usually eaten at school or work). Some children may eat their dinner at the school's canteen (lunchroom). Sometimes people eat in the city which is becoming more, but overall meals at home are preferred.

The average family has one or two children. The father is an authority figure who demands obedience yet wants his children to be self-disciplined and independent. The economic situation of most families demands the equal involvement of both parents in raising the family and working outside the home. However, women still bear the most responsibility for homemaking.

Women marry between ages eighteen and twenty, and men begin marrying at age twenty-one. The couple's parents often provide financial assistance and allow the couple to live in their home for the first few years. Living together before being married is discouraged.

Children play many different sports. Especially football is very popular in school and on a community basis. Volleyball is played mainly during the summer or at school. School children play basketball, handball, and table tennis at school. Swimming is quite a popular sport in Poland as well. Skiing, snowboarding, and ice skating are practiced during the winter.

A typical Polish child's day starts at 7 a.m. One of the parents enters the kid’s room, saying it is time to get up if you don’t want to be late for school. After getting up, a child usually takes time for personal hygiene and eating and leaves for school at 8 a.m. Breakfast mainly consists of sandwiches with ham, eggs, and cheese. The Dietary Guidelines say to eat daily fruits and vegetables, but this is uncommon. Thanks to the research, we know that about 20% of children don't eat meals before school. The main reasons for skipping breakfast are the pressure of being late, sleeping in, and poverty. Although eating the first and the second breakfast at school is possible, only about 11% of children do so.

Most kids' schools are not located far from their place of living, so they usually go on foot or by bicycle. Getting to school in urban areas is by public transport like buses and trams. Children attending grades 1 to 3 use orange-painted school buses called Gimbus. The local authority provides this kind of transportation, which is the best way in rural areas where distances from school to villages are large. In some cases, children are driven by their parents, but only when the school and the parent's workplace are not far from each other.

A typical school in Poland was built during the decade of socialism and is at least 30 years old. The appearance of every construction established between 1945 and 1989 can be described as a cubic made of homogeneous concrete. The range of kids enrolled in schoolhouses is from 2000 to 10,000. This number is systematically decreasing, mainly due to negative population growth. Classrooms are modestly furnished and can accommodate up to 40 students. The layout of every room at school looks almost identically, consisting of desks, chairs, and a table in front. Of course, some classrooms are designated for chemistry, biology, physics, and informatics, where additional equipment like microscopes, computers, or projectors can be found.

A day at school is almost the same for younger and older children, but some differences exist. It depends on the level of classes they attend. A short day with few lessons, typically no more than 5, is reserved for courses from 1 to 3. The length of classes is 45 minutes and is obligatory for the whole education system. The breaks last for 5 to 25 minutes. The longest is used for lunch, but only 50% of children eat lunch at school. Meals can be bought at school, but most kids bring their lunch prepared by their parents. A primary school consists of nine years of teaching and is divided into three parts. The last one ends with the general exam, which classifies them to high school and is passed by about 90%. The teaching at primary school is focused on maths, informatics, environment, music, one foreign language, and Polish. The schedule does not overstrain children and facilitates their return home earlier. All lessons are in Polish, and there is no exception to this rule. Children cannot be taught in other primary languages at schools. A statistical school can contain up to 3000 students, and it is recommended that the number of kids in one room should not be greater than 30. There are no prescribed uniforms for children. Teachers are usually strict. They pay attention to behavior, punctuality, and cleanliness. The principals of schools want to change the image of education. It is known that children do not like to go to school. One of the main reasons for this is the relationship between a teacher and a child, which is very stiff. According to children's reports, most teachers are harsh and unpleasant, which is often reflected in their results. Teachers are asked to connect with care, warmth, and trust for children to improve school achievement and children's comfort. All these efforts are focused on better relationships between students and teachers. It is also believed that making kids feel secure and valued would be beneficial in the future. Schools are constantly evolving, but some rules are permanent for teachers and children, namely proper etiquette. Kids call for a teacher, starting with Mr, Misses, or Professor. Teachers always refer to the first name of a child.

Parents try to organize their children’s free time, dedicating it to learning and gaining new skills. They pay extra money for private English lessons, piano lessons, and other activities directly related to school. This proceeding on the part of parents is based on the opinion that more study means better results at school and gaining the maximum benefits in the future. Schools also encourage children to participate in maths, physics, or informatics societies. Children are becoming involved in these activities not only for educational reasons but also for enjoyment. Soccer is the most popular sport in Poland and is practiced by teenagers. It is worth, mention that lately because of success of Adam Malysz a lot of very young children try themselves in ski jumping and this branch of sport is now viral.

Kids spend leisure time playing computer games, surfing the web, or watching television. There is also time to hang out with friends, for example in the cinema or in a famous place characteristic of every town like the old town or just a park. Large cities and schools have swimming pools and other recreation centers teenagers use. Some parents looking after their toddlers attend amusement parks, zoos, and upcoming festivals.

The time of returning home depends on a kid's education level. For primary-level school, usually, it is 1 or 2 p.m. Kids studying from classes 4 to 9 have to stay a little bit longer, till 3 or 4 p.m. No matter what time they return, one thing is common for everyone after coming home: eating dinner. For most of them, this meal is already prepared by their parents, but sometimes they must care for themselves by buying sandwiches, pizza, or other fast food. The parents come home around 6 p.m. and always ask if they are prepared for school the next day. Until then, children are on their own, usually watching television or hanging out with friends. The leisure time after school is very often used for extracurricular activities. It could be an additional language lesson like English, German, French, or Spanish lessons. A mother prepares the supper by about 7 p.m. This meal isn't sophisticated, and for most families, it means sandwiches with cheese, ham, boiled eggs, and sometimes Mulligan. After supper, younger kids usually have a bath, wash their teeth, and do other activities to prepare themselves for bed. It is common for older children to watch the news headlines in the evening, and during this time, they discuss the day's events together. They are also allowed to watch a movie if it ends by 10 p.m., but this time is often used for homework.

Poland is one of the main European countries' leaders in education progress. Since 2000, the number of students who graduated from Universities has risen by 133%, while the European norm is 33%. The role of education in society has been growing systematically since the fall of socialism. This situation is caused by the needs of the developing industry. More and more parents understand this situation and force children to continue their education. Even if they finish their education in High School, there is always a need to take unique courses to improve their qualification. Additionally, unemployment has been above 10 % for about ten years. This means that a low level of education makes it impossible to find a job. The education system perceives exact science as something more valuable than the humanities, so art is not treated seriously in school. Most schools don't provide any additional lessons related to music or drama.