“Great teachers empathize with children, respect them, and believe
that each one has something unique to build on.”
Ann Liberman
Ján Hučík was such a teacher. For those who did not know him, we bring a short memory and those of you who had the honor of working with him, we would like to address with a request to send a short story connecting you with Dr. Hučík, Sr. It can be a short story, a confession, a description of the bond that is still strong and thanks to it Dr. Hučík remains in your heart and memories.
PhDr. Ján Hučík, a native of Santovka in the Levice district (*14. 11. 1928), embarked on a teaching career. In 1949, he graduated from the Teachers’ Academy in Levice, in 1963 from the Pedagogical Institute in Martin. Later, he completed his studies in special pedagogy at the Faculty of Education, Comenius University in Trnava, and completed it by obtaining the title of PhDr. (1975).
While studying special education, he married in 1953 and raised 3 sons with his wife, one of whom tragically died.
After more than 30 years of work as a special educator and director in Liptovský Ján (1956-1989), he left behind a complex special education facility located in the former Szentiványi manor. He expanded the original special school (25. 9. 1965) with other facilities: a special kindergarten (1. 9. 1970), a special apprenticeship school (1. 1. 1976), workshops, and a sports complex. It was the first and at the same time unique complex for students with mental disabilities from 3 to 18 years of age. In addition to the complex in Lipt. Jána has added allocated kindergarten and vocational school classes in Kráľová Lehota and Beňadiková.
Currently, it is a Special Primary School with a boarding kindergarten in Liptovský Ján, with nationwide coverage. The specialized educational facility provides education and training to children with such health disadvantages for which their inclusion in regular schools is mostly problematic or unattainable (children with mental, multiple disabilities, with emotional disorders and delayed psychomotor development, with impaired communication skills, with autism spectrum disorders, Down syndrome, with learning disabilities, with ADD and ADHD, and other syndromes). The school creates conditions for the systematic development of hygiene habits and improvement of children’s self-service activities. Through creative work and physical education, it not only increases the level of fine and gross motor skills, overall movement coordination, but also significantly contributes to achieving bio-psycho-social balance and happiness from the achieved successes. It ensures the acquisition and development of social experiences and skills. Professional orientation takes into account the real possibilities of the child and the child’s legal representative.
PhDr. Ján Hučík, senior. was not only an excellent special educator and director of the school complex in Liptovský Ján, but also a pioneer in organizing sports games for youth with mental disabilities in Slovakia, one of the creators of curricula, syllabi, and textbooks for students with mental disabilities. His publishing activity in professional journals (Efeta, Special Pedagogy, Issues of Defectology, Theory and Practice of Special Pedagogy), collections, methodological manuals, and publications of the Regional Pedagogical Institute is also rich.
During his time at the complex facility in Liptovský Ján, he established international cooperation between special educators and teachers from schools for the upbringing and education of children and youth with mental disabilities in Rijeka (born 1967, Yugoslavia), Homok and Szolnok (born 1970, Hungary), the Gustav Bárci Faculty of Pedagogy – Special Pedagogy in Budapest, etc.
He actively cooperated with the Pedagogical Research Institute, the Research Institute of Child Psychology and Pathopsychology, the Ministry of Education, and the Regional Pedagogical Institute in Bratislava and Banská Bystrica. His practical experience became the basis for creating concepts and improving the system of special schools and special training centers.
Ján Hučík was one of the founders and an active member of the Society for Special and Therapeutic Education in the Slovak Republic right from its foundation (1969). For many years, he responsibly served as chairman of the psychopedagogical section, thereby contributing to strengthening the professional awareness of Slovak psychopedagogues.
He worked externally at the Faculty of Philosophy of the Comenius University in Trnava and in the school complex in Lipt. Ján led a long-term, continuous pedagogical practice for students of special pedagogy.
PhDr. Ján Hučík, a senior, is the recipient of several important awards: Model Teacher (1969), Meritorious Teacher (1979), For Excellent Work (1984), and J. A. Comenius Medal (1988). For his lifelong work, he was awarded a moral award in the form of the Medal of St. Gorazd (2001), which is awarded by the Minister of Education and has been handed down since 1997.
PhDr. Ján Hučík passed away on 4 December 2003 in Liptovský Ján, where he is buried in the local cemetery.
The museum’s special-pedagogical library contains several professional book titles, the author or co-author of which is Ján Hučík, Sr. Many of them have already been digitized, so you can start reading their chapters through the Digital Library, published and accessible on the museum’s website.
Author: Mgr. Štefánia Petreková
Sources:
Private archive of doc. Mgr. Ján Hučík, PhD., Jr.
Special Education Library and Depository of the Museum of Special Education in Levoča.
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