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After that, I went to the Lutheran lyceum [Interwar Czechoslovakian school system], which was, at that time, the best secondary school. Those who were preparing for Lutheran or protestant priesthood went there. I had classmates who really became Protestant ministers.
It was a first-class school. It was the so-called ‘conservative’ high school, because aside from Latin, we learned Greek, too. I believe the teachers chose the area of study for most of the students, if they didn’t show special aptitudes. If you liked a teacher, whatever he taught was your favorite subject.
This happened to me twice. The homeroom teacher, who taught us Latin, was a disgusting guy. My grades weren’t bad in Latin, but I didn’t like him. But I had a cute, sweet teacher for Greek. I got a one in Greek. [In the pre-war educational system, one was the best and five meant failure. This system is still used today in Slovakia.] I loved it so much, that today I can still read it, and write it.
However, Greek wasn’t my favorite subject. History was. We had an excellent, first-rate teacher. In this period, which isn’t a good period, 14-15-16 years old, we listened with gaping mouths in complete silence. Though the French Revolution wasn’t all that interesting to us. But we knew exactly that we were learning to please him, because we really liked him and he was so kind.
History probably left a little deeper impression on me, but after the war, I didn’t really have time for it, because I had a job. But I always read profusely everything connected to history, and for many decades I’ve been interested in history, most recently in the history of the city of Bratislava. I also loved geography, because I was taught by an excellent teacher.
It was a first-class school. It was the so-called ‘conservative’ high school, because aside from Latin, we learned Greek, too. I believe the teachers chose the area of study for most of the students, if they didn’t show special aptitudes. If you liked a teacher, whatever he taught was your favorite subject.
This happened to me twice. The homeroom teacher, who taught us Latin, was a disgusting guy. My grades weren’t bad in Latin, but I didn’t like him. But I had a cute, sweet teacher for Greek. I got a one in Greek. [In the pre-war educational system, one was the best and five meant failure. This system is still used today in Slovakia.] I loved it so much, that today I can still read it, and write it.
However, Greek wasn’t my favorite subject. History was. We had an excellent, first-rate teacher. In this period, which isn’t a good period, 14-15-16 years old, we listened with gaping mouths in complete silence. Though the French Revolution wasn’t all that interesting to us. But we knew exactly that we were learning to please him, because we really liked him and he was so kind.
History probably left a little deeper impression on me, but after the war, I didn’t really have time for it, because I had a job. But I always read profusely everything connected to history, and for many decades I’ve been interested in history, most recently in the history of the city of Bratislava. I also loved geography, because I was taught by an excellent teacher.
Location
Slovakia
Interview
Katarina Löfflerova