Ewa Stefania Drobek

Ewa Stefania Drobek is one of Poland’s most decorated and influential educators, celebrated nationally and internationally for her extraordinary contributions to inclusive education, student empowerment, and global citizenship. With over 25 years of teaching experience, she has transformed thousands of lives through her innovative language instruction, creative arts projects, and unwavering commitment to equality, empathy, and excellence. 

Ewa has earned 15 major awards, most of them thanks to nominations from her own students – an achievement she considers her greatest honour. These include the UNESCO Award (2017) for her groundbreaking “Żmichowska Sings” project; English Teacher of the Year – Winner (2018); Teacher of the Year – 2nd place (2019) in Poland’s most prestigious national competition; and Global Teacher Award – Finalist (2019). She continued to receive international recognition as the only Polish finalist of the Cambridge Dedicated Teacher Award (2020), winner of the Academy of Efficient Women – Science & Education Category (2021), Irena Sendler Award Finalist (2022), and the Life Skills Award – Best Education Essay (2024). Additionally, she has earned 12 Headmaster Awards and three District Mayor’s Awards for exemplary didactic work. 

A graduate of the University of Warsaw with a Master’s in Applied Linguistics and postgraduate translation studies, Ewa teaches English and German at the renowned 15th Narcyza Żmichowska Secondary School, where she has worked since 2004. She has also served as an academic teacher at the University of Warsaw. She is the author of 76 publications for educators, co-author of two internationally translated e-books on innovation and combating disinformation, and a teacher-mentor for Poland’s leading educational foundations, including School with Class and Teach for Poland. 

Her teaching philosophy – rooted in the legacy of Janusz Korczak – treats language learning as a form of empathy-building. Her methods, based on authentic texts, debates, music, film, and digital tools, have been adopted by 145 high schools across Poland. Her students consistently achieve outstanding results: 95% continue to university, and 40% study abroad, far surpassing the national average. 

Ewa leads two national-impact projects: “Żmichowska Sings,” a cultural and linguistic initiative that has produced eight professional albums, held 354 concerts for 50,000+ audience members, and been replicated in 49 schools; and “Theatre Rover,” a long-running project integrating theatre, emotional expression, and cultural education. 

Her classroom is a centre of inclusion – supporting disabled students, refugees, children with chronic illnesses, and those at risk of exclusion. She pioneered remote learning solutions long before they became mainstream, including hybrid participation for bedridden students who later graduated with honours. 

Beyond her school, Ewa trains teachers nationwide, speaks at TEDx and international conferences, contributes to global educational discourse, and mentors new teachers to stay in the profession despite systemic challenges. 

Her work extends to climate education, humanitarian action, anti-disinformation training, digital citizenship, and global peacebuilding. 

If one achievement defines her work, it is this: she turns classrooms into communities of empathy, empowering young people to become bridge-builders in a divided world.