Dušica Kunaver from Ljubljana

Dušica Kunaver is well known by many of us as a collector of folk heritage. In the treasury of her literary publications one may find folk songs, fairy tales, sayings and legends as well as few biographies. From the year 1966 onward she published solely in the collection Under the Domestic Lime Tree altogether 16 works. And yet this represents just the fruits of the secondary, we could call it, amateur activity, whereas the professional path of Dušica Kunaver is mostly filled with teaching English, elaborating original education materials, involving adults in learning of languages and by raising the awareness of ethical aspects of teaching. The winner of our award is well aware that we live in the decisive transitional period wherein we are entering into new international associations. If we are determined to be co-authors of the future multicultural Europe we cannot make a step forward without the knowledge of languages. Yet how to teach a foreign language solely for purposes of setting up a solid foundation for their knowledge without uncritically acquiring and imitating foreign patterns? Dušica Kunaver knows the answer. We have to proceed from our own roots and respect the right to be different. We have to be aware that we too are in position to enrich others with our cultural heritage, and for that reason we have to at the first place know it well and learn how to present it - e.g. in English. Programmes, which she elaborated, span form the Sparrow's School of Well-mannered Conduct (for the youngest) to professionally more demanding Business Correspondence in English. The language school advocated by Dušica Kunaver is marked by vivid colours. Rainbow Shortcut to English is equipped with booklets, cassettes, jig-saw puzzles and assembly kits. Her manual I am Learning how to Learn, however, is dedicated to parents, whereas her materials intended for teachers call to their attention the pitfalls of lecturing. The pedagogic exuberance of Dušica Kunaver is almost boundless. For more than 15 years she is lecturing on topics, dealt with in her literary works, to audiences of all ages and in diverse environments.