On Thursday, 26 October at 6:00 p.m., the Chair of Didactics is organising a guest performance by Fort Forno Theatre of the play Gidion’s Knot in the Ceremonial Hall of the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences. The event is intended for all teachers and students enrolled in teacher education programmes, as well as anyone else interested. (Cast: Katica Šubarić and Matea Bublić; director: Robert Raponja; playwright: Johnna Adams; costume design: Nina Silobrčić).

Current challenges within the school system, as well as the rights and responsibilities of teachers, educational professionals, parents and pupils, are pressing issues in contemporary society. Unfortunately, the subject of suicide among children and young people must also be addressed. On this occasion, professional support will be provided by Sanja Diósy and Maja Matković, psychologists and staff members of the Office for Psychological Counselling of Students who have undergone training in cognitive behavioural therapy. They will take part in a discussion following the performance.

Set in a school, the play begins when the mother of a recently deceased pupil arrives for a meeting with her son’s teacher. The meeting was originally intended to be a parent-teacher conference involving representatives of the pupils and the school, so the teacher is surprised that the mother has come to see her at all. The conversation that follows explores the relationship between the grieving mother, Corryn, and the emotionally overwhelmed teacher, Heather. Corryn’s son, an elementary school pupil, died by suicide on the day he was expelled from school. Gidion may have been severely bullied, or he may have been the bully who tormented others. During their conversation, the two women attempt to discover what drove Gidion to his tragic act. The play addresses many crucial issues related to the education system, teacher responsibility, freedom of expression and the roles of parents and teachers in an increasingly chaotic world.