He is 73 years old, a professor, and has been teaching computer science in an unconventional way at III Liceum for many years. Nearly 300 finalists of computer science competitions have come from his hands. Among his students are the chief researcher at OpenAI and a world programming champion.
— It’s such an interesting story from the past. At that time, there were about fifty people working at OpenAI — a small team. Among them were ten Poles, half of whom were graduates of III Liceum in Gdynia, — says Szymon Sidor from OpenAI in a documentary report by Maciej Kawęcki titled «The Master,» sitting on a bar stool in San Francisco.
Next to Sidor sits Jakub Pachocki — once a student of Ryszard Schubartowski, and today the scientific director of OpenAI.
— Jakub Pachocki was almost expelled from his previous school because he was bored in math classes and read «Harry Potter» in the original English, — Ryszard Schubartowski recounted in a conversation with «Wyborcza.» — Tests were conducted every three months in all subjects, and Pachocki consistently achieved excellent results. Still, they wanted to remove him.
Pachocki transferred to III Liceum in Gdynia, where he came under the guidance of Ryszard Schubartowski. There, his talent blossomed — between 2007 and 2010, he became a finalist or laureate of Polish and international computer science competitions six times.
The first well-known student of the professor from Gdynia was Filip Wolski, now an expert in artificial intelligence systems.
— Filip became the world champion [in programming in 2003] and was the best in the world for six years, — recalls the professor, who has already become a legend of «the trio» in Gdynia — the best high school in Pomerania and one of the best in the country.
Many other students of Schubartowski are also working on the future of technology in the largest global companies and research centers today.
«The Great Shu» and Youth Tutoring
Professor Schubartowski, a graduate of the Faculty of Cybernetics at the Military Technical Academy and a former lecturer at the Maritime Academy in Gdynia, a recipient of the "Colibra" award for outstanding contributions to the development of Polish education, is known not only for his students' successes but also for his unconventional teaching methods. He calls them youth tutoring
What do they consist of?
— I started teaching by my own rules. Here they are: the pace and topics are set by the children, and I, as a teacher, only give them individual assignments and then analyze them, — he explained in an interview with «Wyborcza.» — The children receive new tasks appropriate to their level. Then the child explains to others how they solved the problem, and the whole group discusses it. If someone cannot solve the problem, I give the same task to their best friend. They solve it and then quickly teach their friend during a natural discussion.
— In his educational process, the main character is the student. He is a master of creating masters, — they say about him at the school where the professor earned the nickname «The Great Shu.»
Netflix to Make a Film Inspired by the Teacher from Gdynia
The story and unusual achievements of the computer science mentor from Gdynia have caught the attention of Netflix, which announced that it will produce a feature film inspired by his personality.
Greg Peters, the president of Netflix, and Łukasz Kluśkiewicz, the programming director of Netflix in Central and Eastern Europe, met with the professor.
— Meeting with Professor Schubartowski was one of those moments for me when it is clear how talented young Poles can influence the fate of the world. The story of the professor and the teams associated with him is proof that there is an extremely strong and mature school of technological thinking in Poland, — says Łukasz Kluśkiewicz.
He emphasizes: «The film will not only be an engaging story but also a tribute to the Polish community of scientists and engineers, as well as a source of pride. We also want to show viewers that some of the innovations that make Netflix work so well are born right here, over the Vistula.»
The production of the film will be handled by dFlights, with Marek Kłosowicz as the producer. The cast and creators are still unknown.
