What type of school was the progymnasium? Family archive

Encyclopedic Dictionary of winged words and expressions

COOKS CHILDREN

Original source- the infamous circular (1887) of the Russian Minister of Education Ivan Davidovich Delyanov (1818-1897). With this circular, approved by Emperor Alexander III and received in society ironic title "about the cook's children"(although they were not mentioned there), the educational authorities were ordered to admit only wealthy children that is, “only such children who are in the care of persons representing sufficient guarantee of proper home supervision over them and in providing them with the convenience necessary for their studies.”

And further in the circular it was explained that “with strict observance of this rule, gymnasiums and pro-gymnasiums will be freed from enrolling children of coachmen, footmen, cooks, laundresses, small shopkeepers and similar people, whom, with the exception of those gifted with extraordinary abilities, should not be taken out of the environment to which they belong"(Rozhdestvensky S.V. Historical sketch of the activities of the Ministry of Public Education. St. Petersburg, 1909).

Allegorically— about children from poor, socially vulnerable families.

REPORT

Minister of Public Education I. Delyanov

“On the reduction of gymnasium education” (1887)

As a result of the assumption that took place at the meeting with my participation, from the ministers: Internal Affairs, State Property, the Administrator of the Ministry of Finance and the Chief Prosecutor of the Holy Synod, I had the good fortune to ask Your Imperial Majesty’s permission to submit to the Committee of Ministers a proposal for future admission to the gymnasium and pro-gymnasium for children of only some classes not lower than merchants of the 2nd guild.

Your Imperial Majesty, having thoroughly discussed this assumption, deigned to express the idea in my most respectful report on May 23 that, recognizing this measure as untimely and inconvenient, you would consider it best to achieve the goal of preventing the influx of children in gymnasiums and pre-gymnasiums of people who do not correspond to their home environment secondary education, in any other way, and deigned to most mercifully command me to enter into new considerations on this issue.

Imbued with the thoughts of Your Majesty, I considered it necessary to consult with the persons mentioned above, with the exception of the actual Privy Councilor Count Tolstoy, who is currently in the absence, and we, in view of Your Majesty’s remark, assumed that regardless of the increase in tuition fees, It would at least be necessary to explain to the authorities of gymnasiums and pro-gymnasiums that they admit to these educational institutions only those children who are under the care of persons who provide sufficient guarantee of proper supervision over them at home and in providing them with the convenience necessary for their studies. Thus, with strict observance of this rule, gymnasiums and pre-gymnasiums will be freed from the admission to them of children of coachmen, footmen, cooks, laundresses, small shopkeepers and the like, whose children, with the exception of those gifted with genius abilities, One should not at all strive for secondary and higher education. At the same time, not finding it useful to facilitate the preparation of children in gymnasiums and pro-gymnasiums using government funds, the meeting expressed that it would be It is necessary to close their preparatory classes, stopping admission to them now. The implementation of this last measure has already been followed, according to my most humble report on April 11, by a preliminary order from Your Imperial Majesty permission.

If Your Majesty deigns to finally approve the above assumptions, then all that remains now is to enter the Committee of Ministers with the presentation:

1) on limiting the admission of Jewish children to a certain percentage in gymnasiums and pre-gymnasiums, to which can be usefully applied and proposed by a special commission chaired by Secretary of State Count Palen measure to prevent Jewish children from entering gymnasiums and pre-gymnasiums from the lower classes , And

2) on providing the Minister of Public Education, in amendment to Art. 129 of the university charter of August 23, 1884, the right to determine fee for listening to lectures, without being embarrassed by the currently established 50-ruble norm.

To bring these assumptions into execution, I accept the duty of most submissively to ask Your Imperial Majesty’s highest permission.

As for reduction in the number of gymnasiums and pro-gymnasiums, with some of them converted to real and industrial schools, then I have the greatest happiness to report that, in view of the command expressed at my report on March 29 by Your Imperial Majesty, I have already collected comparative statistical data on the number of students, the number of parallel classes and the means of maintaining gymnasiums and pro-gymnasiums, and also made considerations about the possibility of closing or transforming them , depending on local conditions and the funds allocated for them from the treasury or from zemstvos and city societies; but further speculation on this point is now suspended until resolving the issue of transforming real and opening industrial schools, since without this it is impossible neither to transform gymnasiums and pro-gymnasiums, nor to close them, because the students of these institutions, upon the closure of a gymnasium or pro-gymnasium in any locality, would be deprived of the opportunity to continue their education for lack of an appropriate educational institution, which would put local societies into an extremely difficult situation. However, one can hope that with the implementation of the above measures the number of students in gymnasiums and pro-gymnasiums will be significantly reduced and their composition will improve, which is especially important because misdirection of students depends not on the number of gymnasiums and pro-gymnasiums, but on the quality of the students and the overflow of each of them individually.”

A lie is like the truth... Haven’t you, the reader and “accomplice,” ever thought about the fact that in politics, lies play exactly the same role, or rather, perform the same functions as TRUTH. And hence the irresistible temptation to use untruth and lies to achieve one’s own goals:

“Maybe they won’t notice, they’ll grab you for your sweet soul!” And being silent doesn’t mean they don’t notice, but they are too lazy to get involved with some especially loudly shouting “propagators” of new ideas. ... But is our silence always justified, on which illiterate or arrogant political adventurers are trying to earn “political capital”. And again about cooks and their children

From the Internet. Diary of a Writer In connection with one common mistake.

Many people quote Lenin’s words that every cook should be able to govern the state.

Indeed, V.I. Lenin, in his work “Will the Bolsheviks Retain State Power” (vol. 34, p. 315) wrote: “We are not utopians. We know that any laborer and any cook is NOT capable take over the government now. On this we agreed with the academicians, and with Breshkovskaya, and with Tsereteli.”

That is, he spoke about the RIGHT, the opportunity of “cook’s children”, children of “common people” to receive a MODERN education and about the RIGHT to participate in managing the affairs of the state and society.

Thus, Lenin said the exact opposite of what the entire democratic press attributes to him, with the assent of almost the entire intelligentsia.

- No, my friend, Lenin wrote, first of all, about something completely different: that there should be a chance to get a higher education for everyone, incl. and the children are cooks (this sounds more modern, anyone who wants to find out more can find it on the Internet).

THE FIRST discussion “about cook’s children” has begun..... June 30, 1887– when it was adopted in Russia decree banning the admission of children of commoners to gymnasiums (“decree on cooks’ children”).

On this occasion, Alexander III also left a resolution, writing with his own hand on the court testimony of a peasant woman who reported that her son wanted to study: “This is terrible, man, but he’s also trying to get into the gymnasium!”.

Alexander III did not particularly discuss the role of the state in higher education, professing a much simpler approach to the state of the country, almost 90 percent of the population could not even read or write.“And thank God!” he imposed a resolution on a report from the Tobolsk province, reporting low literacy in it.

By the way, Russian students of the 19th century responded to the decree of June 30 with mass gatherings of solidarity with the “common people” who were “deprived” of the right to education. Our “home-grown” “democrats”-liberals, of course, are against “cook’s children” in government!

In June, news spread around the city, leaving no one indifferent. The high school is closing! Everyone was indignant. Even those who never knew about the existence of such an educational institution in Elektrogorsk. What happened? Who did our pro-gymnasium interfere with? Let's try to figure it out.

The concept of “progymnasium” came from pre-revolutionary Russia. The sole purpose of these educational institutions at that time was preparation for subsequent entry into the gymnasium.

In the early nineties of the last century, pro-gymnasiums experienced their rebirth. They have been significantly updated, the structure and essence of the work have changed. The official definition of a pro-gymnasium today is: “An educational institution for children of preschool and primary school age with the priority implementation of one or more areas of development of pupils and students.” The status of a pro-gymnasium is assigned officially and only after appropriate certification and accreditation.

Pro-gymnasium -   public educational institution. All educational services are provided free of charge.

In Elektrogorsk, the pro-gymnasium began operating in 1998: until 2003 as “School-Garden No. 1”, from January 2003, having received state accreditation, as “Pro-gymnasium No. 1”. The educational institution is very loved by the parents of students. And it was the parents who were the first to sound the alarm when they learned that the gymnasium could be closed. Thanks to their persistence, a working commission was created to resolve issues of the functioning of the municipal educational institution "Progymnasium No. 1", which included representatives of the city administration, the director of the pro-gymnasium and parents of students.

Representatives of the parent initiative group shared with us their opinions on the events taking place.

Kharkovskaya Nadezhda:

We were not presented with any documents regarding the closure of the gymnasium. Toptygina Svetlana Sergeevna notified the director of the gymnasium, Tatyana Viktorovna Minyaitseva, by telephone, Tatyana Viktorovna notified the teachers, the teachers informed us, the parents. We all gathered together, and our common opinion is: we do not want the gymnasium to be closed. We are for the gymnasium to remain exactly as it was.

What do I like about the pro-gymnasium? I like the training system itself. Here is an individual approach to each child. For example, if a child reads poorly, he is given one literature, if he reads well, he is given another. We, parents, buy workbooks that our children use to study: everything is in pictures, accessible, and intelligible. Children are developed and exposed here. And the child actively participates in the learning process. I really like that there are 10 additional clubs in the afternoon.

All teachers and educators have a very high level of education and training. The school's work schedule is from 8-00 to 18-00, which is very important for us, parents, since many work in other cities and do not have the opportunity to take their children home early. Children have three meals a day, and there is a quiet hour in first grade. It's a shame to lose something like this.

Prokhorov Alexey:

We, parents, asked the city administration questions about financing. We were told that if the pro-gymnasium is closed and the children are transferred to a comprehensive school, then the administration will win a maximum of 2 million rubles. It turns out that the financial issue is not as acute as they say.

Look: 13 million rubles. 

- total expenditure “kindergarten-programmar school”. If the gymnasium is closed, the savings will be about 2 million rubles. These are costs for teachers, since we pay the costs of feeding children ourselves. Utility bills, kitchen work, transport, electricity - all the numbers will remain the same. The closure of the gymnasium will not reduce the total area of ​​the building; it will also need to be heated, lit, etc.

2 million rub. 

- this is not such a lot of money even for such a small city like ours. In order for there to be any significant financial savings, it is necessary to close the entire secondary school, along with the kindergarten.

Therefore, we, parents, do not see the point in closing only the school part of the gymnasium and losing such an educational institution. I don’t think that closing child care centers will brighten the face of our city leadership.

Continue reading on page 3

13 Pro-gymnasium: can’t it be left closed? (continued, starts on page 1)  July the next meeting of the working commission took place. From the protocol: “Chairman of the Education Committee of Elektrogorsk Toptygina S.S. announced the decision of the administration of Elektrogorsk to divide the pro-gymnasium into a kindergarten and a school. At the same time, the school remains geographically in the premises of Progymnasium No. 1,.

  but the classes legally belong to the city lyceum.

  Elektrogorsk by decree of the head of Elektrogorsk. At the same time, the groups of the kindergarten of Progymnasium No. 1 are transferred to another kindergarten (the specific institution has not yet been determined) with a possible further separation into an independent kindergarten (subject to additional enrollment in the preparatory group).”

In order to avoid the temptation to interpret this decision according to our own understanding, we turned to the specialist chairman of the education committee S.S. for comment. Toptygina.

1. S.S. Toptygina refused to answer questions. Well, you will have to analyze what you heard, saw and read yourself.   Orally, without providing official documents, the director of the gymnasium was informed about the closure of the institution. Teachers received notices of layoffs on September 1st.

2. Conclusion:

Well, you will have to analyze what you heard, saw and read yourself. the answer is false. In order not to include funds in the 2010 budget to finance the pro-gymnasium, the Ministry of Finance of the Moscow Region needs compelling reasons. There are no such instructions from above. That is, there are no official documents at the regional or federal level that cancel funding for institutions of this type. Consequently, save 13 million rubles. on children - initiative from below, i.e. from the mayor of the city. For what?

Assumption: have time to report by the fall (when the region's budget for 2010 is finally set) on the reduction of expenses, which is welcomed by the region's leadership today - a crisis!

3.   Parents demand an appointment with the head of the city. ON THE. The expressway does not accept them. The parents insist, demand a financial report on the maintenance of the gymnasium, and invite a representative of the Commissioner for Human Rights in the Moscow Region to the city. The arrival of a representative forces the responsible officials of the administration to receive parents and announce data on the costs of the institution. It turned out that 13 million rubles. 

Well, you will have to analyze what you heard, saw and read yourself. - costs of maintaining the entire institution including the kindergarten. The school costs a maximum of 2 million rubles. Confusion. The administration is taking a time out.

the deception has been exposed, we must look for other ways.

The history of school uniforms has repeatedly attracted the attention of researchers. However, in works devoted to the pre-revolutionary men's gymnasium uniform, the main emphasis was on the study of its material, cut, appearance of various elements, that is, everything that is included in the concept of “uniformology” 1. Only the permanent author of "Motherland", relying on some legislative documents and memoirs, touched upon the problem associated with various deviations from the established form. The researcher believes that such manifestations were due to “dashing” and “force”, the romantic moods of young people or the financial difficulties of their parents. However, surviving sources indicate that in the second half of the 19th century. deliberate violation of uniform by schoolchildren has become widespread. This "epidemic" was discussed by officials of the Ministry of Public Education at various levels and was classified as a serious violation of the disciplinary regime. Using the example of St. Petersburg gymnasiums, we will try to figure out what caused such offenses and what crisis phenomena in the school they indicated.

From the very beginning, the introduction of compulsory uniforms was motivated not only by the need to develop in young people a sense of belonging to a particular corporation and respect for the uniform, but also by solving a completely utilitarian task - “facilitating supervision” of students 2 . This “supervision” became especially relevant in the 1830s, when several men’s state gymnasiums first appeared in St. Petersburg at the same time and students could be identified on the street by the color of the piping on their hats. This tradition continued until the mid-1860s: the First Gymnasium was assigned a red edging, the Second - white, the Third - blue, the Fourth - green, the Fifth - orange, the Sixth - crimson, the Seventh - black 3 . However, in the first half of the 19th century. There have not yet been any clear and uniform instructions on how students should maintain appearance discipline outside of their educational institutions. The only thing that was paid close attention to was the constant wearing of uniforms, cleanliness and neatness, as well as showing “due respect” not only to members of the imperial family, but also “to all generals, staff officers, chiefs and colonels” 4 . “Due respect” meant the obligatory removal of the cap when meeting with the mentioned persons. This requirement, by the way, implied that schoolchildren were aware of the relevant insignia and, of course, unmistakably “recognized” by sight the representatives of the ruling dynasty. For ignoring him, the student could be arrested and sent to a guardhouse 5.

In the late 1830s - early 1840s. Directors of St. Petersburg gymnasiums began to publish special manuals for parents, which, in particular, contained regulatory information regarding the appearance of students 6. A high school student who came to school from home “in disarray” was sent back as punishment 7 . Students were given annual tickets, which they always had to carry with them. On their reverse side, rules of behavior began to be prescribed, which were still very lapidary, but included a point about the need to have “decently cut” and combed hair, always be in uniform, buttoned up with all buttons, as well as the traditional requirement to remove the cap before imperial persons and commanders. These rules were intensively hammered into the heads of the schoolchildren: every Saturday before dissolution they were gathered home and the corresponding instructions were read aloud 8 .

On October 7, 1850, a circular was issued by the trustee of the St. Petersburg educational district, according to which directors, inspectors and class supervisors of gymnasiums had to “strictly monitor the students’ compliance with the uniform at all times and everywhere.” However, no special mechanisms for monitoring the appearance of students had yet been developed, so the latter periodically strived to appear in public places in a private dress. Even a very strict punishment for such an offense, namely imprisonment in a punishment cell on bread and water, did not stop high school students 9. In general, it was believed that gymnasiums, as educational, and not educational institutions, should not control the pastime of students in their free time, because this is the direct responsibility of their parents or guardians. As for disciplinary violations related to appearance, at this stage they primarily meant sloppiness, manifested in the absence of a neat haircut, wearing a tattered overcoat or a crumpled cap 10.

“They are not allowed anywhere in school uniform”

The situation began to change significantly in the early 1860s. The ministry received complaints from parents, some provincial governors and leaders of the nobility about the lack of supervision over the behavior of schoolchildren in public places, which led, among other things, to the fact that they did not observe “forms of dress and decency in behavior” 11 . On September 13, 1864, a new circular from the trustee “On the non-admission of gymnasium students to public places” appeared. The district authorities were very concerned that “pupils of the gymnasiums visit hotels, coffee houses, where public dance evenings are allowed, some festivities, the distinctive feature of which is disorderly conduct, and in St. Petersburg also the Passage in the evenings.” From the text of the circular it is clear that by this time the police took part in the supervision of schoolchildren, and did not allow them to join the entertainment of adults. It was precisely in order to avoid these restrictions and gain inaccessible pleasures that schoolchildren violated one of the most important disciplinary rules and appeared on the streets of the city, dressed in private clothes, in which they were often helped... by their parents. This small detail suggests that many fathers and mothers did not approve of school bans on their sons' leisure activities. For “deceptions of this kind” the trustee threatened with dismissal from the gymnasium 12.

At the beginning of the reign of Alexander II, another reason appeared for schoolchildren to deviate from the established dress code. The fact is that during this period there was a real leapfrog going on with uniforms, including the gymnasium dress 13. In a short period of time (1850-1860s) it changed three times. Apparently, parents simply could not keep up with these changes or did not want to spend extra money. Thus, in the 1865/66 academic year, the period allotted for wearing the old gymnasium uniform expired. However, many continued to wear it, and, according to the trustee, it was not at all “shabby”, as it should have been after two years (hence, for some reason, it continued to be ordered anew by the tailor), and also mixed the old uniform with the new or a uniform dress with a particular one. As a result, a picture was observed when the frock coat had blue buttonholes, the coat had red buttonholes, the uniform dress had a special hat, etc. 14

In the 1870s. There was an even greater tightening of supervision over students outside the walls of educational institutions. It is obvious that the Ministry of Public Education tried to establish total control over the free time and private life of students 15. The tougher, more petty and unbearable this supervision became, the more diligently and sophisticatedly the schoolchildren tried to circumvent it. In May 1879 in St. Petersburg, on this occasion, two meetings of directors of gymnasiums, pro-gymnasiums and secondary schools were held with the district trustee. They, in particular, noted the increased complexity of student supervision. Teachers believed that it was caused not least by changes in uniforms established by the gymnasium Charter of 1864. This document replaced the traditional school caps with multi-colored piping with caps with “silver coats of arms.” The latter were an abbreviation consisting of the number and name of the educational institution framed by laurel branches. To hide their belonging to a gymnasium or a real school and avoid punishment, students began to resort to various tricks. Some quickly turned away from adults, whom they suspected of being some kind of superior, in order to hide this sign, others specially ordered reduced-sized badges, consisting only of twigs without letters, or even removed them from their hats 16. Some high school students, at their own peril and risk, put on student uniforms (perhaps borrowed from older brothers or acquaintances), explaining their behavior by saying that “they are not allowed anywhere in a gymnasium uniform” 17 . In addition, adult students avoided wearing satchels on their backs, as this gave them a “childish” appearance. St. Petersburg teachers asked to cancel at least this disciplinary requirement for pupils of the “upper” (that is, 5th - 8th) grades, citing the example of foreign educational institutions and the “dubious” hygienic benefits of backpacks 18 . But the ministry stood its ground and was not going to make any disciplinary concessions.

"School Revolution"

By the beginning of the 20th century. The established system of extracurricular supervision (constant and “sudden” duty of teachers on the streets, in city gardens and parks, theaters and other places of public entertainment) began to malfunction. It was no longer just students and their parents who were burdened by it. It drew criticism from many teachers, who saw extracurricular duty and “catching” schoolchildren who violate established rules as a police measure rather than a pedagogical one. It is no coincidence that during the events of the “school revolution” of 1905 - 1907. One of the demands was the complete elimination of the system of supervision and mandatory wearing of uniforms outside of classes. An additional argument was the fact that the student uniform, along with the student uniform, became a kind of “black mark” in the fall of 1905. Cases of attacks on high school students by soldiers, shopkeepers and other “hooligan elements” have become more frequent. On November 17, 1905, the sovereign granted permission to abolish the compulsory wearing of uniforms for students in secondary schools. However, this concession was temporary. As soon as the revolution ended, all disciplinary norms gradually returned to normal 19.

Thus, from the very beginning of its appearance, uniforms were not only a tool for disciplining gymnasium students within school walls, but also a means of extracurricular control over their behavior. It always marked a “student’s” position, and therefore a status of its owners that was inferior to that of adults. In the first half of the 19th century. The main reasons for disciplinary violations of students regarding appearance were, first of all, their sloppiness and inattention. However, later, as supervision became stricter, deviations from the rules acquired a massive, conscious and, in some cases, outright protest character.

* The study was supported by a grant from the Russian Humanitarian Foundation, project “Disciplinary experience of the Russian pre-revolutionary school: theory and practice” N 15-06-10078.

1. Khoroshilova O.A. "Blue beef", "tonnyaga" and "cornets". Uniform of high school students of Imperial Russia // Theory of Fashion. Cloth. Body. Culture. 2012. N 26; Khoroshilova O.A. Costume and fashion of the Russian Empire. The era of Nicholas II. M., 2013; Popov S.A. Uniform of students and pupils of pre-reform Russia. M., 2016.
2. RGIA. F. 733. Op. 20. D. 74. L. 7-8.
3. Rules for students of gymnasiums and pro-gymnasiums of the St. Petersburg educational district. St. Petersburg, 1866. є 19.
4. Central State Historical Archive St. Petersburg. F. 174. Op. 1. D. 66. L. 3ob; D. 299. L. 17, 22ob-23.
5. Collection of orders for the Ministry of Public Education. St. Petersburg, 1866. T. 2. N 31; TsGIA SPb. F. 139. Op. 1. D. 4434. L. 1-1ob; F. 174. Op. 1. D. 344.
6. Postels A.F. Guide for parents who want to enroll their children in the 2nd St. Petersburg gymnasium. St. Petersburg, 1839; Information necessary for those wishing to enroll their children in the first St. Petersburg gymnasium. St. Petersburg, 1848.
7. Postels A.F. Decree. op. є 19.
8. Central State Historical Archive St. Petersburg. F. 174. Op. 1. D. 1809. L. 2ob, 4, 13.
9. Central State Historical Archive St. Petersburg. F. 114. Op. 1. D. 1446. L. 5.
10. Central State Historical Archive St. Petersburg. F. 174. Op. 1. D. 1809. L. 13v.
11. Central State Historical Archive St. Petersburg. F. 139. Op. 1. D. 6274. L. 1.
12. Kryukovskoy A. Alphabetical collection of decrees and orders for the St. Petersburg educational district for 1858 - 1876, extracted from circulars published by the district. St. Petersburg, 1877. N 28.
13. Khoroshilova O.A. "Blue Beef"... P. 15-16.
14. Kryukovskoy A. Alphabetical collection of decrees and orders for the St. Petersburg educational district for 1858 - 1876, extracted from circulars published by the district. St. Petersburg, 1877. pp. 44-45.
15. Rules on penalties for students of gymnasiums and pre-gymnasiums of the Ministry of Public Education. May 4, 1874 // Collection of current rules and orders of the Ministry of Public Education on penalties from students of gymnasiums and secondary schools. Odessa, 1913.
16. Central State Historical Archive St. Petersburg. F. 139. Op. 1. D. 6934. L. 13ob; F. 136. Op. 2. D. 632. L. 3 - 5.
17. Central State Historical Archive St. Petersburg. F. 439. Op. 1. D. 5863. L. 10.
18. Central State Historical Archive St. Petersburg. F. 139. Op. 1. D. 6934. L. 17 ob.-18 ob.
19. Pashkova T.I. "Death to bureaucracy!" St. Petersburg high school students about school reform // Rodina. 2011. N 12. P. 139.

Chairman of the pro-gymnasium

Now it remains to say about the pro-gymnasium, where I preside. Due to the position itself, you have little to do with students here. I got to know them better only during the organization of an evening on December 6 in favor of the wounded and reserves (this was the first paid charity evening here, in which students were allowed to participate as performers). But you have to deal more with the teaching staff. I also attended some lessons, after which I gave some instructions to the teachers. The only weak lessons were taught by the Russian language teacher who had just re-entered the service. Despite a brilliant diploma from higher women's courses, she, as they say, does not know how to take a step. This, of course, is not her fault, but the result of the strange situation that in our higher educational institutions that prepare secondary school teachers, no attention is paid to practical preparation for teaching.

Therefore, I had to give her a whole series of fairly elementary methodological instructions and provide her with some manuals on the method. But what is most harmful to the cause of teaching is the bureaucratic order that reigns so firmly in our department. Now I had to become acquainted with these orders with my own eyes. Thanks to the usual confusion in the office of the trustee (as a result of which I myself was almost left without a place in the fall), in just one half-year in the gymnasium alone there were already two cases of appointing two people to the same position. First, in addition to the history teacher appointed to the position, another was appointed to the same position, although the latter was represented only in geography. The senseless and harmful bureaucracy in the appointment of a Russian language teacher was even more clearly demonstrated. On August 15, the boss who had previously studied Russian asked to appoint someone else instead of her. And from the 16th, she nominated a certain Ms. P-yu, a very intelligent and experienced teacher, for this position. And so these two pieces of paper about the same thing went different ways and... didn’t even meet. On August 16, correspondence began about the city of P-th. They demanded a petition from her, then a stamp for the petition, they made a request to the governor about her trustworthiness, and there, too, “the province went to write.” As a result of the first paper (dated August 15), the district itself began to look for candidates, found one and appointed her on October 1. In November, she came to us (this is the same inexperienced K-na student I wrote about) and studied for the entire second quarter. And at the end of December they received a certificate of P.’s trustworthiness in the district and there, without any embarrassment, they appointed her to us, although her place had long been taken. Now there is correspondence about this. And as a result of all this clerical red tape, we got an inexperienced teacher instead of an experienced one (moreover, the first one had to be “discharged” and paid for her runs, while the second one already lives here). P-I, moreover, in view of her candidacy for the position of teacher, had to stop the petition she had initiated to open her own school and, thus, was left with nothing. The situation is even worse with drawing, the teaching of which is completely disrupted due to our usual brake - trustworthiness. In the fall, his young artist was allowed to teach, and set to work with skill and love. But he was engaged only as long as there was correspondence about his trustworthiness. At the end of the first quarter, a document suddenly arrived that, according to the governor, he “cannot be tolerated in the teaching service.” For what, you ask? For what kind of seditious activity? It turned out that several years ago this young man (then still quite a youth) was at a masquerade in a costume depicting “freedom of speech” (a lock on the lips). And this turned out to be enough to forever close the field of teaching activity for the young artist. He turned out to be dangerous even as an art teacher! And at this time, he was busy with his usual zeal on the decorative part of the patriotic evening organized by the high school. His sister took the exam to become a nurse in order to go to war. And his cousin died a hero’s death in Prussia a little later. And all this was outweighed in the eyes of our department by some fancy dress, in the eyes of that ultra-patriotic department, which even now, at the height of the war with Germany, managed to appoint von G-mann as our trustees!

This notorious “reliability” also did a lot of damage to the organization of the board of trustees at the gymnasium, since even out of the seven respectable townspeople elected as members, one turned out to be unapproved when making inquiries. Moreover, just the one on whom especially high hopes were pinned as an active and influential member in the commercial sphere. Instead, it was necessary to choose another member as chairman of the board of trustees, who was far from being so suitable for this position. And things went, as they say, “through the roof.” Meanwhile, the financial situation of the gymnasium is very critical. Despite the need for a high school in the local city recognized by the district itself, the newly opened high school does not receive a penny from the treasury. The city, constrained by its budget and spent on the war, also gives nothing. And the girls' high school enters into life, as usual, like some kind of stepson. In a few years, when the business develops (unless it dies), the treasury may give a handout of some one or two thousand a year, for which you can’t even hire walls alone. In the meantime, we have to get by without it. Tuition fees were immediately increased to 75 rubles per year (in the men's gymnasium only 40 rubles). But even under these conditions, a huge deficit resulted. You will have to beg from rich merchants, elect them as honorary trustees, organize various entertainments, sales, etc. But this is not enough. It is necessary to reduce costs to a minimum. Teachers are paid a meager salary (40–45 rubles, even for those with higher education and many years of practice). And the boss, the secretary of the teachers' council and I agreed to work this year completely free of charge (the boss, in addition, will also teach drawing and calligraphy for free). With such women's labor we have to make our way to women's education! And despite the fact that the treasury pays only for the primary education of women, and all secondary and higher education for women is created at private expense, the number of women students is growing and growing, and even in our city at one-and-a-half men's secondary educational institutions (real school and 5 classes of a male gymnasium) the third female secondary school has already been opened.

The holidays quickly flashed by, and today we found ourselves back in classes. After the holidays, it is not easy to motivate students, and especially today, when many were having fun until two in the morning at the real school evening. That's why I didn't ask the students today. In the third grade of the men's gymnasium he explained the new rule, in the fifth he talked about ditties. In the eighth grade of the girls' gymnasium, I first read aloud the gratitude received by eighth-graders from the war for gifts. And then they began to discuss the program of the charity evening they were planning (for the needs of the war). They called the teacher into the class, and both of my lessons, without leaving the classroom, were spent talking about this topic. There is no reason to regret missing lessons because of this, since the students looked very tired after Christmastide and especially after yesterday evening, in which some took an active part. Moreover, all these war-related performances, gatherings, etc., to which students are now admitted and in which they participate with all their inherent fervor, are no less important for them in educational terms than all book pedagogies.

The war brought a lot of hard and tragic things into private life.

But it shook up the entire society, threw off the apathy of recent years and united scattered human existences into a living social organism, the suicide epidemic stopped, because hearts were already beating in unison and living currents again connected the entire country. And our youth, who last year were so nervous about every little thing, full of disappointment and close to suicide, now felt themselves to be part of a great whole. The social instinct was awakened again. And the same schoolgirls, who recently did not yet know what to do with their young energies, have now found a place for themselves and life itself is beginning to be raised as citizens from school. It is gratifying to see this, but it is a pity that only such exceptional, bloody events temporarily direct our school and life in the direction that should be normal for it.

Classes have begun again, notebooks will appear soon, and again we, language specialists, will not have to do anything extraneous except checking them.

The new staff of male educational institutions, having improved the financial situation of teachers, did not, however, eliminate the anomaly that literary scholars, who perform at least double the work compared, for example, with historians, geographers or natural scientists, receive the same amount as those (for notebooks on the Russian language will be given no more than 100 rubles a year, and from this there is also a four percent deduction). And as a result, wordsmiths find themselves in a worse position both in terms of the amount of work and in terms of material work. Here is a historian who taught Russian for two years and now every now and then expresses his pleasure that he has finally gotten rid of notebooks. Having the usual number of lessons, he is completely free at home, reads a lot and does not even know where to spend his free time, because of this he is not even averse to taking private lessons. But the wordsmith is my deputy at the girls’ gymnasium. He, receiving much less, is terribly overwhelmed with work and, although he needs money, he cannot take a single private lesson, since he does not have free time. When teaching any history, it is not at all difficult to give the maximum number of lessons that are required in the new states (18 with class mentoring and 24 without it), and teachers usually strive to capture more of them. For a language student, teaching six classes (24 lessons) is completely impossible, since there is no physical opportunity to check such a number of written works. And therefore, we, language specialists, even with material damage, have to cut ourselves in terms of the number of lessons. For example, when I stay in a men's gymnasium, I dream of one thing: would it be possible to limit the number of lessons to twelve, since even sixteen lessons (i.e., four classes) give such an amount of written work that it takes up all the time and effort.

Due to a mistake by the district, the Russian language teacher assigned to our pro-gymnasium continues to serve as a burden for the educational institution and does not so much teach the students as spoil them. She has a brilliant diploma, but she has completely forgotten the grammar course and is not trying to recall it in her memory. She never had any teaching practice (even in the form of private lessons). I haven’t gone through the Ohm method either and don’t know even the most basic techniques. Therefore, I have to go to her lessons as often as possible and teach her like some eighth-grader. On the 9th I was in her third grade for grammar. The whole lesson was a complete misunderstanding. Not to mention the complete inability to teach, it was also evident that the teacher herself had an extremely poor knowledge of grammar, since a number of gross mistakes were systematically approved by the teacher, and illiterate phrases were displayed on the blackboard without any correction. I had to take out a notebook and write in class, and several times I even had to intervene and point out that they were parsing and writing incorrectly.

After the lesson, I laid out all my comments to the teacher and gave her a whole series of methodological instructions. When I later reported my impressions to the head of the gymnasium, she said that she had previously heard from students that Mr. K-na did not explain many things as needed, and began to insist that I suggest that K-na, in the interests of the case, file a petition about her resignation to make room for Mr. N-th, in whose place she ended up. At first I was inclined to the same thought, but when I began to personally talk with K-na, then, having informed about the proposal of the headmistress, for my part I suggested that she should work for a transfer to literature in the senior classes of some gymnasium, and if the transfer does not take place, then work until the end of the year. Yesterday I was in her lesson again, and it turned out that she took my instructions into account and now teaches the lessons much better. Therefore, although she submitted a request for transfer, I now hesitate to send it in the hope that she may get better. But, of course, there will be a lot of trouble with her.

On July 1, a new law on boards of trustees was approved, significantly expanding their competence (the right of representation in the pedagogical council, in lessons and in exams, the right to supervise the teaching and educational part, the right to represent for the appointment and dismissal of all teaching staff, not excluding and the chairman of the pedagogical council, the right to appeal the decision of the district to the Ministry), at the same time, educational institutions in general acquire some independence, and the pedagogical council has its representatives in the board of trustees and can, therefore, influence both the economic and administrative parts of the educational institution . According to the exact meaning of this law, all women's gymnasiums and pro-gymnasiums maintained with private funds that appeared after its publication are subject to the action of this law, and those that existed before can either accept it or remain in the old position. But the Ministry, looking askance at this liberal brainchild of the Duma, seeks to limit its use or even completely eliminate it, which, however, is facilitated by the indifferentism of society itself. The boards of trustees of both gymnasiums do not even mention the transformation on the basis of the new law. The head of the high school, not knowing this law, sent members of the board of trustees to the district for approval (according to the new law, they are not approved by anyone), and the district, without hesitation, even rejected one of them on the basis of some unfavorable information from the police. And to my request to the district about the application of this law to the gymnasium - “no answer, no greeting.”

At the men's gymnasium, relations had just begun to improve, when an unpleasant incident occurred again, and again with the same fourth-grader B-vym, with whom there was a story that quarter. Even during the break, I talked peacefully with him, asking what dance he performed at the evening with the high school students, who else was dancing, etc. During my lesson, he ended up on someone else's desk, and soon a conversation began between him and his neighbor. I stopped them in a joking tone: “Do you think that T. is bored without S. and should definitely be occupied?” After some time, the conversations resumed again. I then called both of them, they could not answer anything, they could not even say what they were asking about. Then I gave them one each and seated them on different desks. After the lesson, B-v suddenly turned to me with a question about why they were given unities, for the answer or for attention. I replied: “You can say whatever you want, since you haven’t given any answer.” B-v began to object to this and in conclusion demanded that I indicate in the journal exactly what the units were awarded for (“You must explain...”). Considering such a tone to be completely unacceptable, I stopped further conversations with B-v and declared that I would enroll him in the conduit, which I did. When I left the teacher’s room after that, B-v caught up with me, I thought maybe it was for the purpose of an apology, but that was not the case. He asked in a rude tone if I had written it down, B-v demanded that I let him make this recording, since in that quarter I allegedly wrote it down incorrectly. Outraged by B-v's new outburst, I went back and added his new statement to my entry. Then I went to a girls’ gymnasium and didn’t know how my colleagues reacted to this, but I myself was quite upset, since B-va already had a C grade in behavior during that quarter, and now it could have ended in dismissal. The director who came to the conference was also apparently upset. After the conference, he wanted to talk to me about this incident. He, for his part, not wanting any fuss about the dismissal, decided to punish B. in a punishment cell for five hours. But from his conversation, some other details emerged regarding the attitude of my colleagues towards me. They, without telling me anything personally, gossiped to the director that the students were bad in my classes and I couldn’t cope with discipline.

I had to explain to him about this that I am not a supporter of dead discipline, so that the students sit the entire lesson like some kind of idols, but, on the other hand, I do not ignore their pranks, conversations, etc., which shows although today's incident. While reproaching me for being too soft, the director at the same time seemed not averse to accusing me of being too strict, since he advised that students should be brought up not immediately, but gradually. Thus, now I don’t know how to behave. Not influencing various B-s with strict measures means disbanding them altogether, and if you do, then various unpleasant incidents arise, in which both colleagues and the director are inclined to see my fault.

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You know, it's very sad to read all these negative reviews. Especially after I studied all four grades at this wonderful school. I, a 2008 graduate, a student of Tamara Vladimirovna Tandelova, believe that the school is simply wonderful in every sense, especially the teaching staff. It is quite difficult to find such kind and loving people in a regular school.
I want to express my gratitude to all the teachers of gymnasium 1774. If it weren’t for them, I would hardly have entered the “Intellectual” school for gifted children, because it was they, especially Tamara Vladimirovna, who were able to give me that wealth of knowledge and experience that is difficult to get in the average schools.
With their help, from the 2nd grade I began to participate in the project session, and also reached the city round in the “Discovery” design competition. Later, this helped me to enter Intellectual, and also to Polina Agaltsova (student of Svetlana Nikolaevna Topilina). Galina Yuryevna Mikhailova taught me to read poetry and prepared me for the city recitation competition, where I became a laureate, although, mind you, she is not my class teacher!
And when I come to my English teacher Inna Vasilievna Afanasyeva, I simply envy her current students - when I studied with her, Inna Vasilievna did not yet have a laptop and a TV, but even without this, believe me, studying was very interesting (and tests We wrote from her, better than students from specialized schools)! This teacher also composes wonderful poems for school holidays.
By the way, about the holidays. There were a whole bunch of them, so I simply didn’t have time to get tired. There were so many interesting things! I always tried to participate, got roles, sometimes not the main ones, but certainly interesting ones. Valentina Vasilyevna Volokhova, Irena Lvovna Eksler and Natalya Eduardovna Piletska worked with us. Everything was great. And it was not the chosen ones who participated, as some parents wrote here, but those children who wanted and who were responsible, learned the roles and worried about the costumes.
Of course, you may not pay any attention to my comment. What useful thing can some seventh grader say? However, it is very unpleasant to read and see how YOUR school is insulted, in which you are transformed from an insecure kid who is afraid to go to the board into a confident and worthy citizen of society. At this school we were as if in a vacuum, where we were loved, cared for and cherished, and were not allowed to let even a drop of evil touch us. And guess what? I am happy that I studied here and not somewhere else.
P.S. And if you don’t like it, then simply transfer your child to another school. It will be better for everyone.