Book Review

Book Review:  Same as it Never Was

By Greg Michie

(Review by Jim Vail)

I remember when I read Greg Michie's first book Holler If You Hear Me like it was yesterday. It was so revealing and realistic, describing what it is like to be a first year teacher in a Chicago Public School.

It was so incredibly empowering for teachers or wanna bees to read a book by a colleague who had to deal with classroom management problems that we all face with recalcitrant kids dealing with deep emotional problems that explode in the classroom. If you wanna know what it is like to teach in CPS, read that book! It was a bestseller, and well deserved.

What made that book also so great was how inspiring Mr. Michie is when it comes to dealing with children in a rough part of town on the South Side. He went into their lives and dug deep to know the community, the families, the joys and tribulations.

Many teachers on the South and West Sides, like myself, have probably attended funerals of their former students. I remember mine when I heard the incredible news that my former - and favorite - student William Diaz was shot in an alley in Little Village in an apparent gangland reprisal. We wept, we laughed, we reflected. It is the hard, cold reality of this city.

So I was very interested in hearing that he had written a follow up book just published in 2019 by Teachers College Press called Same as it Never Was. 

Michie was a public middle school social studies teacher who engages in hands-on learning projects. They make videos about their neighborhood. He inspires them to read books that are real about their community. People who look and talk like them. They turn into readers.

After teaching, Michie became an education professor for about 10 years. He then returned to the classroom and the same school - which he does not name in the book located in Back of the Yards - that he taught in the 1990's. This time he reflects in his new book about the new realities of public schools, namely over testing. He expressed trepidation about having to get the students test scores up and would it take away from his mission to educate and inspire. Alas, his focus to inspire kids to read, and in the process they will do well on the tests, worked out. His kids did fine.

The book, however, sort of solidifies my father's mantra that once you've read one book from an author, you've read them all. Michie's masterpiece was Holler If You Hear Me - he could not duplicate that.

And Michie left public school teaching to return to the hallowed halls of academia.

What made Michie's first book so wonderful was it was real because he was a real teacher, not a fly in like so many writers who want to "experience" a year or two just so they can write their book.

Which makes his second book a bit suspect. Yes, he returned to teaching and did teach for a few more years. But he is now an academic - he crossed over to the "other side." The side that reflects a different reality, one that Michie admitted is far distant from dealing with a roomful of city kids and all their problems. It reminded me when I crossed over from journalism to public relations. The two run counter to each other.

I would still recommend Michie's latest work - Same As It Never Was - because it's Michie, and it's inspiring again. But don't have great expectations for his latest (he's written a couple other books). Better yet, read the first one if you haven't. For beginners and veterans alike - it is a treatise on how to teach in a world the general public knows little to nothing about.

Joey McDermott

What Happened to our Beloved Field Rep Joey McDermott?
By Jim Vail

Joey McDermott

The Chicago Teachers Union (CTU) fired one of its finest field representatives Joey McDermott last fall. 

Several teacher delegates have asked about grievances or problems at their school that were being handled by McDermott during House of Delegates meetings. They say that the field reps who replaced him have not been as prompt in returning their calls.

CTU President Jesse Sharkey says that McDermott is no longer with the union. 

McDermott has not commented on his situation.

He is working today as a biology teacher at Prosser High School.

McDermott joined the Coalition of Rank and File Educators, or CORE, before they won the union election in 2010. CORE has run the teachers union ever since.

The union's field representatives are members of the Teamsters Union. Several field reps have either been replaced or retired since CORE took office 10 years ago.

McDermott has filed a grievance to be reinstated and the union will have to answer, just as a CTU teacher who is fired by CPS has due process under their union contract.

McDermott has earned a reputation as a strong union field rep who helped many CTU members either win grievances or get the advice they need.

One retired CTU delegate said almost 200 teachers have sent letters to the union asking to reinstate Mr. McDermott. One letter stated that McDermott has "an excellent knowledge of the Board-Union Agreement and was always able to provide quick and thoughtful responses to contract questions." He also possessed an extensive knowledge related to CPS policies as well as knowledge of the Illinois School Code.

In response to a letter I wrote to President Jesse Sharkey, he stated that he has heard from many people who tell him about Joey's dedication to representing members at school, but Sharkey has a responsibility to look into "complaints from members and staff at the CTU."

What those complaints are, or the real reason behind firing a stellar field rep have yet to be determined.

Many teacher delegates have battled their principals and been fired for their activism. 

"Be assured that Joey will be afforded all of his rights in this process," Sharkey stated.

CTU Lawsuit Dismissed

Judge tosses racial bias suit vs CPS, says lower black enrollment caused teacher layoffs, not racism

By Dan Churney
Cook County Record

A federal judge has dismissed a teachers union class action against the Chicago Public Schools board, which alleged discrimination against blacks was behind teacher layoffs, instead finding color blind bureaucracy, not racism, determined who received pink slips. 

Judge Jorge Alonso, of U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, threw out the suit Jan. 3, ending, for now, a nearly eight-year-long action by the Chicago Teachers Union.

The union sued the board in 2012, alleging the board sent layoff notices to 1,470 teachers and paraprofessionals in summer 2011, of whom 630 worked in predominantly African-American schools on the city’s south and west sides. Those 630 employees were the members of the class action.

The board asked Judge Alonso to toss the discrimination suit for several reasons. Alonso agreed with enough to doom the case.

Alonso concurred with the board that enrollment at the schools in question was the controlling factor. He noted the number of black students declined 25 percent between 2001 and 2011, a reflection of a decrease in the overall black population in Chicago during those years.

“The layoffs were not the product of intentional discrimination; rather, they were the product of a regular bureaucratic process by which the number of positions and amount of funding allocated to particular schools dropped when the schools’ enrollment dropped, which triggered layoffs if the drop in positions and funding impelled individual principals to close positions to balance school budgets,” Alonso wrote.

Alonso further described the process as “essentially a mechanical, bureaucratic one that depended on fluctuations in enrollment and enrollment-based funding,” with the decline in students providing a “legitimate business justification” for the layoff notices.

Alonso said he agreed with the school board there was nothing else the board could have done, short of layoffs. There were teacher and staff vacancies at other schools, but the union did not show the laid-off employees would have qualified for transfer to the open positions, Alonso added.

More importantly, Alonso noted the Illinois School Code gives principals the final say in filling vacancies at their schools.

“It is hard to see how a transfer alternative that complied with this law would differ significantly from the layoff practice the Board employed; under any transfer alternative, it seems the Board would be required at least to give the principals veto power, and some of the would-be transferees would end up left out,” Alonso said.

The judge also said the board and union acknowledged in their Collective Bargaining Agreement that layoffs were possible under certain circumstances.

“Plaintiffs should not be allowed to undermine the agreed-upon terms of the CBA through this litigation,” Alonso said.

One argument by the board that Alonso did not buy, was the contention 369 of the laid-off employees did not “ultimately suffer an adverse employment action,” because they soon retired or secured new school jobs with no loss of compensation. 

On the contrary, Alonso concluded layoffs were injuries “in their own right,” because, “the fact remains that their positions were closed and the onus was on them to secure new ones.” In addition, Alonso said, “The fact that some class members managed to find new positions quite quickly merely mitigates their damages; it does not nullify the adverse action.”

The union is represented by the Chicago firm of Potter Bolaños LLC.

The board is defended by the firm of Taft Stettinius & Hollister, of Chicago.

Book Review

Book Review:  The Girl Who Who Howled at the Moon
By Carol J. Etheridge

Chicago Public Schools teacher Carol Etheridge has written a delightful fantasy wrapped in Native American folklore about a girl who wants to become a shaman and befriends her spirit animal, a wolf named Dreamcatcher. They go on a journey with many twists and turns battling hunters, goblins and nature.

When 12-year-old Hyacinth is struck by lightening, her spirit animal, a great white wolf named Dreamcatcher, communicates with her because she now has the gift to talk to animals (Just imagine if you could talk to the animals ...). 

The lightening also sparked her inner magical powers - and now she must learn to use them to conjure up natural wonders in order to defeat the evil characters who want to stop her from her quest to change her name from Hyacinth - which is the name of a poison that killed her dog - to Thunder Wolf, the name she earned from the wolves in the Mystic Forest. 

When the bounty hunters arrive seeking the wolves, Hyacinth flees to join Dreamcatcher's pack. She reaches the Mystic Forest where a powerful shaman named Joyful Savannah offers a safe haven. The journey they take through the Seven Devils Mountains is ruled by the evil witch Priscella.

This book is very suspenseful and will be a joy to read as you wonder what will happen next in each chapter.

You will learn a lot about Native American folklore and the connection between the animal and natural world and people. Wolves, shamans and herbs allow us to see how life was lived by our original inhabitants.

This book has a special connection to The Wizard of Oz, with Hyacinth, like Dorothy, on a quest to meet the wizard, who takes the form of a great shaman. While we know the Wicked Witch of the West is melted by Dorothy, the evil Priscella is also melted, but this time it is love rather than water that changes her form.

The joys and pains of life are felt throughout the book as we cry over a member of the wolf pack's death, and jump for joy when Hyacinth learns how to help those around her.

Carol Etheridge has written a wonderful fantasy book that CPS teachers should consider to read and use in their classrooms. The students who have read her book ask her when will she write her sequel.

Visit caroljetheridge.com to find out more and order the book! 

Taboo

SCHOOL STUDENTS CHALLENGE TABOO

By Stephen Wilson

             

"The Blackfoot American Indians were experiencing dreadful times. They were starving to death. One group of Indians were desperately searching for food around the wilderness. They hunted, fished and scavenged but could never get enough food. The rule was that if someone found food they had to share it with the rest. Once some of them smelt something strong which convinced them it was fish. They became convinced that someone on the sly was secretly cooking fish while they slept. This suspicion provoked a lot of heated arguments, accusations and counter accusations. Someone somewhere was concealing food from the other members of the tribe. It looked as if a fight would break out. Then suddenly a  young girl shouted loudly:  

              

"Nobody is hiding any fish.The strong smell of fish comes because I am having my period!" As soon as her brother heard this he died of a heart attack. " The story was told to me by a Blackfoot storyteller Daniel Ogan while he was visiting Moscow. For some reason he never told this story during a performance of the Storytelling project. Maybe he thought it would be embarrassing or inappropriate to tell such a story or that people might misconstrue it. But when I retold this story to a Russian Maria Koroleva she told me "It is a great story because it really expresses the terrible suffering the Blackfoot Indians were experiencing". The story is instructive for two reasons. It reminds us of the past and present injustice undergone by native American Indians and how inhibited women can be about admitting they are having their period. Young girls often feel awkward, embarrassed and ashamed about this. They feel they might be mocked and taunted by some of their insensitive male peers. And at school, there are more often no places they can go to have their period in peace. Strange as it may seem, what is a natural and normal part of biology is practically criminalized and even the mention of the word is taboo in some cultures. I heard of one case where a young female pupil was driven to suicide because she was humiliated in front of the class by a male teacher for having their period in class. I think the country may have been India. But In Britain and many other countries women still experience problems with this issue. A  2019 survey by the Charity 'Plan International UK' found that half of girls aged 14-21 missed school because they were anxious about their period. And almost 57% reported being mocked for perceived mood or behavior while menstruating or being teased about leaking sanitary products.

              

A further issue is that girls from poor families can't afford tampons so they often resort to using cloth or tissues of some sort. Then there are often no comfortable zones to menstruate.  It is difficult to use a toilet when you have a male pupil lingering at the entrance.

             

However, some school students have had enough of this. A 17-year-old student from Llanishen High school in Cardiff Wales decided to found a new pressure group that would fight for better conditions for school girls. The group would organize special classes where pupils were told not to feel ashamed and how male pupils could react in a much more positive and supportive way when they heard girls were having their period. The school would also provide a comfort free room where girls could have their period as well as receive free sanitation products. Molly Fenton and her sister Jilly organised an on-line site and also a group called 'Love your Period'. Like many girls Molly stated: "I couldn't even say the word 'Period" without feeling embarrassed." This project became so successful that now practically all the girls at school don't feel embarrassed at asking a teacher to go to the toilet to have their period. She can say, "Please sir, I am having my period" and nobody blushes. The project has spread to many other schools throughout Britain. This case demonstrates that it takes only two or three people to change things for the better if they are determined enough. Small scale projects can have unforeseen and unexpected results.

              

All it needs is two or three pupils to come together and a sympathetic ear from the teachers' staff room and all kinds of wonders can unfold! So even seemingly insignificant actions might have an  imperceptible but profound impact.

Teacher Author Q&A

Interview with CPS Teacher Author
By Jim Vail

Carol Etheridge

Second City Teachers news blog reports on schools and politics both here in Chicago and around the world. We focus on investigative reporting and taking a critical political look at the world of education and how it affects fellow teachers.

We would also like to highlight some of the many fantastic Chicago Public School teachers who are also authors. Some have written wonderful books about what it is like to teach or fictional stories that can be used in the classroom. We will review some of these books being written and feature an interview with the author. 

If you know of any teacher authors, please forward them to us so we can promote the book that may be a future gem in a CPS classroom library.

Our first book is by Carol Etheridge, a CPS teacher at Hammond Elementary School on the SW Side. She has written a wonderful fictional story called The Girl Who Howled at the Moon, which is based on native American folklore, natural elements and fantastical events. We first interviewed her about the book that she self published and encourage fellow teachers to check it out because students at her school enjoyed reading and discussing it. 

Second City Teachers:  Can you tell us a little about yourself and background?

Carol Etheridge:  I was born in Chicago and was a CPS student from kindergarten all the way to my graduation from Lane Tech. H.S. My mom and dad instilled an appreciation for nature in me at
a young age and took my family on vacations in the great outdoors. I enjoyed hiking and catching glimpses of wildlife in their natural environments. I grew up loving animals and have had the opportunity to reunite lost dogs with their owners on several occasions. It’s a pleasure to help animals and I cannot imagine living without a dog. Throughout my teaching career, I’ve
enjoyed sharing stories of my pets, a beagle named Molly and my current dog, a golden doodle named Maggie. I affectionately call her Shaggy Maggie and her favorite trick is to roll over.
I first learned about animal conservation while watching Animal Planet and PBS in the 1990’s and have always liked to impart the knowledge from their programming onto my students. I received my Master’s Degree in Special Education in 2004 from Northeastern Illinois University and have been working as a special education teacher for the Chicago Public Schools
ever since.

SCT:   How did a get the idea to write a book? What started it?

CE:   I got the idea for my book in a one-room schoolhouse in West Virginia in 1999 while visiting relatives in West Virginia. My uncle took my dad and I to a historic, one-room schoolhouse on a
mountain where he lived and read us a book that was written by his sister who had passed away. She was a teacher and wrote a story about bears. Her love and affinity for the bear inspired me to write about animals too. A picture of a wolf popped into my head and so I decided that would be the animal in my story. When I got back home to Chicago, I began reading about wolves and watching documentaries. It broke my heart when I discovered how they were hunted to extinction in the American West. As I was writing this novel, it was important for me to share the message of their plight of coexisting with humans in order to survive in the wild.

SCT:   How did you write your book? What do you need to do to write a book?

CE:   I wrote my book while taking a fiction writing course at the Writer’s Loft with bestselling author and writing coach, Mary Carter. I learned literary devises and applied them into my
manuscript while taking writing classes for four years.

SCT:   Can you tell us about the research you did for the book?

CE:    When I got back home to Chicago from my vacation in West Virginia with my mom and dad in 1999, I began researching wolves and learned from animal conservationists how they had been demonized and misunderstood throughout history and hunted to extinction in the American West in the 1930’s. I read books from wildlife biologists, wolf conservationists as well as acquired information from animal conservation websites. The wolves’ reintroduction into Yellowstone National Park in 1995 after decades of being wiped out from that region was gratifying and intriguing. After learning about the wolves, I have come to appreciate the
importance of this apex animal in the ecosystem and the balance they have restored to the Northern Rockies since their reintroduction. I admire their loyalty to their pack members and ability to work together in a cohesive unit. I love the wolves and some day I want to take a trip to Lamar Valley in Yellowstone National Park to hear them howl or maybe even be lucky enough to catch a distant glimpse of this majestic animal.

SCT:   Are you planning to write a sequel or more books?

CE:    I started writing a sequel for The Girl Who Howled at the Moon. I made an outline and have written a few chapters but got sidetracked with an idea for another novel about a dog that was
just as misunderstood as the wolf. There is never a shortage of stories about animals in need of our help and the incredible bonds we forge by essentially helping each other. It’s very rewarding helping animals, just like helping students. I plan to finish both books but don’t have a timeline. Writing is my hobby and I don’t have deadlines. So, I do it when it’s convenient.

SCT:   How did you self-publish? How difficult is it to find a publisher?

CE:  I self-published with Lulu. They were helpful and easy to contact when I had questions during the publishing process. I edited it myself. That wasn’t easy for a 95,000-word novel. However, self-publishing is much easier than finding a traditional publisher. Many traditional publishers will not accept submissions without an agent. I don’t have a literary agent and it's difficult to acquire one. They accept very few authors for representation after reading tons of submissions.

SCT:   Did your students read your book and what did they think?

CE:    Some of my students read the book for independent reading and enjoyed it. One of my students kept talking about it after reading each chapter. He connected with the protagonist, Hyacinth, and the wolves. He wanted me to write a sequel. It was very rewarding for me. 
          Sometimes, I’ll be in the hallway at school and students will tell me they liked reading my novel and encourage me to keep writing. It’s not easy writing a novel, but after hearing that, I am
inspired to continue to the next story and the adventures they unfold. Now, I’ve been writing at a much slower pace on my spare time but still love doing it.

SCT:   What advice to have for someone who wants to write a book?

CE:    I advise an aspiring author to be an avid reader of the genre they love or any thing else that sparks their interest. Reading produces great writing. Writing courses will also teach the literary
devices needed to become a writer. Do research on writing coaches or fine arts programs in colleges to find one that will be best for you.

SCT:    Can you describe your book as fantasy and Native American Folklore? How so?

CE:     I wrote a middle-grade fantasy novel that has elements of Native American Folklore. I layered the story with historical events, fantasy and folklore. The setting is the American West
in the 1920’s before the wolves became extinct. The Seven Devils Mountains is a real mountain range in Idaho but through world building, I created a fictional place where magic is real. I
incorporated the Native American Folklore of spirit animals and the wolf, which is wise and teaches humans lessons. The protagonist, Hyacinth, who wants to become a shaman to heal others through herbs and other natural materials, is guided by Dreamcatcher, her spirit animal as she comes of age during the trials along her quest to lead his pack to safety. Through my layering of fantasy, I used healing herbs in magical ways.

SCT:   Is there anything else you would like to tell our readers?

CE:    I always wanted to write a novel and discovered the journey I took along the way was just as rewarding as the finished work. I’m glad I was able to share it with others. I encourage everyone to have a hobby they are passionate about and have fun with it.

You can order the book from her website:   http://www.caroljetheridge.com/

HOD January

House of Delegates Meeting January 2020
By Jim Vail


The Chicago Teachers Union House of Delegates meeting January 8, 2020 did not have the sparks the marred the previous meeting in December.

Two resolutions were quietly passed - Political Endorsements & Black Lives Matter at Schools Week (Feb. 3 - 7, 2020).

The meeting in December was temporarily taken over by Froy Jimenez, a teacher and former head of the union's political action committee that makes endorsements. He was furious he was not endorsed as a CTU member who headed the committee and was a strike captain.

He stormed the stage to say everything was illegal and wrong in the endorsement process because the CTU did not endorse its own member while they encourage fellow members to run for office. He is running for state senator against incumbent Tony Munoz and passed out flyers prior to the meeting.

Eventually he was convinced to sit down and the endorsement was put on hold.

But there was no political endorsement made in his First District.

One delegate asked about this and the CTU said they decided to not make an endorsement at this point.

Some insiders have suggested that the union did not want to upset the current state senator and they felt Jimenez did not have a realistic chance to win.

The union endorsed State's Attorney Kim Foxx, State Reps Theresa Mah (2nd), Omar Williams (10th), Denyse Wang Stoneback (16th), Lindsey LaPointe (19th), Michelle Darbro (20th), Kam Buckner (26th), Justin Slaughter (27th), Mary Flowers (31st) and Jaime Andrade (40th).

There was no debate on the current endorsements, although a chorus of no's from delegates indicated it was not unanimous.

The Resolution for Black Lives Matter resolved to endorse participation in Black Lives Matter Week to begin Black History Month, the CTU to host events during and around the week of Feb. 3-7, 2020 and the CTU to encourage its members to wear Black Lives Matter at School shirts to school that week and teach lessons.

Washington High School delegate Frank McDonald asked the union to make any after school pay pensionable, but the union said this would require a change in the state law.

The meeting focused on the current dilemma facing veteran pay. The Chicago Public Schools (CPS) would just like to give out the $25 million as bonus pay, but the union wants it to go into the steps that increase pay each year.

The CTU filed an unfair labor practice. CTU labor lawyer Robert Bloch said CPS does not like veteran teachers and does not want them. The Mayor initially offered the money to be taken out of the class size budget, which the union rejected. The last minute agreement to give $25 million pay raise to veteran teachers was in response to grumblings from many who see no yearly raises after 14 years of employment, until they get to their 20th year, and then 25th year. Bloch said never in the 50 years of bargaining have teachers gotten bonuses. Step are "the gift that keeps on giving."

Union officials said the contract will not be ratified until this grievance over veteran pay is decided. Therefore, no raises yet.

CTU President Jesse Sharkey had all the delegates stand who filed either successful grievances in their schools, or took a successful stand to prevent the principal from doing something that was against the contract. Most delegates of over 400 in the room stood.

He said the CTU is determined to abolish SQRP - which rates the schools based on test scores and attendance, and student-based budgeting which punishes schools with less students.

Sharkey said the union is in a fight with the management of the Chicago International Charter Schools, who are "on a warpath."

The pension trustee told delegates that charter schools do not pay into the pension fund on time like they are supposed to.

One delegate complained that after field rep Joey McDermott was fired, she has been having a hard time getting field reps to return her calls. Jesse said this is unacceptable, and they will make sure someone returns delegates' calls.

Another delegate asked Jesse what to do when your principal is "systematically targeting teachers and reporting them to DCFS to get them out."

Sharkey laughed and said that is a long discussion, but there needs to be a plan, and quickly moved on to the next questions during the Q&A which is before and after the meeting of official reports and resolutions.

The Chicago Board of Education is also preparing to give outside teachers up to 10 years of experience, or put them in Step 10 in pay. Currently teachers who worked outside the district can only get up to two years of experience in CPS.

Film Review

FILM REVIEW

UNION Of SALVATION  {2019}

By Stephen Wilson

       

Directed by Andrei Kravchuk ,

Ivan Kolensnikov as Nicholas 1st, Leonid Bichevin as Decembrist Myravev,

Maxim Matreev as Sergei Trubetskoi, Pavel Piliuchin as Pestel, Sofia  

Ernest as Anna Belskaya.

 

           

The film Union of Salvation, about the failed Decembrist Uprising of 1825, is a must. The sheer beauty on the huge screen is awesome. The marvelous costumes, military uniforms of soldiers as well as superbly shot angles of Saint Petersburg make this a pleasant watch. I particularly enjoyed the scenes where rebel soldiers poured out of the barracks to take up positions on formation and the victory celebration in Paris of 1814.  But this is not all! The film promises compelling drama as you wonder who will stand by the rebels or defect to the Tsar. At times the film is confusing especially to people who have not read up on the historical background to those events. Of course, as you might expect, poetic drama often supersedes the actual course  of events because film directors are more concerned with drama. What might be surprising is how many scenes in the film actually mirror real events. For instance, there was a cavalry charge made on the rebels, an envoy certain to negotiate the troops was killed and the Tsar reluctantly bombarded the rebels who were stunned, shocked and driven into fleeing over the River Neva. 

           

At first I and my colleague wondered if it was worth watching this film. At the last minute my sleepy colleague changed her mind and said: " Let's go". I thought it might be just another boring cliched film with too many special effects. Maybe it would be another of those crude digital disordered patriotic films. But we were mistaken. My colleague never slept through it. Instead she asked, "Who is that?" 'Is that Pestel? Who is that ridiculous man running around in the crowd? " I honestly did not care. I just enjoyed the acting. Andrei Kolesnikov certainly played a convincing Nicholas the First. He looks very strict, stubborn and uncompromising. He declares: "I can forgive cruelty, but not weakness." As in real life, he displayed complete presence of mind. Anticipating that an uprising was imminent in advance through his informers he was thought to have written: 'In the early hours of the day after tomorrow, I shall either be a sovereign or a corpse.' Kolesnikov stated in one interview with Evening Moscow that although he had read all he could about the tsar there were some scenes which were difficult to do. He stated: "There was one scene where Nicholas 1st received news that of the death of his older brother Alexander. And I had to weep. To cry before the camera is not a problem, but when this is shot for 12 hours, it becomes difficult: in order to play tragedy, you need to summon up all the burden of your own feelings and memories".

            

The film does not take any side in this conflict. It looks more at events as a tragedy for both sides. There are the rebels prepared to risk their very lives, prestige and position for what they see as the common good. Some of the best scenes of the film are where we witness soldiers carousing, playing tricks and amusing themselves. In one of the first memorable scenes the Tsar Alexander refuses to drink with his soldiers to celebrate the victory over Napoleon in Paris during 1814. But the last scene ends with an event which never happened; Alexander agrees to drink with his soldiers. The latter scene suggests what if history unfolded differently and Alexander had truly respected his soldiers? 

           

If this film briefly awakens an interest in this fascinating period of history then justice is served. For those who don't know the historical background, it is worth mentioning. Following the end of the Napoleonic wars, many Russian soldiers returned home as different men. The war had profoundly transformed them. They came back with new habits, uncouth speech and different values to the older generation. For them, what mattered most was not their social rank or position in the civil service or a career, and observing manners, but the importance of friendship, comradeship and remedying the injustice they noticed around them. They wanted to treat the peasants better, abolish serfdom, and create a more justified and fairer society.

           

All kinds of secret societies were formed to create a society where serfdom would be abolished, the tsar's power limited or completely abolished as well as a freer atmosphere where everyone would be equal before the law. From 1816-17, a number of high-ranking officers, Colonel Paul Pestov, Muravyov and Prince Sergei Trubetskoy came together to found the Union of Salvation in Saint Petersburg. There were other societies such as the Society of United Slavs.

           

However, they had strong disagreement in aims as wells as methods. For instance, many members did not agree with Pestov's blueprint for a republic which not only called for the assassination of the Tsar, but the deportation of troublesome Caucasian people and forced resettlement of Jews as well as the development of a police force which would control all activities. Many of the leaders simply sought a constitutional monarchy modeled on Britain.

           

The leaders had planned for an uprising to take place in 1826. However, the unexpected death of the Tsar Alexander led to a period where there was no authorized tsar in Russia for 6 weeks. Constantine, who was next in line for the throne had been disqualified by Alexander for marrying a Polish princess.

           

Despite appeals by his brother, he refused to take up the throne and Nicholas assumed power as a tsar. There was a confusing situation where it was not known who would become tsar. The Decembrists attempted to exploit this confusion by organizing a mass uprising in Senate square of Saint Petersburg where they would advance on the Winter Palace, capture the tsar and seize power via a military coup. They had counted on 20,000 soldiers coming out in support. Instead, only 3,000 soldiers came out. Under a strong and well-organised leadership they might have carried the day. However, the rebels proved too indecisive, hesitated and stood around for 5-6 hours doing nothing.

           

The person who was meant to lead them, Sergei Trubetskoy, never turned up on the square. Instead, he had a nervous breakdown and fled to the Austrian embassy where he was later arrested. After a fruitless cavalry charge and the failure of negotiations, Nicholas the First ordered his cannon to start bombarding them. When a gunner refuses to light the fuse an officer goes ahead and does it.

           

Many of the soldiers under the command of the rebel officer had been misinformed that Constantine had promised to free the serfs and create a new constitution. Scenes from the film show soldiers shouting for "Constantine and the constitution." Some peasants had never heard of the word constitution. They thought it was the name of Constantine's wife. 

           

After a horrific bombardment which killed many soldiers, as well as women and children, the rebels fled in panic. One estimate states that as many as 1,000 people may have been slaughtered. After this and subsequent crushing of the rebels in Ukraine, the rebellion was finished. As many as 500 Decembrists were arrested and interrogated, but most of them were released after agreeing to provide information for the prosecution. The five main ring-leaders were hanged and secretly buried. When the hangman failed to successfully hang three of them, one Decembrist stated, "What a country which can't even competently hang people." 

           

It is interesting to note that during interrogations some prisoners blamed the poet Pushkin because his poems inspired him. Mikhail Ryumin stated: "I heard everywhere Pushkin's verse being read with enthusiasm. This more and more strengthened my liberal opinions". Pushkin actually confessed to writing the lines, 'Where are freedom and the law? Over us alone the ax reigns.' But poetry was not the only culprit. The education system was also blamed along with many tutors and teachers. Benckerdorf stated that the experience of the uprising on 14th December was the fatal consequences of a false educational system.

            

It is unfortunate that the true legacy of the Decembrists has never been fully acknowledged. They are mainly viewed as the losers in a badly organised rebellion. However, many of the Decembrists set up special schools in the army where they taught peasant soldiers to read and write, and offered free medical treatment and care. For example, the Decembrist Pavel Semenov organised a medical clinic for serfs as well as aid to the widows of soldiers. From 1818 to 1821 Count Mikhail Orlov and Vladimir Reavsky founded schools for soldiers. The historian Orlando Figes wrote: 'Together the Decembrists formed a veritable 'university'. Between them they had an encyclopedic range of expertise, from folklore, history and archaeology to mathematics and the natural sciences, and they published many learned works,as well as poetry and literature, in the leading journals of the day.' {see Orlando Figes ' Natasha's dance, a Cultural History of Russia, 2002,New York}

           

This is one thing which might only be hinted at by this film. The legacy of the Decembrists deserves more than what posterity has granted them. They were not just hapless rebels, but much more. In deed, they were great educators!

Standardized Pay

STANDARDIZED TEACHER  PAY PROPOSAL

TEACHERS THROUGHOUT RUSSIA TO RECEIVE SAME PAY?

By Stephen Wilson

 

            

According to some reports, rumors and speculation, a Council of the Federation has proposed that all Russian school teachers, irrespective of their region, will receive the same salary. This was the case during the Soviet era before the rise of unequal pay system leading to glaring inequalities. The council hopes that this system will be in force within approximately a year. A recent statement by a representative of the Committee of the Senate of the Russian Federation on Science, Culture and Education  Victor Smirnov seems to have raised such hopes. He declared: "The absence at a Federal level of a single normative leads to unreasonable differentials in awards to Kindergarten and school teachers."

            

The enormous differences in pay between school teachers is strikingly surreal. While a school teacher in Moscow can obtain around 100,000 rubles a month, a few kilometers beyond Moscow a school teacher can earn 12,000 rubles for the same amount of pay. But it is not just the discrepancy in the salary of teachers. How stimulated pay is provided can vary according to what task a single system devised by a headmistress comes up with. It can be such a complex system that teachers can be baffled as to whether they will be paid for this school task or not, whether it is working on a school journal or taking students on an excursion.  

            

According to Galina Vasileva, a member of the trade union Teacher: "I think that teachers all over Russia will support this initiative to equalize pay with joy. This is necessarily to do and urgent. Because of this humiliating low pay teachers feel as if they have already been forced into a corner.

            

The existing system of pay is unfair. During the Soviet period there was just one tariff scale of pay. Now the pay of teachers differs according to the region. Even within the perimeter of one city the pay can differ. For example, in Petrozavodski in one school where a teacher works 18 hours for 97,000 rubles a teacher who works the same in another school can obtain 82,000 rubles. Why is there such injustice?" According to Vasileva, a teacher should at least receive no less than 22,000 rubles a month.  She states: "A teacher in Russia must not be a pauper. Poverty oppresses and humiliates." 

            

However, the problem with this proposal is how will it be implemented? In Moscow, many school teachers may have received a higher pay, but it was often attained through mass redundancies via optimization {i.e. two schools were merged to cut costs}. What if the drive for equal pay amounts to austerity by other means?

            

Does any school teacher feel great at being told: "Yes we can give you pay a boost but your colleague will have to lose his or her job!" So you have a current situation where in some Russian universities and schools, teachers are told that as many as 50% of teachers are to be made redundant and the head of the department will choose only 'the best teachers'. It is not enough simply to address the unfair pay of school teachers, but a whole host of problems such as insecure job protection, continued unfair dismissal, lack of academic freedom, too much paperwork, too many tests, overcrowded classrooms and the discouragement of any real critical thinking in subjects, not to mention repercussions against school students who dare to use their own reason. Does anyone seriously believe less teachers leads to an improved quality of education?

 

            

Any proposal the government suggests should be sharply scrutinized. We should ask them "What is the catch behind those new proposals ? Do I keep my job or not?" To take a simple example, how do you impose an equal pay system throughout Russia when school teachers in Moscow obtain about 100,000 rubles a month? Do you  increase all the salaries of teachers all over Russia to 100,000 rubles or do you drastically cut Moscow pay down to 22,000 rubles? There are a lot of questions which don't seem to have been fully explored.