Sept. 1

School Begins!

By Stephen Wilson 

The 1st of September in Russia which is celebrated as 'The Day of Knowledge' as well as the beginning of the academic year has been marked by more changes to the curriculum as well as new lessons on patriotism for the youngest children at school termed 'Conversations of Importance.' Critics claim it is an attempt by the Russian state to brainwash impressionable young children and is wasting the precious time of school teachers.

Just like the weather, the future school program can just suddenly abruptly change in dramatic ways. In late August Moscow experienced a heat wave for one week of temperatures averaging around 30 degrees. Then suddenly the temperature has plunged to around 14 degrees and less. Instead of a clear blue sky you have a dense grey or white overcast sky with a chilly wind. Just as nobody knows exactly what to wear, teachers often don't know exactly what they must prepare. For instance, the format of the final year General English State Exam has changed yet again with new changes to the exam rendering some text books almost obsolete. English teachers feel pressurized into taking new courses or purchasing new textbooks they can ill-afford. The new changes involve a ban on mobile phones in the classroom, school students no longer being obliged to take two foreign languages and instead can choose only one {this move has been unwelcome for many Russian school teachers of French and German who worry about losing a lot of their hours at school}, beginning the school day with the singing of the national anthem and raising of the Russian flag and 'Conversations of importance' where school children as young as six will learn how to be patriotic.{often called history lessons}

In Russia, from the 1st September as many as 17.5 million children returned to school. Two million children went to school for the first time. When I asked some of my students how they felt about returning to school they grunted 'Don't even mention school' and later returned to enthusiastically playing video games as much as possible before they had less time for such amusements. They don't seem in any elated mood for celebrating.

It is fair to say that the 1st of September is still a special day for teachers. It is much more significant than the 1st of January as it really is the beginning of something new. In the old calendar of Moscow the 1st September did once mark the beginning of the new year rather than the 1st January. This is because it was the time where peasants had to gather the harvest. It was even thought that God had made the World in Autumn because it was the most convenient time to make it. It took Peter the Great to bring out a globe of the World and patiently explain to Russians that Russia is not the World and that when it is Winter in Russia it can be Summer elsewhere.

The ban on mobile phones has been welcomed by most school teachers. "About time to" you often hear in the school corridors. School students were often sending messages or secretly playing some games. They also use gadgets for cheating during some tests although that had become increasingly problematic with the imposition of very strict rules during exams.

The most controversial change has been the introduction of lessons on 'patriotism.' The lessons come under the title 'Conversations about what is important.' The idea is that children will learn about the most significant events happening around them and that children from ten will be allowed to discuss controversial topics such as the on-going 'Special military Operations' in Ukraine. Children will be taught of the importance of serving in the armed forces and their obligations to defend their country against any imminent invasion. On the surface, this might seem innocuous until you wonder how patriotism is be defined and explained and whether such discussions would just provoke pointless arguments. Not every school student eagerly wants to discuss 'Special Military operations' especially when their classmates are from Ukraine. A 16-year-old school girl told me that, "We don't even discuss this question at school because we don't want to hurt the feelings or offend the sensitivities of fellow schoolmates from Ukraine." They seem to be following an old English maxim of making conversation where a rule at parties was never to discuss politics or religion. This maxim was observed to prevent fist fights and duels against a background of Civil war in England during the 17th to 18th  centuries. This is not the most appropriate time to introduce such a topic. In many places in Moscow the atmosphere has been rendered toxic following political arguments. Teachers and students who have been friends for years have fallen out over different views on the conflict. Families have been torn apart by ugly arguments. An Orthodox priest who takes confessions stated that many of his congregation has come to him for advice on how to repair the damage inflicted on their families by political arguments.

Should teachers simply boycott those lessons? Such an action might only succeed in leading them to losing their jobs. Perhaps a more productive way of teaching might be allowing children to discuss what is patriotism! Is it love of nature? Does patriotism encompass friendship, love and charity? In that case it is worth children and ourselves learning how to value friendship, how to be a good friend and how to keep friendship going! We need to learn that just because you have a disagreement on a political matter does not mean the funeral of a friendship. There are cases where married couples have very different political opinions, but their marriages can continue until death! What is their secret? Perhaps it is how they disagree and what they do agree on that matters most!

So 'Conversations about what is important ' need not be brain-washing but an exercise in 'emotional intelligence' or practical wisdom. The main thing in those discussions would be to ask the questions than simply furnish ready-made answers in advance. One of the saddest things about many schools is that children are not taught what is love and how to truly love people. That is certainly one of the most important topics of any school discussion. And children should be encouraged to find the answers themselves. The poet T.S. Eliot claimed, 'Old men ought to be explorers. But children deserve to be given the head start when it comes to exploring. They should be inspired to retain a childlike curiosity which questions everything!'