One of the things that surprised me the most when it came to
the Russian school system was the atmosphere of respect and authority that
surrounds the classroom. The pupils almost always stood up when they were
called by the teacher and everything was done according to the teacher’s
instructions. Whereas in America, the focus of the classroom is on the
individual student and helping him succeed, in Russia, the classroom revolves
around the upcoming state exams that will either grant or deny each student the
opportunity to go to a university. Every student is responsible for his or her
success.
In contrast to American children, the
Russian children are lively, noisy and energetic. Moreover, what impressed me
the most was that the children were being taught almost completely in English. Up
until coming to college, my experiences with foreign languages in school was
one where the teacher spoke mostly in English and where every now and then the
opportunity arose to speak in the target language. Evident too was the
significance of poetry to the school curriculum as the school children not only
recited poems but also interpreted modern works such as those of Vladimir
Symeonovich Vysotsky. Again, even though in high school, we read and
interpreted a lot of poetry, rarely did we ever present poems before the class
much less did we delve on contemporary poets of significance. It is simply
remarkable that in spite of the great scarcity of resources, funding and the
lack of teachers, the school is able not only to function but to prepare its
students for a future university career.
Noteworthy, however, is the fact that the
classrooms are overwhelmingly populated with girls while few if no boys are
represented in the higher levels.
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