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WEEKS of November 20 & 27, 2006 |
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New Windows Open on Russian Education in St. Petersburg by Roxanne Zazzaro, Head of Upper School Recently, Sergei Mikhelson, Upper School math teacher, and I had the opportunity to travel to St. Petersburg, Russia, to speak at an educational conference, learn about educational reform and visit several schools. Sergei and I were invited to speak about Quaker education and the mission of Brooklyn Friends School at the conference entitled “Alternative Education: in Search of Quality.” The two-day conference, sponsored by the Educational Center of Concern with support of the St. Petersburg Council of Scientists and Institute of Educational Strategies, focused on various pedagogical theories, alternative education and independent education. In our presentation, which was followed by a question and answer session, Sergei and I spoke about the basic tenets of Quakerism, how they pertain to Quaker education and the mission of Brooklyn Friends School. We talked briefly about private, independent education, the governance structure of independent schools, and the monetary means by which independent schools operate. There was a great deal of interest in our mission and we were asked several questions that focused on educating the whole child working with families and students, and how we work with our students to establish their “voices” in the school community. Besides attending the conference, we visited schools and educational programs and met with several outstanding educators. A St. Petersburg native, Sergei was able to arrange for visits with some of his teachers, colleagues and classmates. Our trip included a visit to Public School 213 (the school Sergei attended) which places an emphasis on English instruction. There we met with several teachers including Sergei’s English teacher, Tatyana Vorobyeva, and the principal of the school, Lyudmila Lyubimova. We also visited the Private School of Film, Theater and Show-Business. Here we were able to speak with the principal, Anna Timofeeva, as she told us about establishing independent schools in Russia and the coming-of-age of schools that charge tuition.
The House of Children’s Youth and Creativity was a very unique school in that the majority of its student body attends the after school program. As we toured the facility, we were able to attend a music class where students are taught to play traditional Russian instruments; a circus class, and visit a nature center where rescued, injured animals are used to help students understand learning differences. One day we traveled to Pavlovsk, which is a 30 minute drive in the country from St. Petersburg. Besides seeing some beautiful scenery, parks and palaces, we were entertained by the students and faculty of a private lyceum. This lyceum, which is a boarding school, is fairly new and at this point has two grades, fifth and eighth, with the hopes of increasing enrollment. English is taught at the school and the curriculum is project-oriented, focusing on travel abroad to learn about culture and history and in some cases, practice English. Quaker schools are not unknown to the educators I met. PS 213 and the lyceum have had exchanges with Quaker schools from the Philadelphia area. However, the school most interested in Quaker education was the Epischool, which is a private school for grades one through 11. The principal Mikhail Epshtein, who coordinated of the conference, spoke with Sergei and me at great length about Quakerism, Quaker education and BFS. Mikhail shared that he has his students gather for Meeting. Epischool is non-denominational, but Mikhail likes the sense of gathering together for reflection at some point in the week or day. He did share that it is hard to have the students sit in silence for too long, which got a bit of a chuckle from Sergei and me as we assured him that this is not uncommon. As St. Petersburg rebuilds, it is in the process of evaluating its educational system. I learned that there has been an increase in the educational budget in the last several years and faculty salaries have increased over the last ten years. At one point in the trip, I met Leonid Ilyushin who is the head of the Modernization Department for the St. Petersburg Board of Education. Leonid spoke of the reforms that the board of education has planned, including subject exams, much like the A-Levels that are administered in Great Britain; reformation of the public school system and vocational training (much different than vocational training of the past which focused on the needs of the military). I was constantly being educated. The visits and meetings that I had with these talented and creative educators and several others were phenomenal. There was little time for relaxation, but we did get to squeeze in a visit to The Hermitage; the Marinsky State Theater for a ballet performance and to a jazz philharmonic performance. I was lucky enough to stay with a Russian family, Vladimir Goldich and his wife Irina Oganezova. Vladimir is a math teacher and Irina a former English teacher and together they translate mysteries and fantasy novels from English into Russian. Early morning breakfast and late night teas and dinners were filled with laughter, great conversation and sharing of minds and cultures. In some cases, I needed Sergei to interpret for me. After a while, however, I didn’t’feel that there was a language barrier. I was a learner and I was being taught many things in several ways. Professionally and personally, my journey to Russia was a remarkable opportunity that I will reflect on and cherish for many years.
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