Schools and Teachers in the USSR

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I was drawn to Schools and Teachers in the USSR by Frank C. Johnstone from
Volume 6 1969 as Soviet history is an area of interest to me. I was fascinated to hear
of descriptions of the developing ‘Kindergartens’ originally set up by factories and
collective farms to look after children whilst their mothers worked. Now (in 1969) the
government were taking over this role, looking after children aged 3 to 7 (nurseries
take them up to 3 and they start school at 7), in places that were open 24/7 staffed
by teachers, assistants, ‘domestics’ nurses and a part time doctor! The idea of
nurturing and developing the pre-school child is not new!

In the USSR children all had to learn a language, usually from age 12. Johnstone
visited a special language school where children started to learn that second
language from age 9. He observed science and maths lessons being taught in the
language being studied – CLiL in 1969 Moscow! He says that it is difficult to find
subject specialists with the additional language skills and that teacher training
establishments are encouraging anyone that shows linguistic skills to stay on a
additional year to build on these. A lesson to be learned today?

I was fascinated by the idea of all children being expected to participate in some
‘socially helpful work’ (active citizens?) and that all children and parents were
involved in the behaviour of students, with any ‘delinquent’ being brought up in front
of the pupil council and, for particularly serious issues, one including parents. The
idea of such pupil/parental involvement in the school running very much parallels the
talk of today if not the action.

In all a wonderful insight into a bygone era that very much talks to today.

Claire Molloy

June 2016

DOI