18 April entry

Basic Facts about Nina's school:

Lyceum #1 in Chkalovsk (about 20,000 people in town)
1. It used to be secondary school #5, named after famed Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin. He was the first person to orbit the Earth.
2. Almost 800 students in grades K-11.
3. 35 teachers (28 women, 7 men). They have all graduated from pedagogical university. They have categories of seniority that determine evaluation protocols: teachers with 0-5 years of experience are evaluated by the Ministry. Those with 6-10 years of experience are level 2; those with 11-20 years are level 1. 20+ years is the highest level. Teachers do not automatically move us in seniority categories, but must meet certain criteria of performance. There are official accolades for teachers whose students achieve high levels (on standardized exams) within their subjects.
4. Subjects taught: history, Tajik language, Russian, English, geography, many science and match classes, computers, "labor training lessons (cooking, sewing, painting, etc.), art, music and others. This is not an exhaustive list.
5. Students wear uniforms: navy or black suits for the boys (including dark ties) and white blouses and blue/black skirts for the girls. In winter girls wear pants, and in the spring the boys sometimes leave their suit jackets at home.
6. Lessons vary by grade: K-4th grade: 3 or 4 classes a day; 5th-11th grade: 5 or 6 lessons a day.
7. Most students take 6 or 7 classes, and the classes are yearlong.
8. Classes are 45 minutes long with 5 minutes break in between.
9. Many students have extra lessons in different subjects after the regular school hours. Students contract independently with teachers for this. Nina estimates that more than 50% of the students take extra lessons, but she says before exams all of them do. I'm hearing the average they pay for extra lessons is about 20 somoni/month (a little less than $5, but about 10% of a teacher's monthly salary). About half of this goes to the teacher, with the other half going to the school for maintenance, electricity, etc.
10. Classes are held Monday-Saturday, 8:00-1:30. Extra lessons start after that.
11. Final exams run from May 30-June 25. They are usually written, but some are given orally. Nina says the Ministry of Education changes the procedure regularly.
12. There is a dining room with food cooked on-site: pies (savory), salads, soup, tea. Nina says lunch typically costs 50 dirams (1/2 a somon)...about 12 cents. She says sometimes it costs 1 somon (25 cents). There is also a reduced fee lunch program. The principal has a small budget to cover this (and extra classes for some students). There is also a municipal fund to help in these cases. Nina things this applies to about 40 kids a year. It says a lot that families here struggle to meet these expenses.

There are 7 schools in Chkalovsk, so students typically go to the school nearest their home, although they are free to go to another one. There are 2 gymnasiums, 1 lyceum, and 4 secondary schools. There's a music school too but it's outside the purview of the Educational Department. The lyceum is more math oriented, and the gymnasiums are more humanities focused. The secondary schools have many of the same curricular attributes, but without the extra classes. All students wear uniforms.


About Nina:

Teachers seem to be held in very high respect by the community. That is certainly true for Nina. She's a celebrity, it seems. She attended this school when it opened and has now been teaching there for 39 years. She was the principal for 10 years, but she really likes being back in the classroom. She teaches 4 days a week, with Fri/Sat off. The perqs of seniority!

She was also elected to a term as a local "deputy", a person chosen by the people in the neighborhood to help them with their problems. These might include finding free medicine, lowering electricity costs, getting subscriptions to newspapers, or even getting their kids into kindergarten. She's a busy woman.

She's been participating in the TEA program for 10 years now. She has hosted 2 American teachers already, spent 6 weeks in Lincoln last year, and is getting ready to apply for a grant to fund a library in her school.


18 April: the day

Today began a little too early for me. I woke up at 4:30 and was so excited that I couldn't go back to sleep. Bummer. Just as well, since this was our big day for the school's official welcome of me and the students' presentations. Words can hardly capture how delightful it was. We had to hang out at home a little longer than expected because some of the local dignitaries were running behind. When we finally set out we were met by the principal, an adorable Tajik man who communicates with me in a charming Tajik-Russian-French hybrid. Then two really charming, smart women arrived (their official positions are so complicated to explain that I'm skipping that part. They are city officials responsible for education and the more senior of them has an especial interest in supporting international learning and exchange. She is a really poised, lovely woman, and her two sons study and work abroad.) Nina, her 5 student helpers, and the other officials and I walked through 2 lines of students holding Tajik flags and saying "Zdrastvuiyte!" or, for the daring, "Good morning!" They were so totally cute and in earnest, I almost melted. I greeted each one and I smiled so much I thought I'd get face cramps. Three young ladies met me at the door with a graduated stack of freshly baked round loaves of bread, topped with a small container of salt. After an impressive recitation, they invited me to sample their gift. I tore a piece of one of the rounds, dipped it in the salt, and ate it. This is a Tajik tradition to welcome guests, especially those from far away or of particular importance.

More adorable kids, more greetings, a delightful song and dance by the kids in the 4th form (10 years old) and poetry from the younger ones. Too, too cute. Then more formality (with lots of smiles) as we walked through the school, up the stairs and into Nina's light, bright 3rd floor classroom. It was a tightly orchestrated lesson showcasing the benefits of dynamic, interactive collaborative teaching. Nina and I both wish we'd had more time, as we had to rush out at the end. Dozens of kids wanted me to sign their notebooks. I am eager to do it--we just need an hour or two.

Then the school hosted us for lunch (including some of Nina's homemade wine and pickles--yum!) The librarian made osh, which in Russian is plov. Meat, rice, chickpeas, small grape leaves stuffed with meat, raisins, carrots...it was DIVINE. Fruits, sliced vegetables and the ubiquitous round bread. Apparently the meal packed a zillion calories. All the older women smiled through their gold teeth and, patting my hand and laughing, told me not to worry about it. (When in Chkalovsk...!) I will leave looking like a Buddha, that's for sure. After gift-giving (me to them, thankfully) we came back for a nap--yes! Then off to a student's house for dinner. Nina has a core group of graduates to whom she is very close. They consider her a socond mother. These kids have been helping us out at every step. We ate tonight at Daler's house. He is a tall, gregarious, intelligent young man with a ready smile and a thirst for knowledge. His mom made one of the most delicious dinners I've ever eaten. Unfortunately, I mistook the abundant appetizer spread for the whole dinner and ate my fill of salads. She must have chopped and sliced for hours. There were herb and radish salads, beet and cabbage salads, potato and pea salads, sliced vegetables, fried cauliflower, deviled eggs, sliced meats, cheeses and of course bread. It was with mild dismay that I realized the "real meal" was yet to come. I had to beg off with small helpings of stewed meat, onions, and potatoes (although she'd salted the potatoes perfectly, I must say). I skipped dessert entirely: 3 kinds of fancy chocolate, 2 kinds of cookies and sliced fruits. I told them, I'd have chocolate and cookies literally coming out of my ears if I ate any more. They gave me a traditional hat (can't remember name) and fabric. Daler's mom is actually going to sew me a garment before I leave. Un. Real. I had such a pleasant time--what fabulous, warm-hearted people. They live in a Russian-style apartment complex much like what I'd seen in Vladimir, Moscow and other Russian cities. The family fills it with such warmth, though, despite the fact that Daler's dad is is the Emirates for work (another indication of low unemployment locally). He's deeply missed, but the evening was so full of laughter and camaraderie, I got the strong impression this is a family with love at its core.

The walk home was extremely pleasant, with conversation flowing easily between pairs of us as we skirted the large holes in the sidewalk. Everyone wants to practice English, but I'm managing to speak more Russian than I have in years. It's fun and we're all learning. These kids have ambition and drive. And they're so NICE!!!!!

Nastia, Mamura and I are planning a girls night of watching sentimental old Russian movies in our pj's. I can't wait. Not sure when it'll happen, but how totally fun!