Question on the former Soviet Union?

Question

Does anyone know from personal experience or know any sites that give information on what schools were like for children growing up during the Cold War Era? Was learning more accelerated than American schools today? In particular, do you know any information on music schools and the methods taught? I've already tried Wikipedia, but I didn't find the information I was looking for. Best answer receives 10 points, but if you have no idea how to answer this, please don't answer.

Answer 1

It is hard to answer your question "from personal experience" because one has to study under both systems in order to compare.

Yeah, "from personal experience", I think it was more accelerated. In order to do the school program comparison, you could try going to a website of a particular russian school but keep in mind it would be all in Russian. I don't think they changed school program much since the cold war (except history and political science, of course). I don't know about particular methods - methods are hard to notice, when you're a student. I think the key is that expectations are set much higher.

In short, schools were really good and teachers were awesome. We drove them crazy, of course, but this is the nature of the beast....

To reflect a little bit on art education. Music and Drawing were required subjecs (all subjects were required, no choises wich is both good and bad). In addition, your parent could have chose to put you in music shcool (or to a sports school, or any other stuff like that). This way, they are sure you're off the streets while they are at work. Music school was state-subsidised, so pretty much anyone could afford it. Depending on what year are you in the program, you had to go there 2-5 times a week. Your parents paid monthly fee to the school. The program had a little variation depending on the rank of school and the teaches, but mainly, requirements were set in a centralized fasion in Moscow by a certain organization designated to do so. Teachers, too, had to pass Government Exams in order to teach and qualify as teachers.

I hope it helps you to get an idea.

Answer 2

After kindergarten they had 10 grades instead of 12, and you could leave after 8 to go to a technical school for 3 years. You could go to the university either after 10th grade or after technical school... it was a choice of whether you'd rather go straight to college in 2 years or spend 3 years but have a degree in case you wanted to stop there. It's hard to say whether learning was more accelerated... possibly, since it seems the same amount of material was included with 2 less years.

Music school was separate... on top of your regular school you could go to music school as well starting in 1st grade. When you graduated, around 8th grade, you could drop music or drop regular school and go to another music school for about 3 years. Then on to the conservatory.

Answer 3

During the Stalin Era Children were told that the Priests and Bishops were greedy thieves that were evil. They were Also told by the military officers in the church that they should ask God for candy, and when they did no candy would fall. Then they told they kids to ask Stalin for candy, and Stalin's servants would drop bags of candy from the roof of the church. (So they thought Stalin was God).

Answer 4

I would be interested in knowing what lies they were teaching the kids and if the kids were aware that the history they were being taught was revised.