Позитивные изменения. Образование. Школа будущего (Тематический выпуск, 2022)/Positive changes. Education. The school of the future (Special issue, 2

“The Association studies the labor market around the world and makes predictions for the next six to ten years, regarding what professions will be in demand, what qualities and skills will need to be developed. The Association works with the Ivy League and top-ranking universities, so their tests are usually very helpful in getting the child firmly on the ground (given the right choice of subjects) or in seeing why they are underperforming in school. Perhaps it’s because he’s not doing the right thing at all, or there are some peculiarities in his training”, says Tatyana Glitsan.

THE SCHOOL AS A COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT CENTER

Karina Sharin, in her book “How to Give Your Child a British Education without Going Broke and Losing Your Nerve", quotes Mike Buchanan, executive director of the HMC (the Headmasters’ and Headmistresses’ Conference), an organization that brings together some 350 of the best private schools in Britain and fifty international schools, on what to look for when choosing a school. It is the relationship between teachers and students, the effectiveness of school leadership, and the school’s relationship with the local community, including residents and other schools.

There are so many events going on at the schools that parents get a calendar of events for the semester ahead, and there are so many sports sections, halls, clubs, and clubs on the boarding grounds that there is no need to take your child anywhere else.

According to the experts, children’s involvement in the local community is highly developed in British schools. For example, students who excel in physics give open classes to children who are not doing well in that subject at another school or in the lower grades. Sometimes the more affluent schools help equip the less affluent schools. In addition, volunteering and charity activities are also extensively developed: charity events, races are held in order to raise money and draw public attention to a social problem, such as helping the elderly.

“Parents are often engaged in school life. Both children and parents are frequently interviewed there because they believe that the school is a second family. Parents participate in charity and get-together events with other families. Networking that develops in this way is also very useful for schools. Parents are invited to share their experiences, to talk about their ups and downs, hardships and worries. Our Russian families are often intimidated by such things, as the vast majority are not accustomed to sharing their stories with someone, especially doing it in public. Very few people go for it. But, again, it’s very interesting and useful in terms of networking", Natalia Kravets says.

American and Canadian schools also have strong enough PTAs (Parent-Teacher Associations) that perform big projects.

"Generally, parents are involved in the school life, with the school giving detailed answers to their questions and feedback on each child, the class, everything that happens in the school. Parents receive weekly newsletters, invitations to school events, from concerts and sports competitions to regular meetings with the principal or information updates. Often parents themselves participate in some theatrical productions", says Tatyana Glitsan.

A person doesn’t have to learn everything, to build the Starship space rocket like Elon Musk. The work can be done in teams.

In Russia, such activities are still underdeveloped, and only individual private schools can afford them. Of course, schools should have a person to handle it all.

WHAT RUSSIAN SCHOOLS LACK

British schools are strong with their traditions: they have centuries-old history, are proud of the personal achievements of their students in sports, give not only the classical academic knowledge, but also inspire human values, develop soft skills and reveal talents. It is the culture of communication and own traditions that Russian schools still lack, experts say.