Object Lessons

* Originally published in cherta.media

In early November, schoolchildren in Russia returned from their fall vacation to start the school year’s second quarter. During the previous quarter, they had been brought up to speed on the details of the new patriotic elements in the curriculum – a Conversations on Important Topics module, the raising of the Russian flag during assemblies, and the singing of the national anthem.

But judging from what they told us, for them it was all a completely pointless additional burden that interfered with their preparations for upcoming exams and hampered the smooth flow of the academic process. The teachers we talked to agreed, but the school administrations had completely different thoughts on the matter. So our reporter took a deep dive into the atmosphere surrounding the start of Russia’s school year.