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School Education in Belarus

Changes in education are closely connected with wider social and political changes. Belarus is making efforts to reduce the uniformity of the Soviet school curriculum and to make teaching more creative. Variety, individualization, a larger measure of differentiation are encouraged.

Compulsory education in Belarus begins at 6. There are three stages of the general secondary education in our republic.

The first years of schooling are the foundation of every child’s education. To start with, there is talking and science. Then there are important social skills to develop - like being part of a team, sharing ideas and learning to be self-confident. Great attention is paid to the development of the child’s body, to its physical training.

The goal of forms 5-9 is to teach the student to study more deeply. Whereas there was one classroom and one teacher for all subjects in the junior forms, now every subject is taught by a different teacher specializing in that particular subject.

The aim of the third stage, forms 10 and 11, is to concentrate on compelling the student to think for themselves, to increase independent thinking on all subject.

As a result of the movement towards greater autonomy for schools and teachers today we have more specialized classes, specialized schools and Lyceums.

Most of our schools are built according to a standart design. Usually it is a two or three-stored building with a large lawn in front of it. The school takes in all the children of the surrounding area, in which it is more or less centrally located. Thus, most of the children live within walking distance of the school.

On the ground floor you will see the pupils’ cloak-room, the school office, the offices of the doctor and the headmaster. There is also a gymnasium (gym) with a changing room next to it. In some schools there is a swimming pool. Usually there is a staircase in each wing. Adjoining each staircase are the lavatories ans wash-rooms. On the first and on the second floors you will see the assembly hall, the staff room, classrooms, laboratories and subject study rooms. New technologies, such as computers, videodisks and cable television change the look of some classrooms.

What are the duties of the staff?

The headmaster runs the school in general. The second master deals principally with educational matters. The secretary does the office work, while the caretaker is responsible for the work of the school attendants and sees to it that the school is provided with all the necessary equipment.

Every school has a trained staff of teachers. Most teachers are form masters. School is a large community in which both children and teachers wish to be happy and treated with respect and fairness. If our school is to provide the best opportunities for pupils then all of us need to work together with everyone caring for and respecting each other.

Children are unable to develop properly in a classroom without discipline. Disorderly behaviour, disobedience, breaking of rules interfere with effective class teaching. The most common forms of misbehavior are insolence and rudeness, bullying of younger and weaker pupils, making noise, tardiness, damaging school property and truancy.

The fault sometimes lies in the teacher’s shortcomings. In classes where the teachers are not punctual, where there is a lack of interest, firmness, or instructions are vague and the teaching is inefficient, the discipline is more likely to break down. Tact, initiative, understanding of human nature, sympathy and kindness are necessary requisites of a teacher.

In all the regions there are Teachers’ Updating Institutes which conduct refresher courses, give guidance in methods and propagate advanced educational experience. All teachers are encouraged to brush up their knowledge.

We hope that in the future teachers will achieve greater status in our society. They will be paid salaries that are comparable with other professionals. They will work in schools that offer continuing opportunities for professional advancement and training. As a result, education will attract the nation’s brightest and most qualified students.

Ex. 5.Complete the sentences.

1) Compulsory education in Belarus ... 2) The aim of the primary school (forms 5-9, 10-11) is ... 3) Most of our schools are built ... 4) On the ground floors you will see ... 5) On the first and on the second floors... 6) New technologies ... 7) The headmaster ... 8) The second master ... 9) Every school has ... 10) Children are unable to develop properly ... 11) The most common forms of misbehavior are ... 12) The fault sometimes lies ... 13) In all the regions there are ... 14) We hope that in the future .... .

Ex. 6. Give the English equivalents:

социальные изменения, прилагать усилия, обязательное образование, основы образования, младшие классы, самостоятельное мышление, по стандартному проекту, все дети микрорайона, на первом этаже, руководить школой, обеспечивать оборудованием, хорошо подготовленный коллектив учителей, относиться с уважением, нормально развиваться, плохое поведение, нарушение правил, передовой педагогический опыт.

Ex. 7. Describe the school you have finished while answering the following questions:

1) What school have you finished? 2) Is your school large? What kind of building does it occupy? 3) Where is the staff room situated? 4) Who is the head-master (head-mistress) of the school? 5) What is there on the school premises? 6) Is the gymnasium (gym) in your school large? Is there a changing room next to it? 7) Where are meetings and school parties held? 8) Where is assembly hall? How many people does it sit? 9) How many staircases are there in the school? 10) How many laboratories are there? 11) Are the science laboratories and subject study rooms (the geography room, the history room, etc.) of your school well equipped? 12) Is there a canteen? Is the food in the canteen good or poor? 13) Who taught you English at school? 14) How many periods of English did you have a week? 15) Was your behaviour at school always good? 16) Were you sometimes kept after school hours? What for? 17) Were there many troublemakers (unmanageable children) in your class? Where are they now? 18) Were most of your teachers understanding? 19) Did you like your school?

Ex. 8.Read and translate the texts. Use a dictionary if necessary:

Sanctions

I

Detentions. Unsatisfactory effort in the classroom may result in a subject area detention. If the detention is longer than 15 minutes subject teachers are asked to give a warning to parents.

Daily Reports. Where unsatisfactory effort continues, pupils may be placed on daily report. This enables the tutor and (or) Head of year to closely monitor the child’s performance throughout the day.

Exclusions. Other sorts of anti-social behaviour may be first checked and verbal agreements reached. If the particular incident occurs after warnings have been given, then exclusion from school may be necessary pending family consultation.

Suspensions. Suspensions are used in cases of severe misconduct and the family takes over responsibility for the welfare of the pupil until a reasonable attitude to school is worked out and agreed.

(From “Staff Guide of the Kingsland School”)

II

Special education is provided for children who are deaf, partially hearing, partially sighted, physically handicapped, educationally subnormal, epileptic, autistic or suffering from speech defects. The educationally subnormal are the largest category in this group. Some handicapped children attend ordinary schools. Others attend maintained special schools. Special education is intended to enable handicapped children to overcome their difficulties in order that they may, as far as possible, take their place in society. These schools have a more generous staffing ratio and provide physiotherapy, speech therapy and other medical treatment as well as special teaching facilities.

Ex. 9. Read and reproduce the following situational dialogues on school

life:

A) between two teachers

A. - What were you discussing with the second master when I came in?

B. - My teaching load.

A. - Have the teaching loads been made up yet?

B. - Yes, they have. I’ve got 20 periods a week.

A. - That’s a good load, isn’t it?

B. - Yes, it is. And the time-table is already ready.

A. - Have you got any gaps?

B. - One gap only.

A. - That’s quite tolerable. By the way, could you spare a few minutes to

look through this method aid that I have composed?

B. - Did you compose it in summer?

A. - You are right. I did it while attending lectures at the Teachers’

Updating Institute in summer.

B. - Then it must be interesting.

B) between a teacher and a parent

P. - You wanted to see me about my son, didn’t you?

T. - Yes. Will you please sit down? I’m sorry to have troubled you, but I wanted to have a little talk with you about Peter. In general he is a good boy, but he is inattentive in class and doesn’t listen to what the teachers say.

P. - It’s the same thing at home. He is restless and can’t concentrate on

his work for more than 20 minutes.

T. - I’d suggest that you let Peter have a rest after dinner, and then one or even two hours out-of-doors. He will be more fit for work after that. And perhaps you might help him a little with his homework for some weeks, until he is able to do it himself. Of course, we’ll help him as much as possible here at school.

P. - Oh, thank you very much. We’ll do that. I don’t want my son to be

so much trouble to you. I’ll come again in a week to find out whether he is improving.

C) between the classmates

A. - Why such a long face? What’s wrong? Got a two again, I suppose?

B. - Yes, in history. That’s my weak point. The names, dates and events

are all a mess (путаница, каша) in my head. I can’t remember them. Now, geography, that’s different, but history...

A. - Is that why you were kept in?

B. - Of course! But the teacher didn’t scold me - that was quite a surprise

to me. She offered to help after school hours.

A. - Let’s do history together tonight. There is no use failing in the

subject, is there?

B. - Oh, no! I’ll come at any time you say.

Ex. 10. Translate into English using proper expressions from the dialogues and the texts:

1. Я сегодня получил пятёрку по физике. 2. Когда ты будешь делать математику? 3. Мне надо составить две “методички”. 4. У неё большая нагрузка - 25 часов в неделю. 5. У тебя есть в расписании “форточки”? 6. Директор ругал вас? 7. Летом я буду посещать лекции в институте усовершенствования учителей. 8. Учитель оставил их после уроков. 9. Ты очень невнимателен в классе. 10. У неё в голове “каша”. 11. Тебе надо больше бывать на свежем воздухе. 12. Уже был звонок? 13. Положите книги в сумки. 14. Артикли - моё слабое место. 15. Уже был звонок. 16. Директор и завуч сейчас в учительской.

Ex. 11.Insert prepositions where necessary:

1. Why did the headmaster keep you ... ? 2. She has got a two ... biology. 3. I worked at this method aid ... week. 4. I want to see the teacher ... my daughter. 5. We have two double periods of chemistry ... a week. 6. Next ... the library is a canteen. 7. What is there ... the school premises? 8. ... general she is a good student.

Ex. 12. Make up your own dialogues:

a) between a regular teacher and a student teacher (probationer - стажёр);

b) between two pupils about their new teacher (new school);

c) between a teacher from Belarus and an English teacher.

Ex. 13. Answer the following questions:

1) What is the main aim of the school? What is more important: to give

knowledge to the children or to develop qualities of mind, body, feeling and imagination? Why?

2) Whom can we call an understanding teacher?

3) Should academic and non-academic children be taught together or should they be given an opportunity to set their own speed?

4) What is your attitude to the elite school? Do you think we should have

them in our republic?

5) The tutorial system at Eton allows pupils to choose their own academic

tutors (teacher) to supervise their work. Would you mind to have such an pportunity here at the University? Would you mind to teach at such a

school?

6) What do you think of the school uniform? Should children wear the same type of clothes or should they be allowed to dress in the manner in which they feel comfortable?

7) Do you agree that the staff of a school must contain people of different

kinds, “an element of mixture”, and the more diversity there is the richer the life of the school can be?

Ex. 14.Speak on the topic “The School I’d like to Teach at”.