Prior to travel, TGC had us create an essential question. This would give our field experience more focus, and we could ask more questions and be more focused in our observations.
My essential question was that of relationships. How do the relationships between individuals in a school setting work?
I was able to witness multiple interactions among the students and teachers, and I felt oftentimes that their relationships were a paradox. The students were incredibly formal in many ways—standing when a teacher enters the room, standing while answering a question—I noticed that many students called the female teachers by their first names. This is the complete opposite in the United States. In the USA, teachers always require a formal salutation, while the classroom atmosphere may be more relaxed. I also observed that in Russians schools, the male teachers, who were in the minority, were not called by their first names. The students would use a more formal salutation in addressing the male teachers. This discovery caused me to reflect upon the nature of the student teacher and male female relationships that I observed while in Russia. I also observed that while most of the teachers were women, the majority of headmasters were men. That was not surprising to me as we are only just beginning in the USA to break through the glass ceiling of women in school administration. With all this in mind, I realized that even though the way students stood was formal, the teacher/student relationship was quite similar. The Russian teachers I observed and met oftentimes when out of their way for a student’s success. We do the same as teachers here. The students respect and need the guidance of an adult authority figure in both situations.
Another aspect of relationships I observed was that among staff. Where I work, most of my colleagues are my friends. We are friendly at school and away from school, and there is no sense of a hierarchy among us. I did not observe this in Russia. My host, Yaroslava, showed me many of her home photos. These were of her friends and family. The next day at school, I noticed a woman at the school who was in many of the photos. I also noticed that the two greeted each other in the hallway in a curt and formal manner. . I asked Yaroslava about this. She informed me that while they are friendly outside of school, and that the woman is godmother to her daughter, at school, the woman is of a higher rank within the school hierarchy and that is why they were not able to be friendly with each other. Yaroslava said they do not speak much at school because of what is expected of them. I did not press the issue any further, but I did want to know more. Perhaps because we are so informal and friendly here at my school, it made me want to press the issue further. I did not however, but I was intrigued by this sense of hierarchy, and that while at school, this hierarchy and your perceived place in it could affect your relationship with someone. (Especially someone with whom you are close to outside of school). Over the course of the next few days, I noticed that Yaroslava and this woman had limited and cordial interaction, but never once, not even at lunch, did they engage in anything more than a polite hello.
On a final observation about relationships, I noticed the female teacher often deferred to the male teachers—even they held the same position. I was not able to witness much male/female interaction outside the school, as Yaroslava is not married. I know, as a woman, that many cultures struggle with gender roles, and I would think that Russia is no exception.
My essential question was that of relationships. How do the relationships between individuals in a school setting work?
I was able to witness multiple interactions among the students and teachers, and I felt oftentimes that their relationships were a paradox. The students were incredibly formal in many ways—standing when a teacher enters the room, standing while answering a question—I noticed that many students called the female teachers by their first names. This is the complete opposite in the United States. In the USA, teachers always require a formal salutation, while the classroom atmosphere may be more relaxed. I also observed that in Russians schools, the male teachers, who were in the minority, were not called by their first names. The students would use a more formal salutation in addressing the male teachers. This discovery caused me to reflect upon the nature of the student teacher and male female relationships that I observed while in Russia. I also observed that while most of the teachers were women, the majority of headmasters were men. That was not surprising to me as we are only just beginning in the USA to break through the glass ceiling of women in school administration. With all this in mind, I realized that even though the way students stood was formal, the teacher/student relationship was quite similar. The Russian teachers I observed and met oftentimes when out of their way for a student’s success. We do the same as teachers here. The students respect and need the guidance of an adult authority figure in both situations.
Another aspect of relationships I observed was that among staff. Where I work, most of my colleagues are my friends. We are friendly at school and away from school, and there is no sense of a hierarchy among us. I did not observe this in Russia. My host, Yaroslava, showed me many of her home photos. These were of her friends and family. The next day at school, I noticed a woman at the school who was in many of the photos. I also noticed that the two greeted each other in the hallway in a curt and formal manner. . I asked Yaroslava about this. She informed me that while they are friendly outside of school, and that the woman is godmother to her daughter, at school, the woman is of a higher rank within the school hierarchy and that is why they were not able to be friendly with each other. Yaroslava said they do not speak much at school because of what is expected of them. I did not press the issue any further, but I did want to know more. Perhaps because we are so informal and friendly here at my school, it made me want to press the issue further. I did not however, but I was intrigued by this sense of hierarchy, and that while at school, this hierarchy and your perceived place in it could affect your relationship with someone. (Especially someone with whom you are close to outside of school). Over the course of the next few days, I noticed that Yaroslava and this woman had limited and cordial interaction, but never once, not even at lunch, did they engage in anything more than a polite hello.
On a final observation about relationships, I noticed the female teacher often deferred to the male teachers—even they held the same position. I was not able to witness much male/female interaction outside the school, as Yaroslava is not married. I know, as a woman, that many cultures struggle with gender roles, and I would think that Russia is no exception.