Learn to be friends

As part of the First Class-2012 project, we continue to publish an interview with parents and experts in the field of education. A family psychotherapist, candidate of psychological sciences and founder of the Society of Family Psychotherapists Anna Varga is sure that the main thing at school is a comfortable atmosphere and the opportunity to make good friends. About why children at the first stage need to create “greenhouse conditions”, she told in an interview with Polit.ru. The interview was taken by Evgenia Krasavtseva .

Polit.ru : this year, the Moscow authorities for the first time compiled an official rating of capital schools. It was based on two criteria - the successes of schoolchildren at the Olympiads and the results of the exam. How objective is this, what kind of assessment parameter do you still include?

Anna Varga : Schools can be evaluated according to various criteria. What are we waiting for from school? What should it do first of all - to teach, ensure safety, create a psychological climate? After all, this is an important question. In my opinion, the exam is not an objective way to evaluate the knowledge that the school gives. We all know how everything works there.

In general, I think that the perfect education system cannot teach well that it is inadequate to the tasks of modern life. The school is trying to invest a certain amount of knowledge in the student, but, in my opinion, this is not enough. The child should be taught to look for information, analyze information and present information. But the school does not teach this. Therefore, it seems to me that do not focus only on educational achievements.

Polit.ru : what is worth it?

Anna Varga : I think, first of all, it is necessary to ensure that the school is safe, that there is a good atmosphere and that the child went there with pleasure.

The psychological atmosphere of the school is the most important thing, especially for first -graders.

After all, cognitive motivation is destroyed very easily. If the school emphasizes the principle of competitiveness, there is a pronounced spirit of competition and at the same time the teacher does not teach children to be friends, I do not welcome it.

“Polit.ru” : But then it will not work that the children will be in completely greenhouse conditions if the child will have a comfortable stay in school for parents?

Anna Varga : Why not? Why shouldn't there be greenhouse conditions at this age? Here you have a baby, you know that by the year he must learn to walk - you will not put him on the legs in two months, he should get stronger. You create a greenhouse conditions for him.

Now many children have a poor social situation - they do not go to the garden, sit with a nanny, respectively, it is more difficult for them to communicate with peers, so in the first year of training, a child should simply feel good at school, communicate more with other children.

Polit.ru : What do you think about the courses that are organized at schools? Visiting them is not mandatory, but usually guarantees the child’s entry into this particular educational institution. In addition, these courses are often paid and cost a lot of money.

Anna Varga : A difficult question. If the school is popular and many want to get there, then it is absolutely normal that there is a preliminary observation system in it. I did not hear about cases when the child went to the courses and then they did not take him to this school.

In principle,

There should be a slightly different situation - when not only the school evaluates, but you also evaluate the school and in the process of preparatory courses you decide whether it is suitable for your child or not.

And now it turns out that it is the school who choose children, and this is a traumatic situation.

Polit.ru : traumatic not so much for children as for parents?

Anna Varga : Of course, but the child is infected by the emotions of the parents. If they are worried, then the child is injured, because his emotional development is playing in the coupling with the emotions of his parents.

Polit.ru : What was decisive to you when choosing a school?

Anna Varga : My eldest daughter went to school during the Soviet Union - the English school was closest to us, so she went there. The school was a fig, to be honest, and in the 6th or 7th grade she herself moved to the 57th school, since she had the ability to mathematics. My youngest child went to study during the time of perestroika, and here we were already guided by that he was comfortable. Indeed, he had many friends at the school, they communicated very well, but they did not give him big knowledge. But he still goes there on September 1 to meetings with classmates and teachers, although he has already graduated from the university.

Here everyone is nervous about the school, but in fact - this is a very small piece of human life.

Do not think that something is prohibitively important there, it only increases the alarm. The child at school should first of all learn to be friends.

Of course, it is desirable that he learned to learn, but when he memorizes something or solves problems, this does not happen. There should be a special motivation, the child should be interesting, exciting, exciting. And if he experiences the alarm, it strangles everything, there will be no success.

“Polit.ru” : But some children in the atmosphere of competitiveness feel very comfortable - they constantly pull their hand, want to answer faster than their classmates in order to get more than five.

Anna Varga : The atmosphere in the class by 99 percent depends on the teacher. If he welcomes competition, but at the same time everything is done cheerfully and not insulting for students, without any lists of the best and worst, then maybe there is nothing wrong with that. It is wrong to say: "Vasya is good, and Petya is bad." In psychology, it has long been known that

The child must be compared not with other children, but with his own achievements. “You did not know how to do it, but today you have already learned,” - this is the right comparison. You cannot compare Petya with Vasya.

“Polit.ru” : which school would you never give your child or what is the unconditional indicator to the change of school?

Anna Varga : School Half. If the child is deliberately offended, if he has become a scapegoat, the school needs to be changed. Only there should not be a negative background, it is necessary to resolve the situation peacefully before leaving, to talk with parents, teachers. If the school was at school once, it will be repeated later. Even if they do not poison your child, he can become a pursuer himself or remains an powerless observer. This is a very bad experience.

Polit.ru: when In the school, persecution takes place, its reason is the atmosphere of an educational institution or the presence of some individual uncontrollable students who are mocking classmates?

Anna Varga : In elementary grades, the teacher can easily stop this injury. If he does not do this, then

Half in the children's team is a reflection of a bad atmosphere in the teacher's team.

You know, as they say: "Patients in a madhouse are restless when in the residential conflict." Here is the same situation at school.

Polit.ru : the first ten official rating included well -known to parents and representatives of the pedagogical community. For example, the 57th school that you mentioned took second place. Accordingly, these schools will get more funding . Is it correct to financially maintain the already leaders, as then to declare themselves to ordinary schools?

Anna Varga : If the school receives money, and at the same time there is control over how she spends it, I see nothing wrong with this. On the other hand, we proceed from the position that the state should help and occupy a paternalist position. I am not at all sure about that. Schools themselves could, it seems to me, somehow change their existence. Here are less successful schools that work with a difficult contingent. So no one prevents them from organizing themselves, discussing their problems, thinking how to change the situation, and not to lament the fact that the 57th school is encouraged and caressed and it will work even better, and the rest are so poor. School is a whole living organism, it is not only about learning. Less successful schools, for example, can organize interesting extracurricular work. The 57th school became successful not at the expense of lobbying, there is a very creative director who was picked up by a wonderful teacher's team. At the Taganka school, where my son studied (it was an author’s school), there were no professional teachers at all-there were not teachers, but subject specialists.

Polit.ru : already now schools are conducting dialogue with parents via the Internet - electronic journals are introduced, teachers begin to communicate with parents by e -mail. Soon, probably, parent meetings will be held on Skype. How do you feel about these innovations?

Anna Varga : Very good. And where to go? We are moving towards computerization. It would be nice if homework could be seen on the Internet. Here my grandson has three quarters of the class, including him. And so, to find out homework, the chime begins: “What did you ask?” If the teacher posted tasks on the Internet, it would be more convenient.

“Polit.ru” : Welcome to the planned transition to electronic textbooks?

Anna Varga : Greetings, I welcome any computerization. Have you ever raised a briefcase that children are dragging to school? If all textbooks are in the tablet, then thank God.