Is Smiling Allowed in Soviet Schools?

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the cultural perceptions of smiling in Soviet schools, as illustrated through a comparison of a historical photograph and an American painting. Participants explore the implications of these images on the understanding of Soviet educational practices and the broader context of propaganda.

Discussion Character

  • Debate/contested
  • Conceptual clarification
  • Historical

Main Points Raised

  • One participant presents a photo from a Russian secondary school in 1967, contrasting it with a painting by Norman Rockwell, suggesting that the children in the painting appear tense and fearful of expressing joy.
  • Another participant challenges the stereotype by sharing personal experiences from emergency medical services, emphasizing the importance of resisting stereotypes in understanding individuals.
  • A post references a Wikipedia article about Rockwell's painting, noting that it was based on a real classroom and suggesting that Rockwell altered details to convey a political message about non-conformity.
  • One participant reflects on their own school experiences, indicating that classes where children smiled felt less educationally effective, implying a critique of a more relaxed teaching style.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express differing views on the implications of smiling in schools, with some suggesting that the images reflect a repressive educational environment while others emphasize the need to avoid stereotypes. The discussion remains unresolved regarding the broader cultural implications of these perceptions.

Contextual Notes

There are limitations in the interpretations of the images, including assumptions about the emotional states of the children and the motivations behind the artistic representations. The discussion also highlights the complexity of educational experiences, which may vary widely.

wrobel
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Here are two pictures attached. The first picture is a photo from Russian secondary school 1967.
The second picture is a painting by an American artist Norman Rockwell. He used the photo as a sample.
There are ordinary children at the photo, the girl laughs. At the painting the children stare straight ahead tensely at Lenin's bust. A teacher will surely send them to Siberia if they admit a smile. Or maybe they look in the Communist future.

Soviet propaganda kept up.

It is interesting that this painting had been stolen and found several times until Steven Spielberg bought it.
 

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Stereotype:
_hDIByU-Lf4K2CAT2AgNssxMk5PvK0aEuhdybS-R4&usqp=CAU.jpg


Reality:

fressgassfest_ahenninger_0101__400x300.jpg
 
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One of the things I've learned from my EMS shifts is to resist the urge to stereotype. It's not always easy to do, but the few times I've let myself succumb to that urge, I've usually been proven wrong as I got to know my patient. That only has to happen a few times before you start making it a knee-jerk habit to remind yourself not to stereotype as you first encounter a new patient...
 
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Copied from
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russian_Schoolroom

"Russian Schoolroom was published in the October 3, 1967, edition of Look as part of a series of articles on life in the Soviet Union. Rockwell had visited School No. 29 in Moscow where he drew puppy sketches on a chalkboard. Reference photos of the Moscow classroom with pupils, taken as a model for Rockwell's final painting, reveal that the inattentive pupil is actually paying close attention to the teacher, with eyes front. It has been suggested that in changing this detail, Rockwell slightly subverted the image to make a subtle political point in favor of non-conformity. Additional reference photos show Rockwell himself sitting in that student's seat, apparently demonstrating a distracted look, which the student then emulated."

More about the artist:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norman_Rockwell
 
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wrobel said:
There are ordinary children at the photo, the girl laughs. At the painting the children stare straight ahead tensely at Lenin's bust. A teacher will surely send them to Siberia if they admit a smile. Or maybe they look in the Communist future.
I must say... the photo evokes a far more accurate recollection of (most of my classes in) primary and secondary school. :oldfrown:

In the (minority of) classes where the kids often smiled and laughed, I got the feeling the teacher wasn't really interested in, well, teaching. I never felt I learned much during that type of "please like me" teaching style.