I. Metshin: “Kazan pedagogical community is the foundation for new initiatives that will improve education in Russia”

(KZN.RU, October 4, Ksenia Shvetsova). Today a forum dedicated to the Teacher's Day “Pride of the Teacher in the Students” with the participation of teachers who prepared the USE students this year was held in the Kazan City Hall. Ilsur Metshin, the Mayor of Kazan, attended the forum, to which 69 teachers were invited. The teachers told the head of the city how they manage to achieve high results in education and what qualities students should possess in order to score the maximum grade at the final exams.

Welcoming the teachers, the Mayor noted that the uniqueness of the teachers, who managed to achieve such high results, is the ability to find the skills of each child and help develop them. “This is important for us, because there is nothing more precious than children”, said I. Metshin. “The meaning of our life is happy children who have been able to realize all their abilities and uncover talents. Therefore, today we have more than 60% of the budget spent on the development of education. Plus the programs that are implemented thanks to our President Rustam Minnikhanov. We have repaired more than 130 schools with his help. All this is aimed at ensuring that every child is able to find himself in this life and is pleased with his work and his chosen profession”.

Today, Kazan, sets the tone not only for other cities of Tatarstan, but generally is among the leaders in Russia by the level of education, noted the Mayor. For example, today every ninth excellent grade in Russia in biology is a graduate of Kazan schools. However, there are still problems that need to be addressed with the participation of the pedagogical community. Thus, the head of the city noted that today in many schools, students are engaged in additional with tutors. “We studied in the Soviet schools without any tutors. There was a good basic education, there was no need to study further in order to enter a university. We pay so much attention to this area but still the USE and exams are a big stress for children”, said I. Metshin. But at the same time, the main proof of the teachers' skill is how happy the students are, marked the head of the city. “It is important for me when the child wants to go to school and when he is not in a hurry to go home. The vast majority of our schools are like that. For that, I thank you”.

On the eve of the Day of the Teacher, the forum has become a platform for the exchange of experience between teachers who have different approaches to the preparation of schoolchildren for final exams. Thus, Elena Perevedentseva, a teacher of the Russian language and literature of the school №177, noted that the motivation of students is of great importance in achieving success on the Unified State Examination. More often, the success is due to the system approach rather than random success. “First of all, this is a system. All the teachers gathered here are hard-workers. We must respond to the changes that are in the exam very quickly, mobile. This year, for example, there were a lot of innovations and changes in the Unified State Exam in the Russian. Saying that everyone who speaks Russian can successfully pass the exam for a high score will be a mistake. It is the child’s work, the teacher, the motivation, and a high result is achieved in a tandem”.

Preparation for the Unified State Exam has a lot in common with preparation for Olympiads, noted Elfiya Safonova, a teacher of chemistry at the school №131. “We have extracurricular activities at school, a chemistry class for 2 hours, which everyone attends. At one time, I created my own program. We are working by it, we are following this course and working on the practical part”, said E. Safonova. She added that it is not the lack of knowledge that prevents the students from getting a high score, but the wording of the questions: “The biggest problem is that children sometimes do not know how to read the questions correctly, and the questions themselves are incorrect and confusing. It’s very difficult for a child to understand the meaning”.

The key to success in the Unified State Exam is not always the giftedness of the student, said Arslan Yuldoshev, a social science teacher at the boarding school №4. “Giftedness is not the main criterion for preparing excellent students. When we talk about what qualities a pupil should possess, this isn’t right. Much more important is what qualities a teacher possesses. If we look at a pupil as a successful person, reveal his potential, his talent, he, despite some problems, will try to meet these criteria. Therefore, in the first place, everything depends on the teacher”, believes A. Yuldoshev.

The Mayor urged teachers to offer ideas for improving the education system and noted that Kazan could be the first city in implementing significant initiatives. “We have a wonderful President who can defend the interests of the republic. Therefore, if we armed ourselves with ideas, much can be changed. Kazan and the Kazan pedagogical community are the foundation on the basis of which it is possible and necessary to build initiatives that will improve education in general in Russia. Write, offer, I am always ready to listen to you”.

At the end of the meeting, the Mayor congratulated the teachers on the upcoming Day of the Teacher and presented them awards for achievements in the field of education and long-term and conscientious work. “We are proud of our teachers, who from year to year show stable results and are legislators not only in the RT and the Volga region, but also in Russia. I hope that our meetings will be traditional. Please invite, I love to be in schools. School time is a great memory in the heart of every person”.