1880’s BERDYANSK GYMNASIUM: BEHAVIOR OF PUPILS

1880’s BERDYANSK GYMNASIUM: BEHAVIOR OF PUPILS

(I.Lyman)

I found it amusing to read the penalties for poor behavior in Berdyansk schools.

Major offenses included:

Evading arrest

“Unauthorized withdrawal from lessons” (cutting class??)

Fighting

Smoking inside or outside the school

“Inappropriate & impolite expression with respect to teachers…”

“Penalty…should, if possible, match the properties of the offense and would be a natural consequence of it.  So, laziness punished by forced labor, excessive talkativeness or quarrelsome disposition—removal from his comrades, arrogance—humiliation lies—distrust, riot, rebellion or flagrant manifestation of anger---Prisoners in solitary confinement on bread and water, and even the removal from the institution…”

“…solitary confinement for the duration of more than 4 hours and not more than 8 hours, the content for this time on black bread and water…”

If the student failed to comply, “the pedagogical council would resort to his dismissal from school”. Dismissal might be as follows:

Removal from school or gymnasium---

--With the right of admission to other schools in the same city

--Without the right of admission to educational institutions in the same city

--With notification to all school authorities and with deprivation of the right to enter any educational institution

If the student was a boarder, special penalties might apply:

--standing at the table during breakfast, lunch, or dinner

--sitting at a special table apart from friends during breakfast, lunch, or dinner, with the deprivation of one portion..,

--meals replaced with black bread and water

So, do you think their students were any more respectful and diligent than today's students in the US or elsewhere?? HA!