Innovative teachers work in Crimea. Winner of the competition “Teacher of the Year in Russia — 2023” — Vladimir Obukhov

“Mikhalych? We can talk about him for hours. When he enters the hall at events, everyone immediately understands: he is from our school! — Anna Ponomareva, head teacher for educational work, smiles. She looks tenderly, even motherly, at Vladimir Mikhailovich. He, a tall man in black, two meters tall, smiles shyly and lowers his head.

But Mikhalych’s shyness—that’s what his colleagues call him simply and respectfully in the staff room, and behind his back by schoolchildren—disappears as if in a click when he enters the classroom.

«How are you doing?» — with this simple and necessary question he begins communication with children. They respond casually and joyfully that everything is fine. It is clear that everyone is truly happy about both the teacher and the new topic.

On each desk there is a textbook, a notebook and a printed text — there is a riddle on the topic of the lesson. Such puzzles are one of Vladimir Obukhov’s tricks. Today, using the example of an English fairy tale about a teddy bear, he invites children to consider the model of the Old Russian state of the late Middle Ages. This association will definitely be remembered for a long time, the teacher is sure.

Do you remember the cartoon about Winnie the Pooh? It starts with a map that says «Winnie the Pooh Land» on the side. That is, he is a landowner, a landowner. And he has his peasants — Piglet, Rabbit — to whom he can come, eat everything from them, and no one will say anything to him. But the bees are black-mown (black-mown peasants — a category of the rural population of Russia in the XIV-XVII centuries, dependent directly on the feudal state, and not on private owners — approx. TASS)“- says the teacher in a firm and confident voice.

He does not allow you to mindlessly cram the material, does not read the textbook out loud, leaving its study at home, but explains history using the example of books, modern films, TV series, and games. Comes up with riddles and tasks for children, asks leading questions. Shows text on a topic with errors, and children look for inaccuracies and correct them.

We were taught at the institute a system-activity approach — this is when you add elements of physics, chemistry, literature and other sciences to classes in a subject, for example history. I thought that what I was doing was ordinary things. And then it turned out that it wasn’t. I looked through a lot of different notes and lessons on the Internet, and realized that I couldn’t find the ideas for conducting classes that came to my mind. For me, this approach makes life easier, because preparation for each lesson becomes varied, interesting, and creative.“, the teacher explains later, twirling a ballpoint pen in his hands.

“I probably give even more to other people’s children.”

Vladimir Obukhov became a teacher 10 years ago in Ivanovo, at the school from which he graduated. And in 2017, together with his wife and daughter, he literally rushed to Crimea:

It happened so quickly, like an adventure. Go? Let’s go! And in Simferopol, I, a simple person, showed up at school — kindergarten No. 36 with a child on my shoulders. Are teachers needed, I say?

Vladimir Obukhov recalls that during the period of his move, schools still lacked equipment: there were no interactive whiteboards or projectors. Large old Soviet building.

In addition to dozens of students, he has two children of his own — a ten-year-old daughter and a three-year-old son. While studying at graduate school at Ivanovo State University, Vladimir was on maternity leave for almost three years — it was more profitable for the family.

It was not shameful for me, I was helping my wife. It’s hard, yes, but this is my child. School and college are the best things I’ve ever had in my lifeVladimir laughs.

Obukhov speaks about his son and daughter with guilty sadness and admits that he doesn’t always have enough time for them. “It’s good that there are reliable colleagues who replace me somewhere. “I, in turn, devote a lot of time to other people’s children,” he says.

Not only teach, but also learn

Now Vladimir Mikhailovich is the class teacher of one of the seventh grades. He found a common language with 38 schoolchildren, although he admits that at first “I had to fight.” In personal communication the teacher is very gentle.

I am a stutterer, and everything is very exciting for me. But I can handle it. At the institute I couldn’t answer at all. The teaching helped, I became confident that I knew everything in class— here Vladimir stuttered for the first time, as if he suddenly remembered this peculiarity of his.

The young teacher tries to keep up with the children: he knows youth memes and jokes a lot. And, importantly, he always uses the word “please” when making requests to schoolchildren. He addresses high school students by name and patronymic, and speaks to all children as equal interlocutors.

We are all children, just born in different years. Any work collective is the same class. Some are offended, some are fooling around. The children grew up, but the reactions remained. Except that adults often hide their feelings and emotions. And what’s so wonderful about children is that they don’t try to hide anything. It’s easier for me to understand them than adultsObukhov shared.

The ability to learn from children and listen to them helped in the first days after the start of the special operation. In February, as Vladimir now recalls, he was puzzled: how to tell children about military actions that did not take place in the distant past, but are happening now and very close.

Since 2014, our school has educated and graduated children of families who moved from Donbass and Novorossiya. And, communicating with them, the other guys somehow understood everything faster than me. The children themselves told me about different types of fakes on the Internet.“, Vladimir says with a note of respect.

First in Crimea

When asked whether a teacher’s salary is enough to live on, Vladimir modestly answers “yes” without any “buts”. And he has no plans to leave Crimea. Mature graduates often come to him and invite him to meetings.

It’s nice to maintain friendly communication. Guys often share their successes in adulthood.

Along with his victory in the municipal stage of the all-Russian competition “Teacher of the Year in Russia — 2023,” Obukhov also received recognition. Although he received the news about the need to participate in the competition without enthusiasm, he is now sure that all his colleagues need to prove themselves.

I’m not the best teacher. The best teacher sits somewhere in the outback, teaching a small number of children. And they, in turn, go to college and become scientists. And I admire so many people at our school because they are better than me. I just won the competition. The same Vladimir Ivanovich, a teacher of the Russian language (teacher at the Municipal Budgetary Educational Institution “Secondary School — Kindergarten” No. 36 — TASS note), he put his whole soul into contributes to the preparation and conduct of lessons and “Conversations about important things.” Prepares a bunch of useful materials. And someone built their system so well that they brought everything to automation. There are many exampleshe says.

The main thing, the teacher is sure, is kindness and a positive outlook on life.

Now schools have more freedom, teachers have more opportunities to realize their potential. Competitions, competition, and interaction between schools really stimulate teachers to look for better approaches. It improves the teacher’s imagesays Vladimir Obukhov.

author: Maria Malashenko (source: TASS)