The Tsarskoye Selo Imperial Lyceum became the most legendary educational institution in Russia immediately after its establishment. The initiator of its appearance was Emperor Alexander I, a brilliant teaching staff and a talented director, with their pedagogical and personal talents, brought to light several generations of Russian thinkers, poets, artists, military men. Lyceum graduates made up the Russian elite not so much by origin, but by the implementation of the principles of selfless service to the Fatherland in any field.
Foundation
The Tsarskoye Selo Imperial Lyceum was opened during the reign of Alexander I, and more specifically, the decree on its foundation was signed by the highest permission in August 1810. The foundation of a higher educational institution fell on the "liberal years" of the reign of the sovereign. The lyceum was supposed to be the first example of an educational institution with a European approach to education, nurtured on Russian soil.
Tsarskoye Selo Imperial Lyceum, from other higher schools, was distinguished by the lack of physicalpunishments, friendly relations between teachers and students, a rich curriculum designed to form personal views and much more. It was planned that the Grand Dukes, the younger brothers of the ruling tsar, Nikolai and Mikhail, would study at the Lyceum, but later they decided to give them a traditional home education.
Living conditions
A four-story new building was provided for the lyceum - an outbuilding of the Tsarskoye Selo Palace. The premises of the first floor were intended for the medical unit and the board. On the second floor there were classrooms for the junior year, the third was given to older students, and the uppermost, fourth floor, was occupied by bedrooms. The private bedrooms were modest, almost Spartan, furnished with a wrought-iron canvas-covered bed, an office desk for study, a chest of drawers, and a wash table.
A two-height gallery was assigned for the library, which was located above the arch. The main hall for celebrations was on the third floor. Services, the church and the director's apartment were located in a separate building next to the palace.
Teaching idea
The concept and curriculum were developed by an influential courtier, adviser to Alexander I in the first half of his reign, M. M. Speransky. The main task was to educate civil servants and the military of a new formation from the children of the nobility. Speransky's idea was to Europeanize Russia, and for this, officials with a different mindset were needed,having inner freedom and an appropriate level of liberal education.
The selection of lyceum students was very strict, boys from noble families aged 10 to 12 were accepted, who had to successfully pass the entrance exams, confirming a sufficient level of knowledge in three languages (Russian, German, French), history, geography, mathematics and physics. The full course consisted of six years of study, divided into two stages, each of which was given three years.
Humanitarians and military
The main direction of education is humanitarian, which made it possible to instill in the student the ability for further independent learning, critical thinking, logic and to comprehensively develop the talents inherent in the child. For six years, teaching was conducted in the following main subjects:
- Learning native and foreign languages (Russian, Latin, French, German).
- Moral sciences (fundamentals of logic, God's law, philosophy).
- Exact sciences (arithmetic, algebra, trigonometry, geometry, physics).
- Humanities (Russian and foreign history, chronology, geography).
- Fundamentals of fine writing (rhetoric and its rules, works of great writers).
- Art (pictorial, dancing).
- Physical education (gymnastics, swimming, fencing, horse riding).
In the first year, students mastered the basics, and in the second year they moved from the basics to in-depth mastering of all subjects. In addition, throughout the training, much attention was paid to civil architecture and sports. To those whochose military affairs, additionally read hours on the history of wars, fortification and other specialized disciplines.
The entire educational and educational process took place under the vigilant supervision of the director. The teaching staff included seven professors, a priest who taught the law of God, six teachers of fine arts and gymnastics, two adjuncts, discipline was monitored by three overseers and a tutor.
The first enrollment of students was carried out under the supervision of the emperor himself, out of 38 people who submitted documents and passed the competition, only 30 students were admitted to the lyceum in Tsarskoye Selo, the list was approved by the royal hand. Alexander I carried out the patronage of the educational institution, and Count Razumovsky A. K. was appointed head of the lyceum with the rank of commander in chief. By position, the count was supposed to be present at all exams, which he did with pleasure, knowing all the students by sight and by name.
Principles
The tasks of the director of the lyceum were comprehensive, this position was entrusted to VF Malinovsky, who was educated at Moscow University. According to the charter of the institution, the director was obliged to live around the clock on the territory of the lyceum and pay attention to the students and the whole process tirelessly, he was personally responsible for the students, for the level of teaching and the general condition of the lyceum life.
Tsarskoye Selo Imperial Lyceum was staffed by the best teachers of their time, all had higher education, scientific degrees, loved their job and the younger generation. teacherswere free to choose the methods of presenting knowledge, one principle had to be strictly observed - there should not be any idle pastime for lyceum students.
Daily Schedule
A regular school day was built according to a strict schedule:
- Morning began at six o'clock, time was allocated for hygiene procedures, fees, prayers.
- The first lessons in the classes started from seven to nine in the morning.
- The next hour (9:00-10:00) the students could devote a walk and a snack (tea and a bun, breakfast was not supposed).
- Second lesson started at 10:00 am and lasted until 12:00 pm, after which there was a walk in the fresh air for an hour.
- Dinner was served at 13:00.
- In the afternoon, from 14:00 to 15:00, students practiced fine arts.
- From 15:00 to 17:00, classes followed in the classroom.
- At 17:00 the children were offered tea, after which a walk followed until 18:00.
- From six o'clock until half past eight in the evening, the students were engaged in the repetition of the material covered, were engaged in auxiliary classes.
- Dinner was served at 20:30 followed by free time to relax.
- At 22:00 it was time for prayer and sleep. Every Saturday the students went to the bathhouse.
The lyceum in Tsarskoe Selo differed from other educational institutions also in that it was obligatory for the teacher to achieve knowledge and understanding of his subject from each student. Until the material was mastered by all students in the class, the teacher could not start a new topic. In order toto achieve efficiency, additional classes were introduced for lagging students, new teaching approaches were sought. The lyceum had its own system of control over the level of acquired and assimilated knowledge, each lyceum student wrote reports, answered oral control questions.
Often the teacher considered it good to leave the student alone in his subject, Pushkin was not forced to know mathematical sciences thoroughly, Professor Kartsov said: “You, Pushkin, everything ends in zero in my class. Sit down in your seat and write poetry.”
Lyceum life
The lyceum in Tsarskoe Selo was endowed with another feature - it was completely closed, the lyceum students did not leave the walls of the educational institution during the entire academic year. There was also a uniform uniform for all. It consisted of a dark blue caftan, a stand-up collar and cuffs, which were red, fastened with gilded buttons. Buttonholes were introduced to distinguish between senior and junior courses, for the senior course they were sewn with gold, for the junior course they were sewn with silver.
In the lyceum where Pushkin studied, much attention was paid to education. The students respected not only the people of their class, but also the servants, the serfs. Human dignity does not depend on origin, this was instilled in every student. For the same reason, children practically did not communicate with their relatives - everyone was the heirs of serfs and at home they could often see a completely different attitude towards dependent people, among the nobility, neglect of serfs wasbusiness as usual.
Brotherhood and honor
Despite the fact that the lyceum students had a busy schedule of study and classes, in their memoirs everyone admitted to a sufficient amount of freedom. Students lived according to a certain code of laws, the charter of the institution was posted in the corridor of the fourth floor. One of the points stated that the community of students is a single family, and therefore there is no place among them for arrogance, bragging and contempt. Children came to the lyceum from an early age, and it became a home for them, and comrades and teachers were a real family. The atmosphere at the Imperial Lyceum in Tsarskoye Selo was friendly and close-knit.
For lyceum students, a system of rewards and punishments was developed, which excluded physical violence. The guilty mischief-makers were put in a punishment cell for three days, where the director personally came to conduct a conversation, but this was an extreme measure. For other reasons, more benign methods were chosen - deprivation of lunch for two days, at which time the student received only bread and water.
The lyceum fraternity sometimes independently issued a verdict on the behavior of its members, those who retreated from honor and trampled on dignity. Students could boycott a friend, leaving him in complete isolation without the ability to communicate. The unwritten laws were observed no less sacredly than the charter of the Lyceum.
First issue
The first pupils of the Tsarskoye Selo Imperial Lyceum left the walls of the educational institution in 1817. Almost all received places in the state apparatus, according to the results of examsmany entered the service in high ranks, many lyceum students chose military service, equated in status to the Corps of Pages. Among them were people who became the pride of Russian history and culture. The poet Pushkin A. S. brought great fame to the Lyceum, no one before him treated his school and teachers with such warmth and awe. He devoted many works to the Tsarskoe Selo period.
Practically all students in the first set became the pride of the country and glorified the Tsarskoye Selo Imperial Lyceum. Famous graduates, such as: Kuchelbeher V. K. (poet, public figure, Decembrist), Gorchakov A. M. (outstanding diplomat, head of the foreign affairs department under Tsar Alexander II), Delvig A. A (poet, publisher), Matyushkin F F. (polar explorer, admiral of the fleet) and others, contributed to the history, culture, development of the arts.
Lyceum student Pushkin
It is impossible to overestimate Pushkin's influence on Russian literature, his genius was revealed and brought up within the walls of the lyceum. According to the memoirs of classmates, the poet had three nicknames - the Frenchman (a tribute to his excellent knowledge of the language), the Cricket (the poet was a mobile and talkative child) and the Mixture of the Monkey and the Tiger (for his ardor of temper and tendency to quarrel). In the lyceum where Pushkin studied, exams were held every six months, it was thanks to them that talent was noticed and recognized back in school years. The poet published his first work in the journal "Bulletin of Europe", being a lyceum student, in 1814.
The situation in the Imperial Lyceum wassuch that the student could not help but feel his vocation. The entire educational process was aimed at identifying and developing talents, and teachers contributed to this. In his memoirs, in 1830, A. S. Pushkin notes: "… I began to write from the age of 13 and print almost from the same time."
In the corners of Lyceum passages, The Muse became me.
My student cell, Still alien to fun, Suddenly lit up - Muse in her
Opened a feast of her inventions;
Sorry, cold science!
Sorry, early years games!
I have changed, I am a poet…
Pushkin's first known public appearance took place at the exam during the transition from the initial course to the senior, final course of study. Eminent people attended the public examinations, including the poet Derzhavin. The poem “Memories of Tsarskoye Selo” read by a fifteen-year-old student made a huge impression on the guests present. Pushkin immediately began to predict a great future. His works were highly valued by the lights of Russian poetry, his contemporaries - Zhukovsky, Batyushkov, Karamzin and others.
Alexander Lyceum
After the accession to the throne of Nicholas I, the lyceum was transferred to St. Petersburg. Tsarskoye Selo was a haven for lyceum students from 1811 to 1843. The educational institution moved to Kamenoostrovsky Prospekt, where the premises of the former Alexandrinsky orphanage were allocated for students. In addition, the institution was renamed the ImperialAlexander Lyceum, in honor of its creator.
Traditions and the spirit of brotherhood settled in the new premises, no matter how Nicholas I tried to fight this phenomenon. The history of the Tsarskoye Selo Imperial Lyceum continued in a new place and lasted until 1918. Permanence was marked by the observance of unwritten rules, the current charter, as well as the coat of arms and the motto - "For the common good." Paying tribute to its famous graduates, in 1879, on October 19, the first museum of A. S. Pushkin.
But with the justification in the new location, some changes have been introduced. According to the new curriculum, students began to be accepted and graduated annually, military disciplines were completely abolished, and the list of humanities expanded. The answer to the time and the changed environment was the new departments - agriculture, civil architecture.
After the 17th year
In 1917, the last graduation of students took place. Until 1918, classes continued with long breaks, the Alexander Lyceum was closed in May of the same year. The famous library was partially sent to Sverdlovsk, most of it was distributed among libraries, lost or found shelter in private hands. It was possible to save about two thousand volumes from the general collection of books, and localize them in the collection of the State Literary Museum in 1938. The collection, which ended up in the Sverdlovsk Library in 1970, was transferred to the fund of the Pushkin Museum.
The building of the Alexander Lyceum was used for various purposes. In 1917year it housed the headquarters of the Red Army and other organizations. Before the beginning of the Great Patriotic War and after it, there was a school on the premises, then the building was given to the SGPTU. The building now houses the College of Management and Economics.
A terrible fate befell many lyceum students and teachers of the Alexander Lyceum. In 1925, a case was fabricated, in which, among others. the last director of the lyceum V. A. Schilder and the prime minister N. D. Golitsyn were accused of creating a counter-revolutionary organization. All those accused of plotting to restore the monarchy, and there were 26 of them, were shot. So sadly ended the history of the Imperial Tsarskoye Selo Lyceum. Pushkin was his singer and genius, the rest of the lyceum students are history and pride.
Modern pedagogy is increasingly inclined to think that the ideas laid down by Speransky are the best education option for the younger generation, which would be useful to apply today.
