A SCHOOL WITH A DIFERENCE: MORE THAN JUST ONE PLUS ONE

by David Zenian


Yerevan -- At first, discipline seems poor and students out of control as they race out of classrooms during morning recess. They rule the hallways and are loud and restless.

But this is not an ordinary school and the children are not ordinary students. This is in one of Yerevan's poorer neighborhoods where the learning process has taken a major leap away from the archaic and rigid toward greater self expression, imagination and freedom.

It is a public school with a difference.

"The students have to think for themselves. In a new and free Armenia, we need to encourage and cultivate independent thought and expression," said Davit Haroutiunian, the Principal of School Number 198.

At 33, Haroutiunian is already a veteran educator who holds university degrees in science, law, and psychology and a doctorate in computer studies which he received at the age of 22.

A genius? Maybe, but definitely a young man with a vision of a new direction in education.

Opened in 1989 just as the Soviet Union was falling apart, School Number 198 was first in taking advantage of the nation's new freedoms to revolutionize an otherwise centrally-dictated system, where students had to memorize everything from math to literature without any personal input.

As a first step, all incoming students were given tests to measure what they knew before entering a certain grade level. It was knowledge rather than age which determined the placement of students.

Next was dividing the school year into quarters rather the traditional semesters and smaller classrooms.

"Students were also told to feel free to speak out. The dogmatic discipline which is the foundation of education as we know it in this country was gradually replaced with a relaxed atmosphere where students did not have to freeze and salute in the hallways every time I passed by," the boyish looking educator said in a recent interview.

"We are eliminating fear from authority and slowly replacing it with respect for others," he said.

Wandering through the school hallways and visiting classrooms, the interaction between teachers and students is obvious. Groups of young students are huddled around their teachers listening to stories, others sing while one small group is busy solving math problems.

On the pedagogic level, students are encouraged to go as fast as they want. "Not all students are the same, and this means they do not learn at the same speed," Haroutiunian said.

In one elementary level class, students are asked to read a poem, and then take a brush and palate and put their thoughts into a painting -- thus, combining literature, art and self expression.

In another class, while some students are encouraged to write a play based on their real-life experiences and perform in front of their peers, others act as the sales agents for the in-house theater -- a blend of artistic expression and business administration.

Students are asked to get involved in every aspect of the school life, including the preparation of some of the workbooks used by the lower grade children.

"It is all part of stimulating their thoughts and imagination. I have no doubt that the more interested a student is, the better he or she performs," Haroutiunian said.

In a classroom, eight-year-old Sona Gevorgian and her classmates are all smiles as they hover around their room-teacher -- Ms. Anahid.

"We don't have a dull moment here. We move as fast as the children can go. Unlike other schools, we have different levels and groups in the same grade, and its only normal for gifted students to move faster and graduate well ahead of others. I love teaching here," she said.

Moving at different speeds has meant that dozens of students have been able to graduate from high school as early as the age of 12. At any given time during the academic year, at least 30 percent of the 1,000 students of the school are at least one or two years ahead of their officially-prescribed grade level.

Haroutiunian and his staff of 120 teachers are seen by some as rebels who have put aside most official guidelines and set out on a new direction despite the serious financial problems dictated by the central government's inability to provide basics like books and other learning materials.

"We are a public school, and have a very limited budget which is not enough to sustain a strong and imaginative education in this day and age," Haroutiunian said.

"We know that the government is doing its best, but this does not mean that we should not try and supplement this with other resources from the students and the community," he said.

A small student-operated store sells candy and some supplies to raise money for the school.

Times are tough and Haroutiunian is convinced it will take the Armenian government years before it can raise teacher salaries to halt the exodus of educators out of the nation's schools.

Today, the average pay of an elementary school teacher is in the six to ten dollar range per month while office staff with similar language skills -- especially English -- can earn 10 to 20 times more.

"But these children cannot wait ... they are eager to learn and we are here to create the proper atmosphere for them.

"We can use some help," he said with a smile.

But despite the hardships, there is no shortage of smiling faces as children play in the schools small playground.