Best teacher of the year in Russia in 2017. The 30-year-old teacher of history, social studies and law has been working at gymnasium No. 116 for almost ten years.

Where does schoolchildren get interested in law and politics, is it necessary to discuss opposition rallies in class, and what happened when there were three history textbooks instead of one and a half thousand? Demakov told "Paper", how history is taught to modern schoolchildren and what has changed in recent years.

- You have been working at the school for about ten years. How much has the history curriculum changed over the years?

Changes in programs are probably not even the most important thing. The technical means with which we teach are changing. When I myself was in school - it was the 90s - almost everything was done manually and, of course, there were no multimedia tools. Now at the gymnasium, when I move from class to class, I don’t even think about the fact that somewhere there may not be a projector, a multimedia board or the Internet. This is a big change, taking into account the peculiarities of the thinking of modern children, who really need such technical means.

The second change occurred in the content. Just in history, something happened that should have happened in other subjects: the number of textbooks is now being reduced - and this is very correct. In history, we have been working for several years using only three textbooks. This is good, because the head of the lesson is still the teacher. And the textbook and any other means are only a kind of addition to it in cases where the student cannot communicate with the teacher directly: say, due to a long-term illness.

In the 1930s there was a “Short Course in the History of the All-Union Communist Party (Bolsheviks)” - literally the only history textbook. And this ghost scared everyone very much

Until recently, the federal list of textbooks included 1,400 titles - naturally, this is a terrible figure, and it is absolutely impossible for either the student or the teacher to choose. Now there are three textbooks, and this is convenient, because after all, there is more than one and the teacher can, to a certain extent, maneuver between them, choosing tasks.

When reducing the number of textbooks was discussed, some feared that it would lead to one view of history. Because previously controversial issues could be presented differently in different manuals. Was there such a problem?

When this discussion took place, I was one of the experts in our region. What were your colleagues and specialists afraid of then? In the 1930s there was a “Short Course in the History of the All-Union Communist Party (Bolsheviks)” - literally the only history textbook. And this ghost scared everyone very much. But nothing like this happened, because they compiled not a single textbook, but a single standard of content, in which controversial, difficult issues are spelled out - and debatable points of view and a certain general balanced view of scientists are given on them. And already under this general context, different teams of authors wrote common textbooks, of which there are now three left. That is, the position is common, but the manner of presentation is different.

- What controversial issues are we talking about first of all?

They are called "hard questions of history" - difficult to study, difficult to present. This, for example, is the era of Ivan the Terrible, associated with the oprichnina, the centralization of the state. Naturally, this is the 20th century - especially [this is important] this year: the centenary of the Russian Revolution, the question of whites and reds, the question of the polarization of society.

- How much detail do they talk about the modern history of Russia in lessons - the time after perestroika, the 90s?

There really may not be much time if we want to communicate a certain maximum number of facts about history. But it seems to me that this is absolutely not the key to studying the subject. I am sure that knowing history and knowing dates are absolutely not synonymous. When we try to turn a history lesson into a study of chronological lists, it is even harmful. Because, firstly, all this will be forgotten. Secondly, a modern person, especially a child, now has an external memory in the form of “Google”, which, naturally, will tell him any date, so it is absolutely not necessary to keep it in his head. This is normal: man is not a machine, and he was not created to keep score.

A history lesson is not the place for us to discuss very deep, individual issues. First of all, because a student cannot always afford this

But the point of studying history first of all is to appropriate one’s own history. We consider as ours what we worry about, what we are able to sympathize with or rejoice at. If we help children see something in historical events that evokes an emotional response in them, then, indeed, this story will be their own for them. How we treat our property - we tend to protect it, we protect it. It would probably be nice if we treated our history on the same principle - as our property.

- But the attitude towards events can be both positive and negative.

So, not all events in the history of every nation, including ours, need to be assessed positively. After all, history is the science of people, and people are imperfect. That is probably why this science itself is interesting.

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- How interested are modern schoolchildren in politics in general?

I like the trend that I and my colleagues have seen over the years of teaching. There are blocks in social studies whose relevance does not need to be explained to children. That is, no introduction is required as to why it is important for children to know this. Such blocks include, firstly, all the rights - from beginning to end. Here, modern children have some kind of a priori interest in everything related to the legal field. And the second is what concerns human nature. Man as a special being in nature, which obeys, on the one hand, natural laws, and on the other, social laws. This topic interests them.

Why, in your opinion, do schoolchildren have such an interest in law and what concerns a person as a part of society?

I think that everything that sets the rules of the game in the modern world - diverse, mobile, everything that allows you to understand your attitude towards the people around you and existing institutions, arouses keen interest.

Do you often discuss with schoolchildren some modern political events taking place in our city? For example, the rally in support of Navalny on October 7. In your opinion, should this be discussed in class?

I am sure that a lesson, including a history lesson, is not the place for us to discuss very deep, individual issues. First of all, because a student cannot always afford this: this is a rather difficult conversation, which, in conditions of mass discussion, can be both painful and, probably, even harmful for the children. Therefore, in the dialogue that I have with my students, we, of course, discuss such issues, but this is not in the format of a lesson, but in the format of extracurricular activities or just a conversation.

- So, students usually ask about this themselves?

Yes, and they do this quite often, but usually individually, so that the conversation is more open and so that they find out what interests them.

Now many people are paying attention to the fact that there have been more schoolchildren at the rallies in recent years, including among those detained. In your opinion, is this an indication that they have become more politically active than before?

I think not. If we remember periods of history in the twentieth century, then in Soviet school children were definitely interested in politics in their country no less than now, and perhaps even more. I believe that this is not due to any specific political moment, but to the nature of the child, who generally tends to respond emotionally to what is happening around him and to try on different social roles. Ultimately, this helps him socialize better.

- What influences whether there is this emotional response: parents, school, Internet, social networks?

The boys’ means of communication have, of course, changed, but I don’t see anything immediate in this and I don’t think it’s worth attaching special importance to the reasons you’re talking about. I’m not sure that the guys somehow deeply understand why these rallies are being held. Therefore, both our task and the task of the family is to show the children more clearly what the essence of what is happening is. This is where the interest of most children ends.

Nevertheless, there are teachers who try to convey to schoolchildren their point of view on what is happening, and there are more “neutral” ones.

The teacher, of course, should not be neutral to what is happening around him. It would be very strange. But a lesson is still not a rally - and this should be quite clear to both the child and the teacher. There are classic tasks and forms of work that are acceptable, but there are things that are unacceptable under no circumstances.

Does it happen that students have some kind of distorted idea of ​​history - for example, due to popular public pages on social networks and other inaccurate Internet resources on historical topics?

The guys, of course, are very immersed in gadgets and the digital environment - this is the reality in which we exist. But fighting this and prohibiting the use of technical means in lessons is, in a sense, like fighting the future. This is not true. The challenge that the teacher faces is to re-evaluate both the digital environment and the gadgets in the hands of a child. They need to be considered as a working tool with which you can solve some practically significant problems - say, searching for information.

On October 5, 2017, the last stage of the “Teacher of the Year” competition took place in the Kremlin Palace. Vladimir Putin personally congratulated the finalists and took time for an informal meeting with the five leaders. And after the teachers there was an awards ceremony and a festive concert.

The title “Teacher of the Year,” after all the tests, went to Ilya Demakov, a history and social studies teacher at St. Petersburg gymnasium No. 116. It is worth noting that Ilya received this title twice in 2017. He also took the main prize at a competition in his hometown - St. Petersburg.

Ilya Demakov began his teaching career 9 years ago. Having received a master's degree from St. Petersburg State University, the young teacher got a job at gymnasium No. 116 to teach history and social studies. At the same time, Ilya did not give up his studies and continued his research activities. He successfully completed graduate school and is preparing to defend his dissertation on the administrative activities of Mikhail Lomonosov.

Demakov’s pedagogical achievements were assessed not only at the regional, but also at the federal level. So, in 2013, Ilya Sergeevich took the main prize of the All-Russian competition “Pedagogical Debut”.

At his native gymnasium, Ilya also finds time for extracurricular activities. He took over the leadership of a theater studio in German, and also organized a circle of fans of the work of the writer J. R. R. Tolkien. At the same time, Demakov considers walking around the city his most important hobby.

Ilya Demakov believes that simplicity and passion for his profession are the key to his success. He is very proud of his students, many of them were able to achieve high results in science. Thus, among them there are winners of All-Russian Olympiads and young researchers who take part in scientific competitions and conferences for schoolchildren.

“Teaching at school is an active dialogue. Any action (or inaction!) of the student and teacher certainly results in new impressions, unique experiences or a change in mood. At school everything lives and moves. Naivety and gullibility go hand in hand with responsibility here. But the most important thing is that at school you can always find something that will work out well. And any person would prefer to be where he can achieve high results,” Ilya Sergeevich answers the question of why he decided to go into teaching.

It was decided to establish the “Teacher of the Year” competition in 1989. This happened after articles proposing the holding of such a competition appeared in the main pedagogical publication of the time, Teacher’s Newspaper.

In 2017, among the competition participants were teachers from all regions of the country, and even several teachers from rural schools. The overall average age of all applicants was 36 years, and the teaching experience was approximately 12 years.

This time, 16 Russian language teachers, 14 historians, 9 teachers of foreign languages ​​and mathematical sciences, 6 primary school and geography teachers, 5 physicists and 4 biology and computer science teachers each fought for the title “Teacher of the Year”.

It is believed that there are many more women among teachers in Russia. But only one representative of the fair sex made it to the finals of the “Teacher of the Year” competition - teacher of Russian language and literature Anastasia Mingacheva from the city of Ulyanovsk. The top five also included mathematics teachers - Vladimir Ponomarenko from Samara and Almaz Khamidullin from Kazan, biologist Ivan Smirnov from the capital, and this year’s winner - history teacher Ilya Demakov from the northern capital of St. Petersburg.

​Ilya Sergeevich Demakov is 30 years old. In 2009, he graduated from St. Petersburg State University, and in 2013, he graduated from graduate school at the Russian Academy of Sciences. His teaching experience is 8 years. Teacher's professional credo: "Clarity and passion are the basis of success."

In Ilya Demakov’s piggy bank - Gratitude from Moscow State University named after M.V. Lomonosov, Certificate of Honor from the Ministry of Education and Science of the Russian Federation, Prize of the President of the Russian Federation for supporting talented youth, Gratitude from the Governor of St. Petersburg, Badge "For the humanization of the school", Gratitude from the Legislative Assembly of St. Petersburg and Gratitude from the Department of Youth Policy in Turku (Finland).

The teacher is an active participant in the competitive movement. Moreover, this applies not only to “Teacher of the Year in Russia,” which, we dare to assume, is the culmination of his career at this stage. So, last year Ilya Demakov led the St. Petersburg team at the All-Russian Championship of Regional Teachers' Teams (CHERUK) - his team took second place. In 2013, he became the absolute winner of the All-Russian Pedagogical Debut competition. In addition, the teacher was the winner of the Presidential Prize of the Russian Federation for supporting talented youth and the Youth Prize of St. Petersburg.

However, Ilya Demakov’s special pride is his students. He pays great attention to the Olympiad movement and research activities of schoolchildren. Among Ilya Sergeevich’s students are winners of All-Russian Olympiads, dozens of winners of research competitions and scientific conferences for schoolchildren.

Ilya Demakov leads volunteer groups, a theater studio at the gymnasium in German (the teacher also speaks English and Spanish), and also a circle of lovers of the work of R. J. Tolkien. Among the hobbies of the Russian Teacher of the Year are city travel and... karting!

The absolute winner of the All-Russian competition "Russian Teacher of the Year" -2017, in addition to the prize, receives the traditional award - the Great Crystal Pelican, as well as the honorable duty - to become a public adviser to the Minister of Education and Science of Russia for a year.

"Teachers' Newspaper" thanks all readers and viewers for their attention to the main professional competition of teachers in the country! We congratulate the absolute winner, winners, laureates and all finalists of the All-Russian competition "Russian Teacher of the Year" -2017! See you in the future at professional venues!

"Teacher's newspaper"
28.09.2017

Lesson. Miracles continue
Participants in the competition “Russian Teacher of the Year” - 2017
reaching the finish line of the first round

On the sixth day, the Sochi sun, taking pity, was covered by clouds, and the competitive marathon, according to one of the jury members, became close to successfully crossing the equator. Indeed, most of the lessons have already been given, and the competitors will learn about the quality of their implementation on September 29, when the “tag” is determined.

But it is still morning on September 28th, and it gives charge to the whole day. In this regard, the eighth-graders who came to the lesson of physical education teacher from the Tyumen region Marina Timofeeva were clearly lucky. Nothing invigorates like physical and intellectual activity combined. Marina Timofeeva invited the children to imagine themselves as chess pieces, and she structured the entire lesson by skillfully linking general developmental exercises with chess laws. During the lesson, the children learned the history of the game and also took part in circuit training, which contributed to the development of key physical qualities. Moving clockwise through the stations, children could perform various physical exercises and determine for themselves which ones suited their individual characteristics. And, I must say, there were quite a few guys who discovered their sports talent.

During the lesson of history teacher from St. Petersburg Ilya Demakov, eighth-graders had the chance to travel to a “digital” school from the time of Peter the Great. Moreover, acquaintance with the era began with acquaintance with... the hands of the emperor. As it turns out, hands can tell a lot, both about a person and about his affairs. The deeds of Peter the Great transformed the entire country. The guys tried to do calculations with their own hands in an arithmetic lesson of that era, managed to write their names in a literature lesson, and also took an etiquette course in a politesse lesson. And, of course, they firmly understood that Peter the Great made the Russians “citizens of the world,” not sparing either their lives or his own, but did it for the good of the country, rooting for it and loving it.

Ilona Valieva, teacher of Ossetian language and literature from Vladikavkaz, spoke in her lesson about culture, only through the prism of Ossetian literature. She introduced the seventh graders to the Narts - the heroes of Ossetian epic tales. Thanks to the fairy tale about Atsamaz and Agunda, the children learned, for example, that the term “nart” means “children of the sun”, “children of the wolf” and “our fire”, and also that Ossetians have many beautiful epithets for a woman, and the maturity of a man is determined by his actions.

As Ilona Valieva explained, the problem of preserving the native language is acute in her homeland. Now in her class there are children whose parents no longer speak their native language, but if the connection between generations is lost, then a huge cultural layer will disappear irrevocably.

Olga Kisilenko, a teacher of this subject from Ust-Ilimsk, helped the children in her lesson to acquire quite specific knowledge, but already in the field of mathematics. Sixth graders not only understood what a diagram is, but also learned how to construct different types of diagrams and also how to read them. To ensure that theory did not diverge from practice, Olga Kisilenko “hired” the guys to work at a consulting firm and asked them to advise families whose total income does not allow them to realize one or another dream. The sixth-graders approached solving problems thoroughly and, having drawn up pie charts, gave their recommendations for optimizing family expenses. There is no doubt that new knowledge will be useful to them when planning their own budget; it is no coincidence that when summing up the work in the lesson, the majority of sixth-graders noted that they would like to expand their knowledge in this topic.

Irina Popova, a chemistry teacher from the Voronezh region, proved in her class that there is often a lot of unknown hidden behind the obvious. It turned out that we are still living in the Iron Age, and metals are still needed and important for person. Together with the children, Irina Popova recalled the main characteristics of metals, as well as their physical properties. At the same time, ninth-graders learned interesting facts that gold is the most ductile metal, from one gram of which a wire 3 km long can be drawn. And besides, it is precisely because of this property of metal, such as thermal conductivity, that in winter, by licking iron with your tongue, you can get into a pre-embarrassing situation. True, there is a way out of it: you just need to warm your tongue with your breath. As Irina Popova summed up the lesson, it is important to remember that external signs always depend on the internal structure, and this applies not only to inanimate objects.

Nina Danilina, a history and social studies teacher from the Moscow region, came to class with her tenth-graders with the notorious presidential “green folder.” And, like the president’s, it collected citizens’ complaints. The “green folder” helped in revealing the topic of her lesson - “Citizen participation in law-making activity." To say that this is a complex topic is to say nothing, but during the lesson the children tried not only to consider the types and forms of civil law-making, but also to think about what comes first - law or creativity? It is important that when working in groups, schoolchildren were able to formulate an initiative that directly concerns their region. For example, the restoration of the route of the Sochi-Krasnodar high-speed electric train, which was canceled after the end of the 2014 Olympics. Nina Danilina promised to post this initiative on her resource and once again reminded the children that the future of the country and society depends, among other things, on the concern of young citizens.

Such immersion and inclusion in a complex topic is very useful, says Olga Karnaukh, history, social studies and law teacher at school No. 100 in Sochi. And the most valuable thing is that this happens in real time. After watching the competitive lesson, she will try to use the experience of her colleague from the Moscow region when studying the basics of civics, lawmaking and legislative activity.

The intensity of this competition day would be incomplete if not for the creative program of the “Teacher of the Year of the Krasnodar Territory” club. As part of it, a presentation of the Interregional Ecological Expedition of Schoolchildren took place, which this year will be held for the 17th time in the Ulyanovsk region and to which all current participants of the competition were invited.

And in addition, a master class dedicated to the 100th anniversary of the February and October revolutions, which was conducted by the absolute winner of the “Russian Teacher of the Year” competition - 2016, Alexander Shagalov. As usual, it was a fascinatingly subtle, philosophical and emotional performance.

And the director of Krasnodar school No. 98 named after. Hero of Russia, Colonel General Troshev, Andrei Shevchenko invited all competitors not to be afraid to continue participating in various professional competitions and noted that life after the competition is just beginning. The main thing is that it is as bright and rich as “before” and “during”.

Two and a half million Russians celebrate their professional holiday. Today is Teacher's Day.

The ceremony took place in the Kremlin. The best teacher in the country was announced. Ilya Demakov, a teacher of history and social studies at the gymnasium, became the absolute champion.

The President congratulated representatives of one of the most important professions. Teachers were able to ask Vladimir Putin questions in an informal setting.

Today's ceremony in the Kremlin concluded the Teacher of the Year competition, the last stage of which took place first in Sochi and then in Moscow. A grand jury of professionals first identified 15 finalists and then five winners. The head of state personally congratulated all the teachers from the stage.

V. Putin: “You invest in your students, at least the vast majority of you, a piece of your soul, you strive to show them how important decency, justice, trust, respect for each other, love for your native country are. I am convinced that without such basic, fundamental values ​​it is impossible to become a thinking, worthy, free person. These concepts and moral foundations cannot be learned from a textbook or downloaded from the Internet; this moral foundation is laid through the daily work of a teacher, brought up through his personal example, eye-to-eye communication.

A little earlier, before the start of the solemn ceremony in the Kremlin, what is called eye to eye, an informal conversation between the laureates of the “Teacher of the Year” competition and the president took place. One of the meeting participants, history teacher from St. Petersburg Ilya Demakov, addressed his question to Vladimir Putin. By the way, it is not as simple as it might seem at first glance.

“Several years ago, under similar circumstances, my school teacher asked you which figure in Russian history you would call key. I wanted to know both on my own behalf and on his behalf: has your assessment changed during this time?” - asked Ilya Demakov.

V. Putin: “What did I say then?”

I. Demakov: “You named Alexander III.”

V. Putin: “Yes, Alexander III is an outstanding figure in our history, one of the builders of our state. We had many outstanding figures. You know, it’s very difficult to just point a finger like that. In general, the most important character is the people. This is where we need to go deeper - first of all, into the study of the moral and ethical qualities of our people, there is all the strength, there is the basis of the foundations.”

A joint photo with the president and a glass of champagne before the most important moment of the evening - Crystal Pelicans figurines are awarded to the winners of the All-Russian competition. The Fab Five are the best of the best from across the country. And now the moment of truth - the announcement of the absolute winner.

Tomorrow they will go to their schools. Moreover, in those of them whose teachers, until this evening, claimed the right to be called the best, as they say, they rooted for their own until the very end.