First Day of School

Olga with her flowers

Not my school. "Regular" school. The first day of class in Russia is celebratory - almost a holiday. Turned out in their finest, even young children wear suits and students bring flowers for their teachers. My host mother is a school teacher so I got to watch the first day festivities. The beginning was very solemn, with 2 serious young women flanking a serious young man who carried the Russian flag around a circle of students, stopping at center stage where they stood, immobile, for the rest of the ceremony. Parents and grandparents came to watch the show.

Students took turns singing, speaking, parading in groups according to their class year, and passing out flowers. Someone asked if I was new, and I wasn't sure if they meant parent or student, but I simply said "yes" and moved before they asked more questions. I followed my host mother to her class and listened to her explain that I was an American, staying at her house and that I didn't speak Russian :)

When I was growing up, my mother sent us to school with flowers. This gesture was not always understood by other students, or our teacher.