Empress Catherine II Saint Petersburg Mining University continues to implement a pilot project to improve the higher education system. It is aimed at improving the quality of engineering personnel training for the real sector of the national economy, which is impossible without increasing students' motivation to build their future careers in production.
One of the effective mechanisms contributing to the formation of such a trend is the change in the status of the institute of head teachers, including through their additional financial incentives. Now they are not just young people who at the beginning of a class report to the teacher about who is absent from the classroom, but real leaders who form an environment of trust and stimulate other members of the team to professional and personal self-realization. By example, of course.
Becoming a head teacher, by the way, is not so easy. At the very beginning of the school year, candidates for this role fill out questionnaires, and then make a presentation to the group, in which they tell about their hobbies, plans and life values. Voting takes place on social media, with the winner determined by a simple majority of votes. The students do not know each other very well at this point, and in order to earn the trust of the whole team of about 30 people, they need to take the initiative from the very first days.
"To be honest, I was a bit afraid to take on such a responsibility. I was worried that I wouldn't be able to handle it, especially since I hadn't fully mastered the university by that time. But my classmates put their trust in me, and I felt that I had to justify it. The active life position that I adhered to at school, as well as the absence of communication problems, help me to cope with my duties quite well. I must admit that there are quite a few of them. Mining University is in full swing now with the reform of the higher education system, the whole first year takes part in it, and I, as a headman, have to be a conductor of all these initiatives among young people, to explain to the guys the essence of the ongoing changes," said Veronika Yudina, who studies at the Faculty of Mineral Processing.
The head teacher is the link that connects the group, administration and student self-government bodies. Therefore, the leader, among other things, needs to have the full range of information concerning the educational process and university life.
"I am a member of several chat rooms and try not to miss a single message. Teachers, for example, send me links to manuals and teaching materials. If I don't see them and don't pass them on to the others, I let the whole group down. I also regularly receive information about various events taking place inside the university. I help to organize them and gather the interested team to participate. This year I have also strengthened the control of attendance. I not only note the students who are present and absent from classes, but I also have to be aware of the reason for their absence. If it's disrespectful and it's just banal laziness, I make sure to have a preventive conversation and explain that this is the first step to failing a session, expulsion and reduced career prospects," says Veronika.
It is not enough to post information in the group chat room, you need to be able to explain it. There will always be those who misunderstand something. Therefore, the girl notes, the head teacher needs to have stoic patience. And also the ability to express his thoughts clearly, which, by the way, is greatly promoted by the pilot project to improve higher education.
"All students of Mining University during the first 4 semesters study according to a unified curriculum. This is a very important part of the reform, aimed at giving future engineers or scientists fundamental knowledge, the basis without which it is very difficult to become a good specialist. These are not only general technical disciplines - higher mathematics, physics or chemistry - but also humanitarian disciplines. For example, History of Russia, Rhetoric and business etiquette. By the way, thanks to regular classes in rhetoric, I notice that my thoughts have become more organized and my speech more coherent and logical. This subject, in my opinion, is necessary for every person obtained higher education. It is quite difficult to become a good manager, including in engineering, without the art of eloquence. Your subordinates may simply not understand you," Veronika believes.
Yulia Leonova is a second-year student at Mining University. Thanks to her leadership qualities, the girl was first chosen to be the head of the group, and then of the entire faculty of mineral raw materials processing. Now she is the chairman of the Council of the university headmen. By her own admission, it has always been interesting for her to start with small personal achievements and to scale them up little by little.
Yulia's organizational skills became apparent in her native Lipetsk, where she was a class head for several years in a row. And at the Dialogue of Civilizations festival, which annually gathers active and ambitious young people from different regions of Russia, she was elected "president of all schools".
"I am the same girl who at school "pulls up" the grades of students with grades of three and helps newcomers to "fit in" to the team. And now, being a head student at Mining University, I do approximately the same thing. For example, I try to maintain a favorable climate among my classmates. That is why conflicts and misunderstandings have so far avoided us. Besides, I don't let the guys burn out emotionally, because studying, among other things, is also a great stress. If something doesn't work out, I will help them. It's not difficult for me," says Yulia.
The girl notes that the head teacher needs to understand people and be a kind of "subtle psychologist". For example, she studies in a "high-point group", whose students are not always interested in university activities.
"I know about all the activities that take place at Mining University. And I understand who from my group will like this or that event. For example, I would suggest Vasya to go dancing and Petya to solve chemistry problems," Yulia explained.
Her colleague Henrikh Dovlatov is a second-year student at the Oil and Gas Faculty. He notes that team cohesion and the microclimate within the group is largely influenced by the amount of time the students spend socializing with each other outside of school. It is the task of the head teacher to organize such meetings and give them meaning.
"Besides classes, it is important to invent and organize joint activities for your group. For example, I always liked to go to the gym after classes. I suggested to my classmates to go there together. Since then, we have been regular visitors there. We often play team sports. Sometimes on weekends we go dancing. I am also convinced that a head teacher should show others by personal example that it is good for everyone to participate in university life and to prove themselves in sports or science," emphasized Heinrich.
Another headman, Vitaly Vnukov, was once the head of several school associations in Yakutsk. That experience, active life position, and sincere interest in supporting the people around him help the young man to do an excellent job.
"Throughout my years of study, I am expected to hold the bar high. A head teacher has to guide and encourage classmates on their way to realizing their potential. I, for example, am an experienced skier. That's why I organized a team of my classmates to travel together to the student training center in Kavgolovo. Thanks in large part to my love of sports in general, we also managed to get the guys together to take part in the Mining University championship. We also regularly have picnics in the suburbs of St. Petersburg or go to theaters. We especially love the Mariinsky Theatre," Vitaly said.
Who do the Mining University leaders look up to? Without exception, all the head teachers we interviewed said that their parents had the greatest influence on the formation of their personal qualities. But their answers varied greatly.
"For me, the ideal is my mom. She is a strong, independent woman who can always stand up for herself. At the same time she has a balanced character and knows what words to pick up at this or that moment. She is educated, well-read and always interesting. She works as a dentist and loves her work. She always does it well and with great dedication. I want to be like her," said Veronika Yudina.
"The formation of my personality was strongly influenced by both my parents and society, including the very comfortable environment created at Mining University. Plus modern talented actors and book characters. For example, my board book is "The Count of Montecristo". I like how the hero plays out his life line," shared Genrikh Davletov.
"I was shaped as a person by the environment in which I grew up. For example, my parents are quite energetic people, as long as I remember them, they were always involved in social activities. It was they who instilled in me a sense of responsibility, empathy and leadership qualities. I draw wisdom from books. I often think about the questions that the hero of Jack London's novel Martin Eden asks. For example, how will I feel when I achieve my cherished dream? I am sure: if you find the answer in advance, you can avoid disappointment and depression in the future," says Yulia Leonova.
"For me, my role model is Mikhail Lomonosov. This is a unique person who was able to realize himself both as a poet, and as a scientist, and as a reformer of the Russian language. I would very much like to reveal the versatility of his personality as he did," says Vitaly Vnukov.
He believes that the most important factor that will allow him to achieve this will be his studies at the St. Petersburg Mining University. The young man is sure that the competencies obtained here will definitely contribute to the realization of his potential in various fields, allow him to become a qualified engineer, and ensure his personal growth.