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Vasyl Olexandrovych Sukhomlynsky (; in transliteration from Ukrainian: Vasyl Oleksandrovych Sukhomlynsky) (September 28, 1918 – September 2, 1970) was a Ukrainian
humanistic Humanism is a philosophical stance that emphasizes the individual and social potential, and agency of human beings, whom it considers the starting point for serious moral and philosophical inquiry. The meaning of the term "humanism" ha ...
educator in the
Soviet Union The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...
who saw the aim of education in producing a truly humane being.


Biography

Sukhomlynsky was born in a peasant family in the village of Omelnyk, Vasyliv
volost Volost (; ; ) was a traditional administrative subdivision in Kievan Rus', the Grand Duchy of Moscow, and the Russian Empire. History The '' Brockhaus and Efron Encyclopedic Dictionary'' (1890–1907) states that the origins of the concept is unc ...
of
Oleksandriia Oleksandriia (, ) is a city in Kirovohrad Oblast, central Ukraine. It serves as the administrative center of Oleksandriia Raion and . Oleksandriia is located within the Kryvyi Rih metropolitan area. In 2001, it had a population of 93,357, a ...
uezd An uezd (also spelled uyezd or uiezd; rus, уе́зд ( pre-1918: уѣздъ), p=ʊˈjest), or povit in a Ukrainian context () was a type of administrative subdivision of the Grand Duchy of Moscow, the Tsardom of Russia, the Russian Empire, the ...
(today
Oleksandriia Raion Oleksandriia Raion is a raion (district) of Kirovohrad Oblast in central Ukraine. The administrative center of the raion is the city of Oleksandriia, which was incorporated separately as a city of regional significance (Ukraine), city of oblast si ...
of
Kirovohrad Oblast Kirovohrad Oblast (), also known as Kirovohradshchyna (), is an administrative divisions of Ukraine, oblast (''province'') in central Ukraine. The administrative center of the oblast is the city of Kropyvnytskyi. The oblast's population is It is ...
in Ukraine). In 1933 he finished a seven-year school of primary education after which his mother escorted him to
Kremenchuk Kremenchuk (; , , also spelt Kremenchug, ) is an industrial city in central Ukraine which stands on the banks of the Dnieper, Dnieper River. The city serves as the administrative center of Kremenchuk Raion and Kremenchuk urban hromada within ...
where he enrolled into a local medical college (
tekhnikum A tekhnikum () is a type of secondary vocational school in the Russian Empire, the Soviet Union, as well as in modern Russia, Ukraine and some other post-Soviet states The post-Soviet states, also referred to as the former Soviet Union or the ...
). However, he quit the medical school and enrolled into ''Robitfak'' which he finished in short term. In 1935 he started to work as a teacher not far from his native village. In 1938 Sukhomlynsky enrolled into the Poltava Pedagogical Institute out of which he graduated the same year. Upon graduation, he returned to native lands where he worked as a teacher of the
Ukrainian language Ukrainian (, ) is an East Slavic languages, East Slavic language, spoken primarily in Ukraine. It is the first language, first (native) language of a large majority of Ukrainians. Written Ukrainian uses the Ukrainian alphabet, a variant of t ...
and
literature Literature is any collection of Writing, written work, but it is also used more narrowly for writings specifically considered to be an art form, especially novels, Play (theatre), plays, and poetry, poems. It includes both print and Electroni ...
in the Onufriivka middle school. There he got married. During
World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
he volunteered to the front-lines in 1941 and as a ''junior politruk'' was severely wounded in January 1942 during the defense of Moscow. He was transferred to a military hospital in the
Ural Mountains The Ural Mountains ( ),; , ; , or simply the Urals, are a mountain range in Eurasia that runs north–south mostly through Russia, from the coast of the Arctic Ocean to the river Ural (river), Ural and northwestern Kazakhstan.
where he continued his medical treatment. During that time he continuously requested his return to the front-lines while the medical commission could not recognize him even conditionally available for that. He was appointed a principal of a middle school in the town of Uva (Republic of Udmurtia). After the de-occupation of Ukraine from the Nazis, in 1944 he returned to his native land. Vasyl learned that his wife and young son had been tortured by the Gestapo. He was appointed as a director of the Regional People's Education (RAINO). In 1948, he became principal of the Pavlysh Secondary School in the settlement of Pavlysh (upon his own request) – a post he held to the end of his life.


Educational philosophy

The core of Sukhomlynsky's system of education was his approach to moral education, which involved sensitising his students to beauty in nature, in art and in human relations, and encouraging students to take responsibility for the living environment which surrounded them. Sukhomlynsky taught his students that the most precious thing in life is a human being and that there is no greater honor than to bring joy to other people. He taught them that to bring joy to other people, and especially to their families, they should strive to create beauty in themselves and in the environment. There was thus a very close connection between moral and
aesthetic Aesthetics (also spelled esthetics) is the branch of philosophy concerned with the nature of beauty and taste, which in a broad sense incorporates the philosophy of art.Slater, B. H.Aesthetics ''Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy,'' , acces ...
education in Sukhomlynsky's approach. Another aspect of being truly human was the development of the
intellect Intellect is a faculty of the human mind that enables reasoning, abstraction, conceptualization, and judgment. It enables the discernment of truth and falsehood, as well as higher-order thinking beyond immediate perception. Intellect is dis ...
, so that the horizons of the mind grew ever wider, gradually encompassing the whole world and reaching into the depths of space. Sukhomlynsky could not agree with those who sought to give education a purely
utilitarian In ethical philosophy, utilitarianism is a family of normative ethical theories that prescribe actions that maximize happiness and well-being for the affected individuals. In other words, utilitarian ideas encourage actions that lead to the ...
focus, who thought that knowledge was worthwhile only if it found direct application in the workplace. For him, the study of foreign languages and of astronomy were essential in order for a person to appreciate the world of which they were a part, and to broaden their minds. The foundation of all personal growth is health, and Sukhomlynsky gave a great deal of his attention to ensuring that children enjoyed optimum health, especially in early childhood, when character is formed. He took children out into nature often, combining physical exercise with lessons in thought and in the appreciation of beauty. Especially in the primary school, he thought it important that children's thought be associated with vivid images, such as were to be found in the fields, forests and waterways within walking distance of the school. If thought were divorced from the children's direct experiences, it would exhaust them. It was also important that children's learning, the work of their intellects, be associated with practical works which put their knowledge to use. Only if children's knowledge was used to improve their environment and the lives of people around them, would it lead to the formation of an active philosophy of life, to a practical moral stance. Sukhomlynsky's
holistic education Holistic education is a movement in education that seeks to engage all aspects of the learner, including mind, body, and spirit. Its philosophy, which is also identified as holistic learning theory, is based on the premise that each person finds ...
al philosophy thus rested on five pillars: health education, moral education, aesthetic education, intellectual education, and work education.Cockerill, A. (1999) ''Each One Must Shine: The Educational Legacy of V.A. Sukhomlinsky''
Electronic edition. ERJ Language Service Pty Ltd.


Educating the heart

Sukhomlynsky sought to prolong children's childhood, to keep them optimistic and open to the world, to preserve the freshness of their emotional responses to the world. He showed them that although they were small, they could do a lot to care for the environment in which they lived and to bring happiness to the people they met. He sought to refine their sense of beauty, being very selective in the impressions he fed to their young minds. He took them to the most beautiful natural settings he could find. He taught them to listen to the music of nature, the rustle of grasses and of leaves, the song of the lark. He played them music inspired by such natural sounds, and showed them paintings of natural beauty. He did not swamp them with a surfeit of images and sounds, but allowed each new exposure to beauty to be memorable. He taught them to become more aware of the inner world of other people, to read others' eyes, to recognize feelings of joy, of sorrow or confusion. He tried to ensure that children took joy home from school to their families, to ensure that every child uncovered some latent talent or ability at which they could excel. Not every child could excel academically, but each could shine at something and find a way to bring joy to others. This was the foundation of their self-respect and their moral development. For his achievements in the field of education, Sukhomlynsky was bestowed the title of
Hero of Socialist Labor The Hero of Socialist Labour () was an honorific title in the Soviet Union and other Warsaw Pact countries from 1938 to 1991. It represented the highest degree of distinction in the USSR and was awarded for exceptional achievements in Soviet ...
in 1968. He was also a recipient of two
Orders of Lenin The Order of Lenin (, ) was an award named after Vladimir Lenin, the leader of the October Revolution. It was established by the Central Executive Committee on 6 April 1930. The order was the highest civilian decoration bestowed by the Soviet ...
,
Order of the Red Star The Order of the Red Star () was a military decoration of the Soviet Union. It was established by decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR of 6 April 1930 but its statute was only defined in decree of the Presidium of the ...
, Ushinsky and Makarenko Medals. In 1969 Sukhomlynsky wrote the book , (); English translations: ''To Children I Give My Heart'', by Holly Martin Smith, 1982, and ''My Heart I Give to Children'', by Alan Leslie Cockerill, 2016, . For this book he was awarded the State Prize of the
Ukrainian SSR The Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic, abbreviated as the Ukrainian SSR, UkrSSR, and also known as Soviet Ukraine or just Ukraine, was one of the Republics of the Soviet Union, constituent republics of the Soviet Union from 1922 until 1991. ...
in 1974 (posthumously).


Notes


External links

* – translation into English, Progress Publishers 1977 *
Each One Must Shine
' – a pdf version of "Each One Must Shine: The Educational Legacy of V.A. Sukhomlinsky", originally published by Peter Lang, New York, in 1999. *
V.O. Sukhomlynsky: holistic educator
' – A web site promoting Sukhomlynsky's ideas and containing photo-galleries.
''In Search of Sukhomlinsky''
– A blog describing Alan Cockerill's visit to Ukraine to research Sukhomlynsky's legacy. Contains photographs.

* ttp://www.aalsa.org/webzine2008/sukhomlinskyenglish.pdf ''Vasily Aleksandrovich Sukhomlinsky on Education'' – translation into English.
''Vasily Aleksandrovich Sukhomlinsky on Education''
– translation into Bengali.
"Some English language translations of Sukhomlynsky's works"
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sukhomlynsky, Vasyl Humanists Ukrainian educational theorists Soviet educators Heroes of Socialist Labour 1970 deaths 1918 births Ukrainian male writers 20th-century Ukrainian educators 20th-century Ukrainian writers