Харкiвский Спецiальний Навчально-виховний Комплекс (Kharkiv Special Training and Educational Complex)

Last week, I visited Kharkiv, where I gave a lecture at O.M. Beketov National University of Urban Economy.  I lectured on the topic of effective program development in education.  One of the individuals at my presentation was an administrator of the local school for the deaf, and she invited me to visit her school, which officially is called the Харкiвский Спецiальний Навчально-виховний Комплекс (Kharkiv Special Training and Educational Complex).  This particular school admits only deaf students.  There is another school in Kharkiv for hard of hearing children.  I have learned that Ukrainian educators are very strict about educating these two groups of students separately.  

As with all of my other visits to Ukrainian schools for students who are deaf, this was a wonderful learning experience, and as always the kids were great.  They were fascinated by the visit of an American like them, and I found their enthusiasm infectious, so we signed excitedly with each other and despite the differences in American and Ukrainian Sign Language, managed to communicate.  If necessary, an interpreter could step in.  The older children were full of questions, and of course, many of them wanted their photos taken with me, as did the teachers and administrators, as well.

Following the customary photos and excited conversation, all of us were led to the far end of the school yard where a colorful effigy of winter made of, I guess, paper, was positioned on a metal pole.  It was doused in flammable liquid and set ablaze, a process so rapid, it was completed almost before I could get any photographs taken.  This was the custom of burning winter during the holiday of Масляна (Maslyana), immediately prior to the season of Lent.  In addition to saying goodbye to winter, pancakes are enjoyed during this holiday.  

Saying goodbye to Winter

After saying goodbye to winter, all of us went inside and were ushered into an auditorium where I was presented a loaf of bread in a traditional Ukrainian welcome ceremony.  I was then shown to a seat, so I could watch a Ukrainian cultural performance which had hastily been arranged for me.

Traditional Ukrainian Dancing

(The bread and traditional Ukrainian 

presentation cloth can be seen in

the lower left hand corner of the photo)

Traditional Ukrainian Dancing

The school is very proud of its students' artistic abilities.  The administrators hire former deaf students who have graduated from art school to be teachers here.

A few examples of students' art

Following the performance, I was taken on a tour of the school during the afternoon period of arts and crafts.  This part of my visit was absolutely fascinating and tremendously enjoyable.  The students were immersed in creating traditional Ukrainian art:  писанки (pysanky), textiles, and painting floral designs.  The students are very proud of their work and were thrilled to demonstrate their talents to me.

Creating traditional pysanky using hot wax

Ukrainian pysanky

Pysanky

Examples of pysanky created by the students

Traditional Ukrainian floral painting 

Floral painting 

Floral painting 

Floral painting 

Textiles class 

This young man is using a very old antique 

loom to create traditional Ukrainian textiles

An antique loom and examples of traditional 

Ukrainian textiles created by the deaf students

Obviously, the students are learning some wonderful skills, and the teachers care very deeply about their students, but the educational philosophy of this school is still rather Soviet.  Over a wonderful and generous tea, the rector, an older lady who has overseen this school for many years, shared with me that she does not support integrated education for students with disabilities.  "Ukraine is not ready," she remarked.    

Ukrainian Hospitality

Several weeks ago, I did some work at Donetsk National University in Vinnytsia.  For faculty and students, I presented a lecture on the topic The Inclusive University:  Strategies to Help Students with Disabilities Succeed in Post-Secondary Education, and for students, I presented an additional lecture on the topic The American Deaf Community. I also assisted the math faculty with a project.  While I was in Vinnytsia, my friend and colleague Fedir invited me to his home for supper.  We were joined by some of his colleagues and former and current graduate students.  Of course, it was a feast of traditional and scrumptious Ukrainian fare.  

We enjoyed traditional cabbage/carrot salad, two kinds of beet salad, smoked plums with a sweet vanilla laced 82% smetana (Ukrainian sour cream) that was so thick and rich it was more like sweetened cream cheese, four kinds of verenyky (cabbage, potato, cheese, and cherry), pickled eggplant (which sounds strange, but was intoxicatingly delicious), addictively tasty roasted garlic stems, fresh fruit and much more.  

The point of this post isn't that Fedir and his friends shared a lot of delicious food with me.  It's that Ukrainians by nature are very gracious, loving and generous hosts.  This attitude towards friends (and also strangers welcomed into their homes) is exemplified by a beloved Ukrainian folk song which Fedir and his other guests sang for me after supper. Below is the refrain which my dear friend and interpreter Vira translated for me:

Green is the rye.

My good friends are with me.

Green rye is beyond the village.

And my good guests are at the table here.

Rye is the giver of life, and the author of this song equates friendship with the green rye.  In other words, friends make life worth living.