Final Stage of International Teacher Competition “Crystal Inkpot” Takes Place in Minsk
19.10.2015
The final stage of the international teacher competition “Crystal Inkpot. Chekhov’s Lesson” is taking place in Minsk with the support of the Russkiy Mir Foundation. Meanwhile, the international forum “Russian Language as a Basis for Cooperation among Talented Youth” has opened in the capital of Belarus.
The opening ceremony for the competition and the youth forum was held today, 19 October, at the Moscow House in Minsk. The educators and their students gathered in Minsk were welcomed by Vladimir Kochin, Executive Director of the Russkiy Mir Foundation.
Deputy Minister Raisa Sidorenko, speaking on behalf of the Ministry of Education of Belarus, noted that Anton Chekhov’s works taught readers about moral values and courage, kindness and honesty, Minsk-Novosti news portal reports.
Alexander Kondryakov, President of the International Teachers’ Club, expressed his wish that the competition would become a celebration of Russian classical literature rather than a battle.
For five days, best teachers who won the national stages of the competition in Belarus, Latvia, Russia, Italy, Serbia, Ukraine, Georgia and Bulgaria, will give lessons dedicated to the 155th anniversary of the birth of Anton Chekhov.
High-school and 14-18-year old students from 8 countries will meet with cultural and academic figures from Belarus.
At the same time, Minsk is hosting an international conference entitled “A Lifetime of Chekhov” and a round table on the platform of the National Institute of Education. Eminent scholars, authors of textbooks and teaching innovators will discuss the practices of introducing children to classics, “discovering” writers and their works in school and the contemporary issues of language education.
The teacher competition is dedicated to a different Russian classical writer every year. The first “Crystal Inkpot” that took place in Odessa was devoted to the works of Mikhail Lermontov. The next contest is planned to celebrate Mikhail Bulgakov.
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