Although we didn’t have a formal distinction between grade, middle, and high school (as I mentioned earlier, in most cases, it was one establishment, and all grades were located in one building), finishing the eighth grade had some special meaning. We had formal exams after the eighth grade (Composition, Russian Grammar, Algebra, and Geometry), and we were given a diploma for “Graduating from the Eighth grade.”

Those who had poor grades (what exactly “poor” meant was relative) could not continue with the “upper grades” and were sent to “professional schools” (i.e., vocational schools) to complete their educations. They had to study for three years instead of two and, theoretically, would receive the same instructions in all subjects plus learn some vocation, and then theoretically, they could either go to work in the field they were trained or could try to apply to college. In addition, there was a very limited number of specialized schools, which were much more like High Schools in the US: they had only the 9th and the 10th grades and were focused on in-depth learning of some subjects.

The trick was, however, that the school I attended was already “specialized” because we were taught English starting from the second grade, and by the eighth grade, we had English lessons every day of the week. Education was free, but we had “to pay it off.”

Everyone who had good grades in English was required to attend the tour guide courses in the “House of Friendship.” The course was designed for three years, and by the time of high school graduation, the students were certified tour guides for the city tours (year one), several major museum tours (year two), and the tours of the summer tzar palaces (year three).

I didn’t want to attend these courses. At the beginning of the eighth grade, I already attended the Youth Math School twice a week and a stage reading studio (I forgot once or twice a week), and I started to entertain the idea of going to a specialized math school after the eighth grade. Fortunately, there was one more option: instead of the House of Friendship, I could attend the tour guide courses at the Hermitage Museum, a one-year program. This program was still done through the school, and even now, I am unsure to what extent it was another “spy school.” However, that was a very fun time, and I am exceptionally glad I had this opportunity.

We met once a week (and I had a special free pass to the Hermitage Museum). We spent two hours with an extraordinary museum curator, Ludmila Voronikhina (who was, indeed, related to a famous architect, Voronikhin). Each time, she took us for a tour (in English) to cover one of the museum collections. We learned a great deal about art and artists and about the history of the Hermitage, and we learned all artistic terms in English. I was an art lover even before that, but these lectures gave me a world of knowledge and even deeper arts appreciation.

We were not required to have a formal exam at the end of this course. Instead, Ludmila Voronikhina asked each of us to choose the topic we would like to cover. During the last several meetings of the school year, the two hours were divided between our mini-tours, and she kept teaching us about Matisse and Picasso.

Since I was in ultimate and unconditional love with Leonardo da Vinci, I chose the tour of two Leonardo’s Madonnas, and I still can talk about each of them for at least twenty minutes!

However, as much as I enjoyed this course, my heart was increasingly with math. The most important change that happened when I was in the eighth grade was that the Youth Math School classes were moved from the University to three specialized schools (they were still taught by University students). That’s how I found myself entering the building of School Number 30 for the first time.

To be continued

My historical posts are being published in random order. Please refer to the page Hettie’s timeline to find where exactly each post belongs and what was before and after.