Teacher from the military barracks: are military instructors allowed to beat schoolchildren?

Irina Mishina

The video with the beating of the 8th grader of the Moscow school 2031 bypassed many social networks.

"Another teacher is called..."

This video shows how a student enters the classroom, and a teacher in a military uniform sends him back and orders him not to return without a class teacher. However, the student sits on the first desk. After that, a teacher in a military uniform picked up the resisting teenager and literally dragged him to the exit of the office. Already on the threshold of the door, the student grabbed the teacher by the legs, the major fell and began to beat the student, sitting astride him.

From comments in social networks.

Katya Pavlova: "The school is not an army, the teacher forgot about it".

Svetlana Kuznetsova : "He coped with the 8th grader. And he is called a teacher. And of course he won't be punished for it. The maximum - he will be fired".

Alexander Zavolokin: "I can say one thing for sure: no teacher will ever behave like this without a reason. Students - would easily. Many in the transition age are trying to boost self-esteem".

We asked for a comment about what happened to the Moscow school 2031, but they categorically refused to comment. NI also sent a request to the Department of Education and Science of Moscow, but at the time of publication, no response was received. However, the case that occurred at the Moscow school, in the comment "NI" has already been given an exhaustive assessment by the Honored Teacher of the Russian Federation, Doctor of Pedagogical Sciences, Director of the Education Center No. 109 Evgeny Yamburg:

"At school, it is important not to waste time on trifles. It is not important what kind of hairstyle a student has, but what is in his head. Unfortunately, we often observe hypocrisy on the part of both parents and teachers. And, of course, it is unacceptable to beat a student, this is a criminal offense, the teacher has no right to touch the child. The military must be especially prepared to work at school. Without the basics of pedagogy and psychology, one should not be allowed to work at school".

Major Sergey Okopsky himself has his own point of view on what happened: "He (the student – ed. note) constantly opens the window and leans out, then he launches airplanes, then he also leaves the lesson and just walks around the school. There have been such cases. I was constantly reporting, telling everyone about it. I didn't hit him, I just pulled him out. There was no ambulance, no injuries".

But this can hardly be called an excuse. Stanislav Akinchin, the victim's father, is sure of this. He has his own point of view on what happened: "The fault of the child is undeniable in the sense that he behaved inappropriately in class, this is so for 100%. I am not thirsty for blood, I did not write statements at school, but I think that the teacher absolutely crossed the line. Kick him out of the classroom, call the class teacher, take administrative measures, write a report on him..."

... While the proceedings are underway, Sergey Valeryevich Okopsky, who beat a student, still appears on the school's website. The dossier of the major-educator says that he has a higher education in the form of the Volsky Higher military School of the rear. He has been working in his specialty for 3 years, he was given the opportunity to work at school by advanced training courses at the Center for patriotic Education of the Moscow State Educational Institution of Higher Education in the discipline "Education and development of cadet classes". The major completed these courses in just 72 hours…

The pages in the social networks of Sergey Valeryevich Okopsky are currently closed. However, users managed to take screenshots of the communities where the teacher was a member: basically, these are patriotic publics and communities of the Wagner PMCs.

Who will help the military instructor?

What could have happened so supernatural that made the teacher raise his hand against the student?

"We don't know what happened before this incident. Here we must not forget that the basis of military education is still coercion. In the army, people are adults, there they will give you a nickel if you do not obey. The ideology is different in the army. There, if a fighter does not obey certain rules, he can be killed. It is psychologically difficult for a person who grew up in such an environment to rebuild. And among schoolchildren, the figure of a man in uniform often became comic. At the same time, it should be understood that there are things that are simply offensive to an officer. And here there is a whole range of questions about the training of military personnel for the school", - says Lieutenant General of the Ministry of Internal Affairs Alexander Mikhailov.

Of course, education does not always form an ideal person. We know examples when people with academic degrees have become criminals. An example of this is Oleg Sokolov, an associate professor of dismemberment from St. Petersburg, who is currently serving a sentence for the murder of a graduate student. But still it is worth recognizing: specialized education at the pedagogical Institute gives more than 72-hour refresher courses. At least because in any pedagogical university there are special subjects that teach ethics and rules of communication with children, as well as clear rules: what is possible and what is not allowed to the teacher. But military instructors and teachers of cadet classes in our country, apparently, teach by special rules and communicate with children also according to their own laws, which they alone know.

"We have half the country with "left" diplomas and a fictitious education, for that matter. What do we want from advanced training courses? In addition, any person who has graduated from a command school has experience in teaching. Only not everyone understands that the principles of educational work in the army and in school are completely different. The fact that such people need to be specially trained to work with children is obvious. But where do we have a school principal who receives an exorbitant salary? Why is he not responsible for what happened? Where is the numerous army of school psychologists? How did they bring the situation to a critical point? Where were they all looking?"- police Lieutenant General Alexander Mikhailov told Novye Izvestia.    

Are there officers at the blackboard?

What happened is especially alarming in light of the fact that starting from the new school year, Basic military training should become a compulsory subject at school. This means that thousands of people with the education and skills of Major Okopsky will come to schools. What will they teach the children? What methods? And what will the short-term refresher courses help them with?

"Basic military training will be taught within the framework of the subject "Fundamentals of safety and vital activity". Previously, this subject was taught, as a rule, by retired officers, now young officers teach this subject at my school, many of them have passed hot spots, but only those who inspire their trust work with children", - said Honored Teacher of the Russian Federation, Doctor of Pedagogical Sciences, director of the Education Center No. 109 Yevgeny Yamburg.

The approach to education of Evgeny Yamburg, a teacher from God, is in many ways unique. Will it be the same in other schools?

"The President has given instructions to urgently start preparing for the teaching of Basic military training in schools. But where to find the footage? After all, not every military man will go to school with unpredictable teenagers with their difficulties of transition age. Another retired military man will say: "It's easier for me to open the barrier in a day or two for the same money." I'm afraid it will come to the point that the military will still have to beg them to go to work in schools. The task is easy to set. But where do you get the strength and means from?", - says Lieutenant General of the Ministry of Internal Affairs Alexander Mikhailov.

Anyway, the Investigative Committee has already become interested in what happened at the Moscow school 2031. They started their check there. As it became known to Novye Izvestia, the headmaster and teachers have already been interviewed as part of this check. The investigators of the IC opened a criminal case on the fact of the incident under the article of the Criminal Code “Failure to fulfill the duties of raising a minor”. Major Okopsky resigned from school on his own.