First Day of School, Ukraine style

Today is another holiday in Ukraine, The Day of Knowledge, or as we call it in America- the first day of school. But, of course, in Ukrainian style they must have a huge ceremony with singing and suits and speeches.

I come to school at 9am prepared with a little speech I was told to prepare about myself. I turn the corner to see about the most precious thing I have ever seen.  It seems like the whole village has gathered in front of the school for this celebration, they probably have.

I stand up on the stage with the Director, the Vice Principal and a representative from the Oblast center. They have about 20 different ceremonial activities involving flags, wreaths, certificates and speeches about what a great year it will be.

Then they introduce me. There was a little chatter in the crowd but as soon as I stepped up to that microphone you could hear a pin drop. They didn’t think twice about asking me to speak a language I have only begun learning three months ago, in front of a few hundred people. I went through my speech with minimal grammatical errors. There isn’t a thought of having a fear of public speaking, and I soon see why. 

From an early age, the kids are handed a microphone at one event or another and made to sing or speak. All of them, no excuses.

The 1^st graders gather on the front steps, microphone passing from one 5 year old to the next, as each student recites a verse from a poem they have obviously been memorizing throughout the summer. On the other side of the steps, the 11^th graders gather; one group entering their first year in school and one beginning their last.

They have a portion of the ceremony where the parents of the 1^st graders come up and they put ties on the boys and, what can best be described as Ukrainian white puff balls into the girl’s hair. All the girls, from 1^st to 11^th grade, wear the puffs that they received on their first day of school for the first day of school ceremony each year.

Then comes the traditional ringing of the first bell to indicate school has begun, and it’s no ordinary school bell. A male 11^th grader hoists a female 1^st grader on his shoulders and she, quite literally, rings a bell to signify that school has started. He walks around the crowd while she is ringing the bell on his shoulders as the parents and community cheer and shout.

The ceremony ends with a singing performance and the kids are off, along with the parents, into the school for their first day. The kids ask me what we do in America for the first day of school. I say, we just go to school.