Legislators have provided that Russian children can start attending school from the age of 6.5. Parents of six-year-olds sometimes doubt how to do better: send a child to study at 6 or 7 years old? In the same way, it is difficult to determine in which educational institution their baby will be able to get the necessary basic knowledge. The issue is decided depending on what results mom and dad want to get. At this age of the child, the choice is made between a secondary school and an alternative educational institution - a gymnasium. In modern Russian society, the term "school" usually means an institution for the education of children that does not have any regalia, without the provision of in-depth knowledge. Preparedness of teachers for the educational process, and students to master knowledge is provided at the usual social level.
Legal status
Analyzing the similarities and differences between schools and gymnasiums, they primarily pay attention to the legal status of these institutions. Schools and gymnasiums are municipal budgetary educational organizations that carry out their activities on the basis of the law on basic school and gymnasium. A primary school has three levels of education (the first to third grades, the second to fourth to sixth grades, and the third to seventh to ninth grades), which make it possible to obtain a document on incomplete education. A document on secondary education is received after 10-11 years of study. Gymnasium is considered as an alternative branch in the system of teaching children and is an elite school.
Knowledge level
In fact, there are no mandatory educational standards for gymnasiums or schools, except for state ones, which provide for the educational and educational process, supervision of health and physical development. The highest level of the border of knowledge, abilities, and skills for studying children is determined by the institution itself. This is the difference between a school and a gymnasium - the height of its bar is much lower. The basis of the comprehensive school program is an approach to learning, designed for average, mass data of children.
Gymnasium in ancient Greece at first was called a place for meetings of philosophers and scientists. This term for educational institutions began to be used much later. The first gymnasiums in Russia appeared only under Peter I. The difference between the gymnasium and the school was already at that time. They are palpable even now. Grammar schools are designed to prepare students who are especially capable of mental activity for entering higher educational institutions.
Studying programs
Gymnasiums revived in modern Russia only at the end of the twentieth century. Immediately, thanks to the differences between gymnasiums and secondary schools, parents appreciated the benefits received by the children within their walls. The training program also has a division into steps, begins with the main stage (grades 5–9), ends with a general secondary education in grades 10–11.
The main difference between the gymnasium and the school is the predominance of classes with a humanitarian bias and the increased complexity of educational programs. Priority is language education. For study, 2-3 foreign languages are offered. Teachers are required to undergo a competitive selection before taking on the position and confirm the excellent knowledge of the profile discipline of their higher pedagogical education.
Student requirements
Little applicants for high school education and their parents never have a question about the baby’s abilities and the quality of his preparation for the educational process. This is the difference between a school and a gymnasium. In order for a child to study in a gymnasium, a conviction is necessary that he will cope with the overstated requirements of training programs and great mental stress. Indeed, unlike the school, the gymnasium implements an in-depth study of subjects, and when conducting independent examinations, students should be able to confirm the high level of knowledge gained. The requirements for the student's answers are very high.
Additional electives in gymnasiums
In Russia, the difference between a gymnasium and a school is that in addition to the standard, according to ministerial requirements, a set of school disciplines, the gymnasium course includes additional electives aimed at the multifaceted development of the child. In high school for children form specialized classes designed to develop the individual abilities of the student in order to help him decide on his professional future. High school students are taught to think outside the box and make extraordinary decisions. They become acquainted with many disciplines to facilitate the selection of a higher education institution suitable for them in the future.
Lyceum
In addition to gymnasiums, individual education in Russia is provided by lyceums - a kind of secondary school with specialized education for children of senior school age, who have decided on desires for future work and related higher education. They apply for study at the lyceum after the 7th grade of a comprehensive school based on the results of the competition. The attitude to further studies is much more serious among applicants than among classmates who remained to continue their studies in high school.
Those who go to this step seriously and have made a firm decision to continue classes in it are going to study at the Lyceum. The curriculum of lyceum students provides for disciplines considered in the first courses of single-profile higher educational institutions. They study economics and sociology, mathematics and physics, chemistry and biology. There are lyceums with in-depth study of foreign and native languages, literature and history. There is no strict specialization in preprofile gymnasium education, its main guideline is the development of the student’s inner world. An important difference between the lyceum and the gymnasium from the school lies in the fact that the student is not fed with the knowledge provided for in the programs, but gives him the opportunity to master them thoroughly and develop their abilities in priority cultural or scientific disciplines.
Some important features
The behavior of the average ordinary student and schoolboy is regulated and depends not only on the personal qualities of the child and his parents, but also on the requirements of the institution. Teachers and leaders have different attitudes towards the process of achieving certain performance indicators and student discipline. If gymnasiums or lyceums are trying to keep a mark so as not to lower the rating of the institution in the eyes of parents and inspection bodies, then in schools these requirements are averaged. What is the difference between a gymnasium and a school in terms of student requirements? The fact that the parents of a student who does not cope with the gymnasium requirements can be persuaded to transfer the child to a regular school. Differences in children's success become especially apparent during the first exams. After them, purposeful, well-trained children remain in the gymnasium, thereby creating an atmosphere to maintain positive discipline and successful learning. So, the further learning process will only benefit both children and their parents.
Parent reviews
What do parents say about schools and gymnasiums? Moms say that if funds allow, it is better to send the child to a second educational institution. There, students gain more knowledge. In addition, more attention is paid to each child there. Parents say that if you choose which is better - a school or a gymnasium, then you must safely give preference to the second option. As mothers say, you will not regret choosing this educational institution. But parents must be prepared for the fact that children will need to undergo additional testing in order to be accepted into the gymnasium.
Little conclusion
In our article, we examined what a gymnasium, a school is. The main differences between these institutions and requirements were also considered. We hope this information was interesting and useful.