About the work of Anton Semyonovich Makarenko in Kryukov

(From the memoirs of B.F. Goronovich)

While working on a scientific work on the topic “Kryukov period in the life of A.S. Boris Feofanovich knew the outstanding teacher very well. They worked together in a drama circle to them. VG Korolenko, as well as in the railway school. The memoirs of B.F. Goronovich give a clear picture of the creative nature of A.S. Makarenko and the life of Kryukov at the beginning of the 20th century.

Yu.Yu.Tyagun

I first met Anton Semenovich Makarenko back in 1906 at the house of Grigorovich D.I., where he often visited. This was the first year of his teaching work at the Kryukovsky two-year railway school (Law teacher in a two-year parochial school, husband of E.F. Grigorovich, associate of A.S. Makarenko). I knew him then as a cartoonist. He quickly grasped the main features of a person, and skillfully applied a portrait on paper with an ink pencil in 5-10 minutes. He did not bypass himself.

Drama circle named after V.G. Korolenko.

I met him for the second time in December 1917. Then Anton Semenovich was an inspector of the Higher Primary Railway School in Kryukov (Now the Kremenchug Professional Lyceum of the Service Sector. I. Prikhodko Street, 137). He invited me to participate in a drama club organized by him. I agreed. Kruzhkovtsy brought various plays by N. Gogol, N. Ostrovsky, A. Chekhov, I. Krylov. I remember the staging of such plays: “In a Busy Place”, “Guilty Without Guilt”, “Thunderstorm”, “Forest” – by N. Ostrovsky, A. Chekhov “Uncle Vanya”, “Bear”, Strinberg’s “Father” and other authors. The distribution of roles in the first reading of the new play with the appropriate intonations was carried out by Anton Semenovich. The circle consisted of teachers (Milyutina M.S., Naida (Chernyshova) N.P., Makarenko V.S., Kemov N.V., Popova N.G., Popova Yu.G., Karapish P.I., Kiselev, Bonchuk M., Bova I., Goronovich B.F.) and the local intelligentsia – Kemov’s wife, Sopunev and others.
Anton Semenovich himself also played. He was a good actor in the play “Uncle Vanya”. The creation of the drama circle pursued the goal – to mobilize funds for the equipment of the school’s classrooms, for the purchase of brass band instruments and “to enlighten Kryukov.” At first we put on plays twice a month, and then – weekly. Rehearsals went on until 12 midnight. Anton Semenovich treated us to tea in the middle of the rehearsal.
The school watchman Ivan Vasilyevich brought a huge samovar, sugar and brewed tea. Meanwhile, Anton Semenovich was telling such jokes that everyone was taken by the bellies from laughter. The screenwriter was Vasily Ivanovich Popovichenko, the director was Karapish P.I. Later, the head physician of the military hospital, N.S., joined the circle. Kiselev (pseudonym Terskoy) is a great connoisseur of theatrical art. He was chosen as the director. But the new director was of a gentle nature, cheerful by nature, and vaudeville began to dominate the repertoire of the circle, which could not satisfy either the audience or the circle members themselves. The crisis came, P.I.Karapish was again chosen as the director, and the selection of the repertoire remained with A.S. Makarenko. They began delivering the play “Aliens”, but it failed miserably. But we weren’t discouraged.
They began to improve the technique of acting. We reached it after a while. And so A.S. Makarenko shared with us about asking the writer V.G. Korolenko to name the drama club after him. I wrote to him in Poltava. VG Korolenko gave his consent. Our circle began to be called the “Drama Circle named after V.G. Korolenko.”
We staged all these plays in the railway club – the former cinema “Korso” (nowadays a bakery. I. Prikhodko Street, 65). But then A.S. Makarenko came up with the idea of ​​staging an operetta (comic) “Ivanov Pavel”. This idea was supported by P.I.Koropish (both of them are violinists). The last episode in the operetta – a failure (at the exam) should, according to Makarenko, be accompanied by a physical failure. For this, there had to be a hole on the stage, but who would allow this to be done on stage in Corso? Anton Semenovich decided to stage this operetta at a school for students. At the school by that time there was a stage (folded and unfolded). A hole with a lid was made in it, through which Ivanov fell through. They pretty much messed around with me. I then played the main role, but I have neither hearing nor voice.
The parent committee of the school was in charge of financial affairs. It was headed by Kononenko (if I’m not mistaken). With the money collected from performances, A.S. Makarenko brought equipment for classrooms and a brass band for the school from Kharkov. Kapellmeister Anton Semenovich took from the workshops (I don’t remember his last name). He quickly taught the students several dances.
Our orchestra performed both at our school and at other schools. Anton Semenovich did not demand money from other schools for the work of the orchestra, but only asked that the orchestra members be well fed, which was always done.
In the summer of 1918, Anton Semenovich organized dances in the school hall. Our orchestra played. The money went to the school cashier.

Labor squad

When the guns rumbled, whistled

Uli, the work of the circle was interrupted. Soviet power has been established!
In the middle of January, 1919, I meet Anton Semenovich in the evening on the former Khersonskaya street (currently I. Prikhodko street).

• What are you doing?
• Nothing!
• How, nothing? So listen! Krylov Boris Feofanovich teaches mathematics at our school. His provincial party committee appointed head. Kremenchug Provincial Department of Public Education. I was left without a mathematician. So I’m offering you a job as a mathematician at school.
  I began to refuse, I was not preparing to become a teacher, I do not know the methodology, there is no pedagogical education.
• I will help you! You will be a teacher. Come tomorrow at 8-30, take a problem book on Shaposhnikov and Valtsev’s algebra, Kiselev’s geometry and start working. In addition, the students will not have to remember your name and patronymic. There was Boris Feofanovich Krylov, Boris Feofanovich Goronovich will become! This is good.
  And I became a teacher with the light hand of A.S. Makarenko – at first – mathematics, and later – physics.
  Now I saw the tireless activity of A.S. Makarenko. He was both feared and loved by his students. His word is law. I remember such a case. During the lessons, the two of us were in the teachers’ room. Suddenly, a teacher of French or German (a Kremenchuk woman) runs in, crying and in tears informs Makarenko that someone has thrown a lump of dirt on her table. We both go to the door. Anton opens the door, everyone gets up:
  “Who?” he shouted. Everyone is silent. He looks over everyone. And for some reason, elusive to me, he calls his last name.
  “Come out,” he led him to the teacher’s room. What he talked to him about, and how he spoke, I won’t say, I don’t know. But this kid came out of the teacher’s room wet, red from the pleasure he received. How he knew that it was this one, and not someone else out of 32 or 35 students, is to blame, is unknown.
  Usually the teachers’ councils at A.S. Makarenko passed quickly – 30-45 minutes. All of them were thoughtful, balanced. He spoke himself and offered teachers to speak briefly. He regretted both his own and our time.
  But in March, the teachers’ council dragged on. Anton Semyonovich decided to organize, as he put it, a “Labour Squad”, decided to organize a production base for the labor education of students. His idea was supported by the entire teaching staff. First, Makarenko achieved the transfer to the school of the orchard of the city of Arkhangelsk (Now the Carriage Builders Park on I. Prikhodko Street) (opposite the railway bath) (Now the hall of the kingdom of Yehova’s Witnesses. I. Prikhodko Street, 93), and then two more plots that adjoined the corners with the estate Arkhangelsk.
  Together with teachers, Anton Semenovich developed a system for organizing the work of students in the garden.
  All students (with the exception of those living far away) were divided into several teams for certain types of work. Detachments of gardeners, gardeners, flower growers, security guards were organized. The detachment of gardeners was further divided into sub-orders – potatoes, beets, tomatoes, cucumbers, etc. Teachers led one or another detachment. I was entrusted with a guard squad.
  All combatants (teachers and students) united in a single “Labor squad”, which was headed by A.S. Makarenko. Each combatant wore a white bandage on his left arm, and the guard wore a red one. On the bandage, the school artists painted the emblem of the detachment in which this combatant worked: for gardeners – a pear, for flower growers – a chamomile, for gardeners – cabbage, carrots, a tomato, for the guards – a helmet.
  As soon as the snow melted and dried up, the whole squad went out into the garden on a bright sunny day with shovels and rakes. They began to dig. Many did not know how to hold a shovel, how to dig.
  T. Botarchuk helped and showed them (whether he was an agronomist, or just a knowledgeable person). He was specially invited by Makarenko as an instructor – gardener – gardener. A week later, the garden was dug up, cleared, the goose was removed from the trees, fruit trees were smeared with lime even later, paths were laid, sprinkled with sand. At the end of April in May, potatoes were planted, beets, carrots were planted, tomatoes and cabbages were planted.
  To improve discipline and better organization of work, Anton Semenovich introduced elements of the pioneer squad. In the evening, the squad gathered for a line. In the presence of the detachment, his boss reported to the head of the labor squad, Makarenko, about the work done during the day. The report was accepted, if everything was fine, gratitude was declared. If the task was not completed without good reason, Makarenko reprimanded the guilty person. But such cases were rare. On the same line, the detachments received a task the next day in the presence of the labor recorder Danshin, a physics teacher. These tasks were previously discussed by Makarenko with the heads of the detachments.
  The greetings of the vigilantes with each other were introduced: “Be ready!” Even in the arch at the entrance to the garden, the banner was emblazoned with the inscription “Be ready!” This is back in 1919!
  An interesting account of the work of the squad. It was thought out by Anton Semenovich and approved by the council of the squad. Such accounting, which was introduced in 3-4 years on collective farms!
  “Workdays”. We just called them simply “days”. The duration of the work, and its quality, and, consequently, productivity were also taken into account.
  Handled it strictly

m taking into account the “days” Comrade. Danshin. By the end of the day, he went around all the plots of the garden, garden and, accordingly, put “estimates”. Recorded: 0.4; 0.2; 3.4, 1.4.
All combatants knew that the total amount of “days” each had a part of the total amount of “days” of the entire squad. On study days, more than 3/4 was not set, but on holidays, vacations, up to 1.5. Autumn has come. Danshin and Kemov put the number of “days” of each and the total number of “days” of the entire squad.
The harvest was good. Everyone received and took home 2-4 bags of potatoes, beets, cabbage with a cart. At that time, it was a great help for the student and his family; for teachers, the distribution of food took place without the participation of A.S. Makarenko. At the end of August he went to Poltava. Under Denikin, he did not work in Kryukov. The authors of the book “Kryukov Carriage Works” write about Makarenko as a teacher under Denikin. This is not true.
When Anton Semyonovich accepted a colony of offenders in Poltava in 1920, he came to Kryukov, invited each of us to go to him, to Poltava. Then Vasily Ivanovich Popovichenko (died during the blockade in Leningrad) and his wife, Nadezhda Timofeevna Popovichenko (nee Tehalskaya), went to see him. They worked together in the colony for 5 years.

01/06/1968

Authors: Goronovich B.F., Tyagun Yu.Yu.

Materials of the scientific – practical conference “Kremenchuk – 435 years”