Today’s “Conversations About Important Things” lessons in Russian schools focused on the topic of conflict — why conflicts arise, how to resolve them “constructively,” how to cope with difficulties, and when to seek help from a psychologist. The key values emphasized were mutual support, mutual respect, and collectivism.
During the lesson, teachers were expected to explain that conflicts are inevitable and “a natural element of social development.” At the same time, the concept of “conflict” was effectively equated with “disagreement.”
“Is conflict always bad? What does ‘constructive conflict’ mean?” — one of the discussion questions.
Students were told that “properly” resolving conflicts strengthens friendship and mutual understanding. Conflicts should not be avoided; instead, people should “face them and learn how to resolve them correctly.” Understanding the causes of a conflict was presented as the key to resolving it.
As an example of a “correct” way to handle a conflict, students were shown a film by the Movement of the First titled “Psychologist’s Day.” In the video, a seventh-grade student is bullied by an anonymous user in a school chat on VKontakte. The boy turns to the school psychologist, who informs the teachers about the situation. An IT teacher identifies that the anonymous account belongs to the boy’s classmate, Matvey. In the final scene, teachers and the psychologist publicly remove Matvey from the classroom in front of his classmates.
