Vaishnava school “Rodnik Znaniy”

Year of formation: 2015
Email: [email protected]
Address: 354064, Russian Federation, Krasnodar Krai, Sochi, Matsesta, Izmaylovskaya, 57, Poste restante to Kostyunin Alexander Sergeevich
Mission: The history of the school. The school was founded on the initiative of parents in Nizhny Novgorod City, Russia. The local community of devotees helped the school with accommodation, meals and transportation of children to school. In 2017, largely for financial reasons and due to the greater demand for children’s Vaishnava education, the school moved to Sochi City, Russia. Here, devotees also help the school with facilities, meals for students, and many other issues. The school also holds annual summer camps for boys and the school team periodically participates in children’s Sunday programs at the local Vaishnava Temple and in children’s programs at local Vaishnava festivals. In different years, the school had separate classes for boys and girls. At the moment, it’s only a boys’ class. There are plans to resume girls’ education. The school is taught in a daytime format from 9:00 to 16:00 hours from Monday to Friday.
The mission of the school. Maintaining a friendly, respectful God-centered space where children learn the science of serving God, study and develop the qualities of a well-mannered person, study Sanskrit, learn the basics of a healthy lifestyle, study academic subjects, develop their talents, engage in agriculture and cow protection, go hiking, take part in caring for the natural environment.
Activities: We maintain a friendly, respectful atmosphere and clean speech. Teachers protect and support the children.
We teach the weak to be stronger. We teach the strong to protect and take care of. We are studying anti-bullying methods.
Children receive a diverse upbringing and education: the study and development of the character qualities of a well-mannered person, discussion of their inner world (feelings and emotions, gratitude and a sense of security), discussion of lofty and low values, goals, dreams, search for the mission of life, hiking, singing, musical instruments, drawing, wood carving, labor education (agriculture, beekeeping, housebuilding, etc.), cow protection, physical education and self-defense, healthy lifestyle classes, scientific discussions, performances, cooking, participation in charity events, daily classes in foreign languages, the development of thinking and memory, learning to structure information, the work of students in pairs.
Our main focus is on the process (completing the curriculum, homework), and not just on the result.
Our academic goal is to develop hard work, thinking, self-learning skills, introspection, increase motivation to learn, and not just download information into children’s heads.
We do not have a digital assessment system, but students and teachers keep a journal of planning and achievements. Of course, we adhere to state educational standards (plus we add a lot of additional subjects). We welcome an honest result that corresponds to the current development and abilities of the child. We master academic sciences, taking care of the physical and psychological health of the child.
We do not seek to prepare children for sports competitions and academic Olympiads.
We don’t teach children to just produce results – we are living and learning with passion right now!
Only at the request of the child: studying Vaishnava philosophy, Mantra meditation, memorizing slokas and bhajans, learning the basics of Sanskrit.
If the students are interested, then we share with them what inspires us.
Our task is to maintain a space where the existence of God is allowed (but not imposed), where the religious views of the student and his family are respected, where ridicule on the topic of faith is inappropriate, where the value is the development of the qualities of a well-mannered person as the foundation of a successful life.
We respect the child’s choice and accept that he can make his own personal choice regarding spiritual practice.
Our main task is to help the child become a well-mannered, hardworking person who respects the highest ideals of human society, to help the child feel the highest taste.