Oldboy. “Now I am in law, they will even bury me at the expense of the mayor’s office”

Four months ago, Chelyabinsk residents learned that one of the most famous school directors in the Urals and in Russia, Alexander Popov, was suspected of mediating a bribe. Many letters were written in defense of the school principal by students, parents, colleagues, Russian writers. But the letters went unheeded. Moreover, the former physical instructor of the 31st lyceum recently suddenly remembered a long-standing insult and wanted to bring Alexander Popov to criminal responsibility. What is it - deliberate persecution of a person who does not want to be obedient? For a long time, Alexander Evgenievich refused to comment on the situation, but today he agreed to answer our questions.

The story of the slap

- Alexander Evgenievich, is the bribe case closed or is the investigation continuing?

- As far as I understand, the case regarding the director of Lyceum No. 93 will be closed in September, but a completely opposite order was given for me. In addition, a new case is being opened under article 166 of the Criminal Code (beating) for slapping a physical education teacher Puzyrev.

- Do you consider the case of mediation in giving a bribe orchestrated?

- This guy was sent to me for a year. He was now offered to testify using a lie detector, but he refused. It means that he is afraid that the order will be discovered, that he was sent on purpose. They catch me, they listen to me - that's for sure. And a lot of bad things happen because of it.

- Why, in your opinion, right now the former physical education teacher remembered the slap in the face, because the story is old, it is already more than two years old?

- The story began even earlier - about four years ago. Parents and teachers began to complain to me that Puzyrev allows himself rudeness in physical education classes, the head teacher wrote a report. We created a commission, visited his lessons, and I suggested that he resign. After that, I was immediately called by the head of the city department of education, Alexander Kuznetsov (now he is the minister of education of the region) and said that it was impossible to dismiss Puzyrev, because Puzyrev was friends with the head of the city police, with the deputy mayor of Chelyabinsk ... Five times they called me on this occasion into control. In the end, I said: if you do not choose me, but the physical education teacher, I will write a letter of resignation. The answer was: write. But then Oleg Nikolaevich Grachev came to me and asked me to remain in the director's post. I stayed because I respect this man.

A year later, Puzyrev got into a fight with a young bodybuilding coach right at school. True, it didn’t come to a big fight, but Puzyrev ran into my office and shouted that they were killing him, but I was not doing anything ... Knowing Puzyrev’s scandalousness, I took the young bodybuilding teacher home in a taxi. Immediately they called me from the school and told me that it was full of police - two district police officers, four riot policemen, four peepsniks. That they are looking for the man who beat Puzyrev. The next day, the police came to the school again, they began to interrogate children - fifth-graders, teachers. This went on for a week. The school has become a police station. And no one could stand up for the school. Then I had to do something, because I am the principal of the school.

–Have you decided to challenge the PE teacher to a duel?

- I did it at the pedagogical council. And so that he could not refuse, in front of all the teachers he gave him a slap in the face. But he didn’t show up for the duel, he got scared, although he’s younger than me and he has the rank of a master of sports, and I’m not an athlete. On this occasion, the police also came, they interrogated me. And I explained that Russian poets always challenged scoundrels to a duel. I also challenged the scoundrel to a duel after the slap.

- And it was decided to remove Puzyrev from school?

- This was discussed in the administration and the Ministry of Education, but I did not believe that he would be removed, and therefore declared a dry hunger strike. Then negotiators from the education department came to the school and suggested: “If you stop the hunger strike, we will remove Puzyrev from the school.” And they removed it the same day I ended my hunger strike. That was two and a half years ago.

Nothing but school!

– Why, in your opinion, has this story only now been transformed into a trial?

- I think, working on the bribe case, everyone was convinced that I have nothing but school! My father gave me an apartment, exchanging his own. I don't have a garage, I don't have a jeep, I don't have savings either. I am not a thief by definition. Everything I do, I do only for school. They were convinced of this. Therefore, it was necessary to find something else to remove me from the 31st lyceum. I know that the Minister of Education has been instructed to resolve this issue before September 1. Therefore, today I again propose an exchange: remove my recognizance not to leave, I will leave this city. And I'll give you a school. Need? Take away.

- So it's not a duel and not a bribe? Is it just that the director of the 31st lyceum turned out to be a tough, uncontrollable nut?

- Undoubtedly. Everyone was angered by last year's story with the nationality of "mathematics". Although, many, in my opinion, did not even understand the essence of the matter. Someone took it as a show off director Alexander Popov. But this is pedagogy: children have only one nationality - children! Here's another such story for you: in Chebarkul, school principals received another order - to report the names of girls who are engaged in prostitution on the M-5 federal highway. And only one school director said: “There are no prostitutes here, there are only children in the school!” And today I understand that the system intends to break me. This year, the students of our school received gold in physics, silver in computer science at international olympiads, many Russian awards. No one congratulated - neither the Ministry of Education, nor the city administration. Only the police "thanks" me. That's why I don't want to live in this city anymore. I give up the school and the city in exchange for freedom.

- Do you think there are already applicants for the director's chair in the 31st Lyceum?

– I think there is. How many people were there for Anatoly Gostev, director of the 11th Lyceum?! He, the only public teacher in the city who created a chic lyceum, was offended in a terrible way: they changed the lock on the door of his office, the guards did not let him into the school! This is how he was thanked for the fact that he devoted his whole life to education. And today they pretend that the 11th school is still on top, but the teachers are leaving it. But there were fewer victories. If in our school today there are 19 prize-winners and winners of Russian Olympiads, then in the 11th lyceum there are only five. And earlier, the 11th was slightly behind the 31st.

- Does your decision to leave mean that you are tired of fighting?

– And how to fight?! I have to hand over school on Monday, and yesterday 10 people were sent to the school from the Economic Crime Department and they “shaked” the workers who are doing repairs. Today, one of the leaders of the construction company was frightened because he was summoned for interrogation ... Everything is being done so that I do not pass school on Monday. I don't want to live like this. The principal of the school must educational process, and I am constantly forced to do something else - for five months I have been communicating with the police. I don't want to argue anymore, I'm tired of it.

- All this time you did not find any support in the Ministry of Education?

Why is the ministry doing this? It is more convenient for him if all schools are equally gray. They broke Anatoly Gostev and what, the 11th school grew after that?! Now they will break ours. And all schools will eventually be the same. Schools were given the opportunity to develop in the 90s. It was then that 22 good educational institutions appeared in Chelyabinsk - lyceums and gymnasiums. This is a kind of feat of school principals. At that time, more than 100 schools were worthless, and 22 were great. But now they are being crushed.

Always free

- But you do have experience of being a director in a strict framework, you also had to be a director of a school and in Soviet time?

- I was a stranger to the communists, even when I worked as a mathematics teacher, they considered me an enemy and suspected of everything. Of course, I made fun of them a lot and they probably hated me a lot. Once, for example, he gave a portrait of Lenin, which hung in the director's office, to be hung in the voting hall during the elections. I gave it and forgot it, but I didn't get it back. And soon, in the district committee of the party, they wrote an anonymous letter to me that I removed the portrait of Lenin from the wall. I was called, of course. I am not a communist and have never been in the CPSU, but they began to educate me. And then these communists, who taught me how to live, shamefully handed over their membership cards. To be honest, I was ashamed of them, but they were not.

And today I am enrolled in the camp of enemies, because I always live freely, all the time on my own. And they always want to make me unfree. Therefore, I repeat once again, I am ready to go to any wilderness in order to find myself free. I don't want to live as a slave in this city. You can't be a slave under any circumstances. Therefore, I change everything to freedom.

- So you are ready to leave school before the beginning of September?

- I agree to the exchange: they give me freedom, I leave the city. I'm not on my way with this city.

- Alexander Evgenievich, won't your heart ache for the school?

- I'm 64 years old, that's enough already. I shielded it with my broad back long enough. In addition, during these five months I became a sick person, and a sick person should not lead a school. Of course, I would consider it lucky to die in my office. Even the poet Annensky, who was the director of the St. Petersburg gymnasium, had a desire to die from a heart disease. He said that any other death is shameful, except death from heart disease, and that the headmaster should die of a heart disease. But it's the same as God wills.

- But after all, you have a whole team of teachers, gathered by you.

- There are friends among my colleagues who support me. But for the most part, teachers are not fighters. I sincerely believe that there are very few fighters among teachers. In general, there are few of them in Russia, where will they come from among teachers? I approach everything according to the Hamburg account: when in the 90s schools did not receive salaries for several months and I went on a hunger strike, invited colleagues to join, none of the teachers joined my hunger strike. And two and a half years ago, when the situation with Puzyrev arose, he invited me to join, to give the scoundrel a slap in the face. Nobody supported. The teachers even accused me that this is not the right form, that the principal of the school should not do this. I think that I have a moral right to part with the teachers.

- But you remember the situation in the first school, when the parents went out to support the headmaster Damir Timerkhanov. And they won!

- And I was among those who supported him, because he is my former student. There are parents who support me, but I don't know how many there are. I am not delusional, and I am not ready to answer for everyone. You know, I don't know anything about adults, I know a lot about children. And I don’t like to play adult games, I’ve been playing children’s games all my life, since kindergarten.

The kids are watching me!

- It seems that today, if you wish, you can start a case against any school principal, because the budget allocations are clearly not enough for the school to have everything it needs?

- No need to go far: the other day, the Minister of Education of the region proudly announced that all schools are provided with textbooks. 200 thousand rubles were given for textbooks. If I have 512 students, then this is less than 400 rubles for each. Is it possible to buy a complete set for 400 rubles at today's prices for textbooks? No. But the minister says: everyone is provided with textbooks, demand from the directors. The same can be said about school renovations. This year it was necessary to send a student to the international Olympiad in Australia, he should be there on July 2, but only on July 4 did the order of the Minister of Education come to pay for the trip. And paid for it in August. Where was I to get money? And so all the time. 36 students of our school participated today in Russian Olympiads and it was necessary to decide how much money to send them. The Ministry puts on a nice face when the game is bad, but the principal of the school is always to blame for everything.

- Remember how Grigory Gorin in "Baron Munchausen": "Karl, become an ordinary person"! Could you become an ordinary business executive, the most ordinary school principal?

- Among the directors there are business executives, financiers, educators, and I am a teacher. I did not spontaneously slap the scoundrel, I thought about it for a week. I always think about how I will look in the eyes of the students. I do not look back at teachers and parents, I need to raise children. And this slap in the face was an element of the upbringing of the children of my school. And the hunger strike that I announced, too. Therefore, now, when they say that in court they will offer me to go with Puzyrev to a peace settlement, that it is necessary to conclude a peace settlement and everything will end fine, I understand that I cannot do this. The kids are watching me! I should be proud of this slap in the face, and the children should be proud that the headmaster of their school is able to slap the scoundrel. After all, this is a thing under discussion - there used to be men who were challenged to a duel in order to defend honor. In the Soviet period, there were men who shot themselves because they understood that it was impossible to live like this any longer. And now they don’t call for a duel, they don’t shoot, now they sue. It's not masculine.

- You are a romantic, Alexander Evgenievich.

“As it is, I’m not going to change.

What do you add to this...

- What you need to live. I believe that there is a supreme judge who sees everything. And how he decides, neither they know - those who are against me today - nor I. And he will make the right decision.

Svetlana SIMAKOVA

Photo by Oleg KARGAPOLOV

The story of the slap

- Alexander Evgenievich, is the bribe case closed or is the investigation continuing?

- Do you consider the case of mediation in giving a bribe orchestrated?

- Why, in your opinion, right now the former physical education teacher remembered the slap in the face, because the story is old, it is already more than two years old?

- You decided to challenge the physical education teacher to a duel?

- And it was decided to remove Puzyrev from school?

Nothing but school!

- Why, in your opinion, this story has only now been transformed into a trial?

- So it's not a duel and not a bribe? Is it just that the director of the 31st lyceum turned out to be a tough, uncontrollable nut?

- Undoubtedly. Everyone was angered by last year's story with the nationality of "mathematics". Although, many, in my opinion, did not even understand the essence of the matter. Someone took it as a show off director Alexander Popov. But this is pedagogy: children have only one nationality - children! Here's another such story for you: in Chebarkul, school principals received another order - to report the names of girls who are engaged in prostitution on the M-5 federal highway. And only one school director said: “There are no prostitutes here, there are only children in the school!” And today I understand that the system intends to break me. This year the students of our school received gold in physics, silver in computer science at international olympiads, and many Russian awards. No one congratulated - neither the Ministry of Education, nor the city administration. Only the police "thanks" me. That's why I don't want to live in this city anymore. I give up the school and the city in exchange for freedom.

- Do you think there are already applicants for the director's chair in the 31st Lyceum?

- Does your decision to leave mean that you are tired of fighting?

– And how to fight?! I have to hand over school on Monday, and yesterday 10 people were sent to the school from the Economic Crime Department and they “shaked” the workers who are doing repairs. Today, one of the leaders of the construction company was frightened because he was summoned for interrogation ... Everything is being done so that I do not pass school on Monday. I don't want to live like this. The principal of the school has to deal with the educational process, and all the time I am forced to do something else - for five months I have been communicating with the police. I don't want to argue anymore, I'm tired of it.

- All this time you did not find any support in the Ministry of Education?

Always free

- But you do have experience of being a director in a strict framework, didn't you have to be a school director in Soviet times too?

- So you are ready to leave school before the beginning of September?

- I agree to the exchange: they give me freedom, I leave the city. I'm not on my way with this city.

- Alexander Evgenievich, won't your heart ache for the school?

- But after all, you have a whole team of teachers, assembled by you.

- But you remember the situation in the first school, when the parents went out to support the headmaster Damir Timerkhanov. And they won!

The kids are watching me!

- It seems that today, if you wish, you can start a case against any school principal, because the budget allocations are clearly not enough for the school to have everything it needs?

- Remember how Grigory Gorin in "Baron Munchausen": "Karl, become an ordinary person"! Could you become an ordinary business executive, the most ordinary school principal?

- You are a romantic, Alexander Evgenievich.

“As it is, I’m not going to change.

What do you add to this...

Svetlana Simakova
http://chelyabinsk.ru/text/visitor/689410.html?first#comments/c689410/page/2

22.09.2014 10:07:25 In the meantime, the 31st lyceum under the leadership of Popov was again among the best 25 schools in Russia, and, accordingly, among the TOP-500. In August, a lyceum student brought Russia gold at the junior olympiad in physics. And is he still being pursued?

21.09.2014 18:04:44 How much can you get a well-deserved teacher who has brought up many international prize-winners of mathematical Olympiads and, by the way, an elderly person?! Here we find someone to cling to! ..

19.09.2014 19:25:21 Popov was acquitted the other day - the bribe case fell apart with a bang. But the district authorities did not rest on this - they sent the case for a regional appeal. As if their only concern was to pursue the unmercenaries! Evil is missing...

15.01.2014 12:52:26 Today it is simply impossible to be a school director (let alone a lyceum with an international level!) and be able to manage the entire household without attracting the necessary funds using not entirely legal methods! The directors were put in such a position that if you want to succeed at least in something, you really need to violate one or two points of the law ...

19.12.2013 10:15:11 We already have very few schools with physics and mathematics at the international level, they must be protected and not interfere with work. Just recently, Popov's students brought the 4th (!) gold medal from the international Olympiad - we are proud of you!

08.12.2013 16:32:13 Since Popov flickers on websites and networks, it means that the school is working in the same composition and headed by its director. And thank God! There is a hope that our education has not yet reached the point of being able to deal with such directors. On the other hand, it would be necessary to dismiss that rank from the RONO, which covered up the outrages of the physical education teacher.

15.10.2013 12:48:54 So how did this story end and how did it end? Is there any information?

24.09.2013 19:48:40 Kuznetsova. And this is useful not only for teachers, but also for teams in general. Small shake-ups) are useful because they remove stagnation, make you work out your positions more clearly - personal and collective, make you feel more clearly a sense of community.

Director of the Physics and Mathematics Lyceum No. 31 Alexander Popov, one of the most respected teachers Chelyabinsk region, resigns. The news continues to be discussed in Chelyabinsk even by those who are not related to the secondary education system.

Unusual Director

Alexander Popov is not just an honored teacher of Russia, he is the head of the leading Physics and Mathematics Lyceum in Chelyabinsk, where he worked for a total of 23 years (more than 20 as director). He created an educational institution, which became a Mecca of young talents. Since 1997, lyceum students have won 12 medals at the World Olympiads in mathematics, physics, and natural sciences. Many graduates without any problems entered the leading technical universities of the capital, received high paying job Abroad.

Popov's student, physics teacher of the 31st Lyceum Ivan Iogolevich became the best teacher of Russia in 2005.

persuasion process

What made such a person write a letter of resignation? Anything is said in Chelyabinsk. They say, for example, "went off scale" emotions.

I have already heard such comments, - says Alexander Evgenievich. - Say, I and the physical education teacher simply did not agree on the characters. But this is nonsense! Look (Popov puts papers on the table): this statement by the students that he is not present at the lessons unreasonably gives grades. Here is a statement from parents who fear that children, left to their own devices, may be injured. And there is also an analysis of a physical education lesson by a methodologist, where the shortcomings of teaching are recorded. When it all came together at "one point", I called the teacher and suggested that he resign of his own free will ...

And the next day I was invited for a conversation by the head of the city education department Alexander Kuznetsov. Alexander Igorevich began to persuade me not to fire the teacher, because he gives tennis lessons to some big bosses. All this is fine, but what am I doing here? Why should I change my mind if all the facts at my disposal indicate that the physical education lessons were conducted in an unprofessional manner?

According to Popov, he went to the administration six times to persuade the administration about this.

But I'm not the kind of person, - says Alexander Evgenievich, - who can be broken so easily. I worked as a director for 20 years, and no one commanded me like that: he didn’t indicate who to hire and who to fire. Therefore, for myself, I firmly decided - I'm leaving! Kuznetsov's application has already been signed.

accident

Popov is sure that what happened to him is not a special case.

I communicate with other directors and hear: one was replaced, another was recommended, - says Popov. - Such personnel changes in our education system are a common thing. Recommendations in and of themselves are a good thing. But if, say, the director works well, then he cannot be replaced just because one of the officials wanted to accommodate a relative. Or, say, an educational institution wins a grant of several million. They remove the old director and put in a new one - "their own". From the same series - the story of the physical education teacher. The problem is that in doing so, we forget about professionalism. And its lack is the main problem not only of education, but of all spheres of activity in our country.

By and large, Popov is not offended by the head of the city education department:

Kuznetsov is a pleasant, open person. He just seems to have too many bosses.

Case - side

When asked whose side he was, the head of the city education department, Kuznetsov replied:

Yes, no one! Yes, indeed, Popov had complaints about the teacher, but he must formalize them in a legal manner. This was not done. I'm on the side of the law, that's all.

According to Kuznetsov, the reason for the high-profile departure of the director of the lyceum could be fatigue, some kind of internal discomfort. They, apparently, did not allow Popov to act adequately in the most common, in the opinion of the head of the education department, situation.

Each director of such cases has "a wagon and a small cart," says the head of the department. - And they are all solvable one way or another. Alexander Evgenievich, prone to extraordinary deeds, decided to leave gracefully. I tried to persuade him to stay in our education system for a long time. But you can't do it indefinitely...

Indeed, this is probably a hopeless business - to persuade a person to stay in a system that calmly steps over you, despite your most obvious merits.

Approximately this is how the parents of students of the 31st lyceum assess the true cause of the conflict. Here is what, in their opinion, should be done to avoid such conflicts in the future and protect the lyceum from personnel degradation. "The administration of the lyceum, the parents of students have limited opportunities to protect the interests of the lyceum and lyceum students," the parents' letter to Governor Petr Sumin says, "due to the fact that the lyceum is directly subordinate to the city administration, there are practically no tools for resolving controversial educational, economic and personnel issues between the city administration and the lyceum. We are sure that the solution of this problem is important not only for our lyceum, but for the entire education system of the region. We ask you to organize consideration of the issue of determining the special status of our and similar institutions."

What will happen tomorrow

Popov will not be left without work. He intends to work in the private sector. Parents are willing to pay a lot of money for his lessons. You can earn one and a half to two times more than at the lyceum, and at the same time not carry any administrative or economic burden. The only thing is that for Popov it is not yet clear what to do with the habit that has developed over almost a quarter of a century.

Every day I walked along the street I knew to work, - says Alexander Evgenievich, - I knew that students and teachers were waiting for me there. And now, it turns out, none of this is needed. What to do with this habit, how to live on?

We agreed that Alexander Popov will finalize before July 8 and transfer his powers to Ivan Iogolevich, - says Alexander Kuznetsov.

It is to his student and deputy for science, Ivan Iogolevich, that Popov himself would like to transfer the lyceum. In addition, he hopes that the student "will not be so pressured, since he is a deputy of the Legislative Assembly."

It turns out everything is fine? Well, life goes on! But tell me - why so sad?

How to get into the format

Diary of Alexander Evgenievich Popov, director of one of the best physics and mathematics in Russia. lyceums, Chelyabinsk 31st, reading is unique. Before us are the reflections and reflections of a person who is obviously larger than the System, but by fate and his choice is doomed to work in it. Now, when Popov is being persecuted already "on state level"(In April 2013, a criminal case was opened against him, trying to convict him of" complicity in receiving a bribe "), the reissue of this diary is especially relevant. It contains the whole Popov, and the person, and the teacher, and the writer. All - with his directness and passion , with his excitement and defenselessness, with a willingness to stand to the end and a thirst to escape from the "adult world". Popov does not think of himself as an "adult". Adult for him means - inanimate, frozen. That's why he is bored and sad permission to say, “education”, that’s why he runs away from officials of all stripes and ranks, that’s why he feels on the cross all his “director’s” life: he can’t leave (well, how can he leave this “holiday that is always with you”, these children and this is a school kingdom that sounds like children), and to stay is like death ... In fact, we have before us not just a diary, we have before us a martyrology.

Alexander Evgenievich Popov
School Principal's Diary

Illustrations for the book - Andrey Razgildyaev

Teacher is the name of God

Lyric is known to be a physicist. Or a mathematician. Or a biologist. He can't just be the principal of a school. Because the director of the school is not up to the lyrics now. Moreover, it's not funny. As in the song: another time, other things.

The diary, as you know, is kept by students. Or writers. Or just people. Again, physicists-lyricists. The diary is not kept only by the principal of the school. For – a) not by status; b) once; c) in this diary there should be daily assessments of oneself, and the director has outgrown this business. He evaluates others - from the other side of the massive table. And the face at the same time makes smart.

Reader! You have a unique book in front of you. There is no such book in Russia anymore, because there is no other such headmaster in Russia. His name is Alexander Popov and he lives in Chelyabinsk. I know him personally. I give you a tooth.

Popov does not make a smart face. This is what is expensive. He laughs and cries at the same time, clowning and yearning. Reading his diary, out of habit it may seem that he is playing the fool. But here in Russia they always fooled around because of pain. And Popov has only one pain: the school, around which the "hell of reality" squeezes the ring.

The language does not dare to call it society - everything is much more global. Read it, you yourself will find out how life is, it turns out, the director of a secondary educational institution. But Popov does not take pathos-tragic chords - he whistles on a reckless pipe, jokes, "blesses and plays tricks." Although he does not clow around and, most importantly, does not fall into cynicism, because for a true teacher this is like death. At the same time, we feel that in his buffoonery, in some deepest part of the heart, the author remains serious, even tragic.

So, probably, and it is necessary to survive in modern world- wisely, sadly laughing and playing with the impenetrable stupidity of bureaucrats and auditors, frugal economists, educators. Aha! Do you feel? We are ready to fall into Popov's mischievous, laconic style, into the heresy of his cursory puns. Why do we give in so easily? Someone said that this is what determines a real personality, a true talent: you yourself do not notice how you begin to speak in his voice, smile with his smile, run with his gait.

What is missing in our education today? Money doesn't count. Mind? Wisdom? Hearts? Lungs? All this is still there, but not - the same personality. Individuality. A teacher who does not teach, but infects and captivates.

´ Which to imitate hunting with an open mouth. To catch his every word, every paradox, every impromptu, in every deed to open a parable, in every smile to comprehend the world's sadness. Where can one get these? Popov is the troublemaker for the whole of Russia, while others have forgotten that the Teacher is the name of God, and not an audio appendage to the textbook. "Faceless schools" - how well and sadly the author said it. In others, there are European panels, and fountains with distilled water, and marble stairs, and computers are almost in the toilets, and the sign at the entrance burns with gold leaf - but there is no face. Because the face is not there. In Popov's office, of all the attributes of a modern director's office, only blinds. The rest is all human: a dish of caramels, a battered tape recorder, thick literary magazines.

What is this director? The teacher plays pranks, hooligans at meetings, he himself throws snow from the roof of the school in winter, writes “I love you” at the outbuilding in the school yard, and poems in a notebook. No wonder one of the high-ranking heroes of the "Diary" to the question "how are you?" replies: "Everything is fine, if not for this Popov." Still would! Popov is uncomfortable.

Even reading it is somehow embarrassing, because suddenly, as if touching the bare wiring of truth, all the glamorous plaster disappears. And you understand uncompromisingly and clearly: this is how, only this, a real teacher should be (this is how the mechanically bitter “unfortunately” begs).

Popov does not need to write a fascinating novel - he is one of those who turns life itself into a novel. His lyceum is a kind of "incubator" of brilliant children, whose achievements in physics and mathematics and victories at world olympiads are known throughout the country. But they are brought up in this school not so much with formulas as with creative provocation. Learn to think paradoxically and boldly. And our author put the first hand in this.

"Leave only a line from the real verse - the breath of poetry will not stop. So it is with the school. Whatever they do with us. We are and will be!"

Because a school is not a building with windows bulging into the world. The school is the teacher. A school can be bankrupted, broken down, outraged at its very idea (Beslan), blown up, in the end. And a real teacher, if he survives, will come to the ruins, whistle on his wise pipe, children will run from everywhere and sit around. And it will be a school. A pipe and a smile are enough, and "the rest is the soul."

Popov invented his own school - in every sense of the word. And we wish all his undertakings only patience. And diaries - long sequels. And to their readers - thoughtful truthfulness in front of them.

…The principal of the school cannot be a lyricist!

But, thank goodness for public education, we still have a lyricist who can remain a school principal. A single, unthinkable case, some kind of mistake, but we have not yet been deprived of this wonderful mistake.

– Popov, diary on the table!

The epic with the persecution of the legendary teacher seems to be over. Central district court I did not find corpus delicti in Popov's actions. And even more than that! Judge Valentina Gverdovskaya reproached the prosecutor's office for "numerous violations during the investigation." But, most importantly, the judge believes that the investigation did not prove whether Popov took the money for himself or for the needs of the school. Probably, our readers remember the footage filmed with a hidden camera in the director's office. There, Popov tells the bribe giver that with this money he will send a student to a mathematical Olympiad. People who even know little of the teacher cannot have any doubts about this: they live in a modest "kopeck piece", always wear the same jacket. But back to today's judgment.

The prosecution has the right to appeal, - says Alexander Popov's lawyer Yevgeny Kurbalov. - Inwardly, we are ready for the fact that this is not the end and, perhaps, we will have to continue the lawsuit.

The Headquarters 31 organization, created in support of the head of the lyceum, does not hide their delight at the court's decision.

Zakhar Prilepin, writer: "Alexander Evgenyevich Popov is a wonderful teacher"

Acquittal - a fantastic denouement! To be honest, we thought that Alexander Evgenievich would receive two years probation and be suspended from work. But at the same time, we were ready to continue the struggle, - says Lana Litver, a member of the "Headquarters 31". - For 90 percent - this is a victory for wonderful lawyers - Natalia Polyakova and Evgeny Kurbalov. They did a titanic job, dismantling every step of the operatives, and found a bunch of violations. The court agreed that the transfer of the so-called "bribe" was a provocation. The fact that the "political" situation is different now also had an effect. Apparently, there is no longer a task to destroy Popov.

I hope the prosecutor's office will not appeal the court's decision, and this is the final victory, - continues Lana Litver. - I just called Popov, he is very excited. Alexander Evgenievich experienced tremendous stress for an elderly person. The lawsuit lasted 500 days and he couldn't wait until it was all over. Popov is experiencing certain health problems, but I think he will recover at work. Because the Lyceum is his life and his salvation.

Recall that Popov was detained on April 11, 2013. A certain citizen offered 150 thousand rubles to place the child in gymnasium No. 93, which is headed by Galina Shcherbakova. And Popov agreed to act as an intermediary in the transfer charitable contribution to the school fund. That is how he valued the money. The bribe giver gave 25 thousand to the director in gratitude for mediation.

But after the investigation, the charges were dropped from Shcherbakova. She didn't even touch the money. And the investigation had no evidence that she wanted to take a bribe. And Popov was sent to court under a double article: "fraud" and "attempted aiding." Photo by Maria Shramenko from Chelyabinsk.ru

VIEW FROM THE 6TH FLOOR School director Alexander Popov will not be imprisoned! It seems that this is already a considerable achievement. I must say right away that if I were an educational supervisor, I would not be delighted either if a school director like Alexander Evgenievich Popov appeared in my subordination. There is more anxiety from him alone than from a hundred other complaisant leaders. You are their order. And they are on the hood: "Let me perform?" But Popov is not there - he asks questions all the time: “Why?” "And who needs it?" And the most disgusting: “Give me money?” Either he needs to take the kids to the Olympiad, then he needs to encourage the best, then he needs to bring a teacher of some outstanding teacher to an open lesson. And what else did he think: to hold literary festivals! And where? At the Physics and Mathematics Lyceum! BY THE WAY “You don’t need a lot of mind to work as a school director” A few years ago, Komsomolskaya Pravda was the first to publish excerpts from the unique diary-confession of the Chelyabinsk teacher Alexander Popov. The book at that time had not even appeared in print, and when it came out, it became a bestseller for teachers. What is it that a provincial teacher writes? Truth (read more)

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Alexander Evgenievich Popov School Principal's Diary

Teacher is the name of God

Alexander Evgenievich Popov
School Principal's Diary