EDITORIAL: Back to "Ridna Shkola" (09/19/99)

EDITORIAL

Back to "Ridna Shkola"

One of the hallmarks, and linchpins, of the Ukrainian American community for several generations is its network of "Ukrainian schools" - Saturday classes for children where Ukrainian language, history, geography and culture are taught. The classes, held in a various types of locations - including church basements, rented classrooms in public and parochial schools, community halls and even private homes - are part of the dual commitments Ukrainian families make on weekends: school on Saturday, church on Sunday.

In many cities, the Saturday classes are often followed by meetings of youth groups, choir practice, religious instruction, sports competitions or piano, dance or singing lessons. While providing children with a one-day-a-week total immersion into their Ukrainian heritage, the venue of Saturday school is also a trusty network used by parents to meet, socialize, exchange information, gather funds, lobby elected officials, plan community events.

The Ukrainian schools in the United States grew out of the "Ridna Shkola" model that was established in Halychyna at the beginning of the century. Dr. Myron Kuropas, in his book "The Ukrainian American Citadel," cites archives that record a fund-raising drive among Ukrainians in the United States as early as 1912 that raised $9,400 to be sent to Ukraine in support of the Ridna Shkola network.

However the Ridna Shkola system only began to evolve rapidly during the interwar period. In attempt to offset mandatory Polish instruction in state schools and increasing "Polonization" and assimilation of youth, Ukrainians maintained a network of private schools, the main organizers of which were the Ukrainian Pedagogical Society and the youth movement Plast. By the mid-1930s, 60 percent of the secondary schools in Halychyna were part of the private Ridna Shkola network.

On a much smaller scale, there were also a few schools in the United States that paralleled the Ridna Shkola structure in Ukraine - in particular, a network maintained by the Orthodox Church. However, the face of the modern Ridna Shkola in the United States is a product of the post-war immigration.

Variously established and funded by parishes, credit unions, political parties and community organizations, the fledging network of Ukrainian schools strung out in immigrant communities in cities and towns between New York and Chicago was pulled together in March 1953 under a coordinating body - the autonomous Educational Council of the Ukrainian Congress Committee of America. Over the years, the council has developed a core curriculum to be used in the various schools, published handbooks and textbooks, developed a standardized cumulative test format - the often-dreaded final-year "matura" - and lobbied state educational boards to provide school credits for Ukrainian instruction.

According to Dr. Eugene Fedorenko, head of the Educational Council, there are now 36 schools throughout the United States that belong to the council that include 2,500-2,700 students between grades one and 12. In addition, the Ukrainian National Women's League of America (Soyuz Ukrainok) coordinates the pre-schools (svitlychky) that enroll several hundred youngsters. One of the most recent schools to become a member of the council is a school in Sacramento, Calif., where almost all of the 250 students are from the fourth wave of immigrants from Ukraine.

Among the generations of children that attended the Ukrainian schools, almost all no doubt dreaded and resisted the Saturday morning wake-up call for another day of classes. While most of their peers watched cartoons, played sports or got to go shopping, they spent Saturday mornings staring at maps, memorizing poems and conjugating verbs. However, as adults they understand that these Ukrainian classes were integral to the formation of their identity, allowed them to form lifelong friendships and gave them knowledge and skills they can now use professionally. And that's why another generation continues to drag their poor kids out of bed on Saturday morning.

| Home Page |