Selected Works of V. A. Sukhomlinsky (5-volume set). Volume 2

Author: Cai Ting, Wang Yigao, and Zhu Jing, editors
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2001-08-01
Features: The views of V. A. Sukhomlinsky are very clear—schools must conduct moral education. He emphasizes, "It is essential to create people with lofty ideals in school, for whom the struggle for communism is the highest meaning of life." Comrade Deng Xiaoping once clearly pointed out: "Our long struggle has been for communism, and our beliefs and ideals are to pursue communism." However, some people today have become indifferent to the belief in communism, as if there is no need to pursue it—a thought-provoking issue. Sukhomlinsky's book, The Formation of Communist Belief in the Young, is an indispensable work for us to study and explore this issue. It is an immortal legacy of Sukhomlinsky. He believed that every person should have their own theme, and for Sukhomlinsky himself, that theme was to cultivate true human beings, which was also the essence of his life. To write this book, he ignored the fact that he suffered from severe heart disease, set aside everything unrelated to his work, and devoted himself to this new masterpiece in the last two years of his life. After his death, a condensed edition was published by the Kyiv Soviet School Publishing House based on his manuscript. The current publication is a more complete work, which, as Sukhomlinsky's daughter, Svetlana Sukhomlinskaya, said, "is a textbook for teachers to provide moral education to the growing generation." Reading this book allows one to gain many valuable moral teachings and life philosophies; it elevates character, makes people more beautiful, and enhances their ability to nurture the next generation. Of course, more depends on the readers to judge and practice. To address the practical problems of primary and secondary schools and genuinely improve the quality of education, Sukhomlinsky wrote a book titled 100 Suggestions for Teachers. Written in the innovative form of "suggestions," the author speaks sincerely with readers, leaving no sense of rigidity or moralizing. The entire book is filled with practical insights, covering the difficult issues teachers often encounter, making it feel close and inspiring. Each suggestion is well-founded, permeated with important principles of pedagogy, psychology, and teaching theory, and represents a complete educational thought system—making it a valuable book worth reading.