In the 1970s and 80s, it was a tradition to photograph students when they entered school and moved from one class to another. For these purposes a photographer was specially invited to school. This photo shows the students of the “zero” grade (that is how preparatory classes were called at that time with ten-year education). These are the students of Dembrovo village (Shchuchinsky district).

The second person on the left is Natalia Maryanovna Rushteiko (my mother). She is 6 years old in the photo. There are 11 students in the class, so it is rather large. At that time, there were many young people who lived even in small villages; they had their own families with children. So, the urgent problem of youth lack did not exist in small villages at that time. The "zero" grade was created on the basis of kindergarten. There was no stress for children from the change of atmosphere, and at the same time, they were preparing for school and a teacher conducted the lessons.

In the front row there is a typical Soviet teacher who is wearing a white blouse and a strict sundress.  Everything is neat, restrained and discreet in her style. Moreover she’s got earrings (they are an indicator of well-being). But there aren’t any rings on her hands. It seems that she also lives in this village and has a vegetable garden and a farm.  The whole rural intellectuals lived like that. The children are wearing smart clothes, because their parents have prepared them for the important moment of photographing. Six out of seven girls have large white bows on their heads, which were often made of wide nylon ribbons.
Such bows were worn only in solemn occasions and taking photos was one of those important moments. Five girls have knee-high socks on their legs, and two of them (including my mother) have white knee-high socks (an element of elegant and smart clothes). Four boys are in the second row. It’s worth noting that they weren’t seated together with the girls, because it was determined by the rules of gender education of that time: the boy should be courageous and give place to the elders and girls. The boys are neatly dressed; the collars of their shirts are beautifully set aside. It is noteworthy that all the boys have practically the same haircut with smooth bangs. At that time it was a typical haircut for boys.

The white brick school building is a typical building of those times. In the background, the courtyard of a kindergarten with a large number of green plants and playground structures welded from metal pipes, because it was cheap and functional. Under the children’s feet there is an asphalted playground, on which markings for “classics” are painted (the favorite child game of that time). Thus, children combined both physical and educational activities. (Fortunately, no one used their phones at the breaks, because there weren’t any gadgets at that time)

The design of the photograph is also interesting. On the upper field there is a pioneer with a horn and cheerful, friendly children of different nationalities are next to him. A girl in a Belarusian costume stands out among them. And all children are holding hands and running forward to a bright and better future. A dove of peace flies to the sun with a twig in its beak.  And under the picture there is an inscription: “Peace to the children of the planet!” - This is also the symbolism of socialist international education.

The happy Soviet children (a boy and a girl) in pioneer ties are pictured a little bit lower. There is a symbol of Little Octobrists (a five-pointed star badge) in front of these junior schoolchildren. An unexpected picture does not fit the ideological theme of a “bright future”: the Wolf and the Hare are the heroes of the cartoon “Just You Wait!” (“Nu, Pogodi!”). This cartoon was extremely popular not only among children but adults as well. So, we can see a cartoon frame on this photo. Probably, it was impossible to find a combination of ideological drawings of a “happy childhood” with a cartoon frame in the 1960s. But in the late 1970s, these "concessions" became possible in school ideology.