A day at an Russia school

    It is Monday morning. Soon it will be 9 o'clock and the boys and girls are coming to school after Saturday and Sunday which are free days. Some of them are walking to school, and some come on their bicycles. Others, who live very far from the school, come by bus.
    They are wearing their school uniform and are carying their school-books in their bags. School begins at 9 o'clock and there are lessons till 11 o'clock, when it is time for the milk break. The boys and girls go into the playground and get their milk there. During the break pupils can play in the playground. The boys play football and the girls play with a ball or walk in the playground. But some boys and girls only stand, talk and watch the games. Then the bell rings. School begins again and they all hurry into their classrooms.
    After the milk break there are lessons till 1 o'clock, when it is time for lunch. The boys and girls go into the school dining-room to have lunch. In England many pupils have their lunch at school, but some children, who live very near their school, go home for lunch and come back for afternoon school.
    The pupils who have lunch in the school dining-room get meat with potatoes and vegetables and some pudding.
    Lunch break is more than an hour. After lunch again there is time to go out and play. In the summer all the boys and girls like to go into the playground and play in the sun, but in the winter, when it is cold, they like to be in the cloak-rooms and play there. The big boys and girls who are on duty tell the others to go into the fresh air. It is not good for children to have no fresh air all day. But when it is raining, the boys and girls can go into the classrooms and read or play there. Many pupils do their homework at that time and then they are free in the evening to go out with their friends or to watch television.
    At 2 o'clock school begins again. In this school the pupils do not only have lessons in history, geography and arithmetic; the girls learn to type, to sew, and to cook, and the boys do metal-work and woodwork. In some schools in England girls also do metal-work and boys learn to cook. When they finish school, they can be cooks in hotels.
    At 3 o'clock it is time for games. In English schools the girls usually play hockey in the winter and basket-ball or tennis in the summer; the boys play football in the winter and cricket or tennis in the summer. School is over at 4 o'clock. The children take the books for their homework and hurry to the cloak-room to get their hats and coats and go home.
    Very soon after 4 o'clock the school is empty, only some children and teachers stay there. One or two boys and girls must stay in the classroom and write something as a punishment. Others are staying for a club meeting. Clubs usually have their meetings when school is over. Then they will all go home and the school will be empty till tomorrow.