Chapter Forty-Five (Patreon)

It took a few weeks, but Alexander was increasingly certain that Carl Hehn would make an excellent Director of Agriculture. The man was intelligent, inquisitive, and utterly terrified, which made his both skilled and easy to control. Especially as Alexander had no desire to run the department any longer than he had to—there was already too much for him to do.

With the traitor among his directors dealt with and his (once again pregnant) sister handling the nobility who sought any connection to him like a pack of leaches, Alexander turned to his main focus: the people.

In truth they had always been Alexander’s focus. The Mirs? Food for the people. The mines and industry? Goods for the people. The expansion into Manchuria and Korea? Koreans and Chinese were no less part of the people than those that lived in Irkutsk.

For the last three years Nikolay Gretsch had been Alexander’s Director of Education. There had already been schools in Eastern Siberia–free of charge, of course–but due to the necessity of focusing on other matters they were limited to cities and lacked an organized, centralized curriculum.

That was no longer the case. Between the steady supply of hard currency, building supplies, and labor in the form of mines, industry, and the somehow still surviving yangban tens of thousands of schools had been built. Some of these schools, namely those located in the growing cities and towns, had hundreds of students and dozens of faculty, but most were located on rural villages, either Mir, fishing towns, or small settlements that existed primarily to service riverports and train stations. These smaller schools frequently had a single teacher, who, regardless of their skill or devotion, could hardly be expected to be an expert in the various fields necessary for a child’s education. This further necessitated the centralized curriculum.

A curriculum Alexander was now reviewing.

The Universal Curriculum for Primary Education in Eastern Siberia, 1843

Year One: (age five-six)

Students are to learn the purpose and use of letters, in both their native tongues and Russian

Students are to learn the purpose and use of numbers

Students are to learn to draw

Students are to learn to play and sing in cooperative manners

Students are to be read stories–demonstrating the importance of the Tsar and the Collective Purpose, Alexander added

Year Two: (age six-seven)

Students are to learn to read and write in simple sentences, in both their native tongues and in Russian

Students are to learn Russian units of measurement

Students are to learn to add and subtract with single and double-digit numbers

Students are to learn to tell time, by the sun and by the clock

Students are to learn basic geography of the Russian Empire

Students will continue to play and sing in a cooperative manner

–Students are to learn of the Tsar and his importance in the Collective Purpose, Alexander added

Year Three (age seven-eight)

Students are to learn to read and write in more complex structures, in both their native tongues and in Russian

–Students are to learn metric units of measurement, Alexander added

Students are to learn to add and subtract with triple and higher-digit numbers

Students are to learn of fractions and decimals

Students are to learn early Russian history and the founding of Russia

Students are to learn local geography

Playtime is to be reduced–and include basic military drills, Alexander added

Students will continue to sing in a cooperative manner

–Students are to learn the structure of Government and the reasons for its existence in the Collective Purpose, Alexander added

Year Four (age eight-nine)

Students are to learn formal grammar in their native tongues and in Russian

Students are to learn basic multiplication and division

Students are to learn the history of Russia from the founding of Moscow to the creation of the Tsardom–with a focus on the importance of the Tsar and his protection of the people from the nobility, Alexander added

Students are to learn the geography of Russia, including governates and capitals

Students will be introduced to musical instruments, dance, and painting–and will be introduced to artistic styles conducive to the Collective Purpose, Alexander added

–Students will learn the structure of the military and its necessity in protecting the Collective Purpose, Alexander added. They will continue basic military drills

Year Five (age nine-ten)

Students are to learn to write short essays, up to one or two pages, in Russian

Students are to learn basic word parts and sentence diagrams in Russian

Students are to learn multiplication and division to four digits

Students are to learn to read maps in their native tongue and Russian

Students are to learn the history of Russia from the creation of the Tsardom to Catherine the Great–with an emphasis on the success of collective endeavors and failures due to division, Alexander added

–Students are to visit the regional capital, Alexander added. Military drills are to continue

Year Six (age ten-eleven)

Students are to learn to write longer essays, up to ten pages, in Russian

Students are to learn more advanced word parts and sentence diagrams in Russian

Students are to learn multiplication and division of fractions and decimals

Students are to learn Russian history from the death of Catherine the Great to the modern day–with an emphasis on the role of collective action in resisting the French Invasion, Alexander added, and the liberation of the Korean and Chinese peoples from Joseon and Qing tyranny

–Military drills are to continue, Alexander added

Students are to be divided, upon their abilities, into their future education:

Agricultural Schools, which lead to farmers, livestock herders, etc.

Classical Arts Schools, which lead to writer, painters, etc.

Factory Schools, which lead to factory workers, mechanics, etc.

Forestry Schools, which lead to lumberjacks, furriers, etc.

Liberal Arts Schools, which lead to historians, lawyers, etc.

Scientific Schools, which lead to researchers, doctors, etc.

–Military Schools, which lead to soldiers, officers, etc. Alexander added

–Religious Schools, which lead to priests, monks, etc. Alexander added

Setting the paper aside–he would review the suggested lesson plans later–Alexander turned to the summary of Agricultural education. Then the Classical Arts, the Factory, on and on. They were good, as far as Alexander could tell. He had never been to such a school, and would need to have some of his other loyal advisors review the matter, but other than some necessary patriotic adjustments he was willing to sign off on them for now.