Ilya Nikolayevioh Ulyanov

Ilya Nikolayevich Ulyanov, Lenin's father, devoted almost thirty years of his life to public education. A teacher by, calling, he brought the torch of knowledge to the ignorant and oppressed peasant masses. By his work he eat a fine example to other advanced people of his time.

Т.Н. Ulyanov was a man of simple origin. He was born on July 14, 1831 in Astrakhan. He became an orphan at en early age and only thanks to his elder brother and his own unusual gifts and hard fork he finished school with a silver medal.

In 1850, despite great obstacles, I.Ulyanov entered the physics and mathematics faculty of Kazan University.

In 1854 he graduated from the University and, receiving the degree of Candidate of Mathematical Sciences, was soon appointed senior mathematics and physics master at the Penza Institute for Nobility. In Penza Ilya Ulyanov met Maria Alexandrovna Blank at the house of his colleague I.D. Veretennikov and this meeting turned out to be one of the happiest and most important events of his life. They were married in 1863 and moved to Nizhni Novgogod. While in Nizhni Novgorod, Ilya Ulyanov continued to extend his knowledge and perfect his pedagogical skill. He studied periodicals dealing with problems of school life and public education, watched out for anything new in teaching methods. As a teacher and later as director of people's schools, Ilya Ulyanov propagated the brilliant ideas about the art of teaching expressed by Dobrolyubov, Chernyshevsky and Ushinsky.

In 1869 Ilya Nikolayevich accepted the post of inspector of public schools in the Simbirsk Province as he wanted to come closer to the ordinary people and their needs, to teach them how to live better by putting education within their reach. He began his new' work with great energy putting his whole heart and soul into it.

Ilya Nikolayevich- wanted the teachers to be highly educated, cultured specialists and paid much attention to their training. All the teachers whom he had trained were called Ulyanovltes, and they turned out to be the best teachers in the province.

Ilya Nikolayevich was a genuine friend of both teachers and pupils. One of his contemporaries said that he had the wonderful gift of making children love him. Speaking of the qualities which a teacher should possess, he always mentioned love for children, an understanding attitude to them, patience and self-control. He thought that school discipline depended primarily on the quality of the lessons and the personality of the teacher. He believed that a good teacher couldn't have bad pupils.

In 1874 Ulyanov was appointed director of the Simbirsk Province people's schools. Under his guidance new schools were built and entirely new curricula and teaching methods were introduced into all the schools under his control. Working to promote the all-round development of the children, I.N. Ulyanov devoted much attention to physical education and strove to introduce it into all schools.

He did a great deal to establish the first schools for the national minorities in the Simbirsk Province. He declared that education for non-Russian children was just as important as it was for Russian children.

Ilya Nikolayevich was also largely responsible for opening the schools for girls which he regarded as the first step on the road to an all-round education for women and he fought against backward views on this issue. Through the efforts of Ilya Ulyanov the level of education at the people's schools of the Simbirsk Province become the highest in the whole of the Kazan Educational District.

He died on January 12, 1886.

Soviet people, who are educating the younger generation in the spirit of communism, carefully study all that was the best in the teaching methods of the past and gratefully remember the outstanding teacher and educationalist Ilya Nikolayevich Ulyanov, Lenin's lather, who gave all his strength and knowledge to the cause of public education.

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