Background
Khrystyna Danylivna Alchevska (née Zhuravlyova) was born on Aplil 4, 1841 in Borzna, Ukraine. She was a teacher's daughter.
publicist teacher Public figure memoirist
Khrystyna Danylivna Alchevska (née Zhuravlyova) was born on Aplil 4, 1841 in Borzna, Ukraine. She was a teacher's daughter.
Being a teacher's daughter Khrystyna Danylivna was obliged to learn to read and write independently, though her father forbade her to do this. She obtain her teacher’s diploma in 1870.
Beginning in 1862, she maintained the Kharkiv Women's Sunday School (officially accredited in 1870) at her own expense. The school remained in existence for 50 years and was renowned for its highly developed methods of adult education. Borys Hrinchenko taught at the school as a young man. She was an eminent pedagogue who initiated a method of adult education using literary works, rather than spelling books. In 1889, she attended the Paris Exhibition as the representative of Russian Empire teachers of adult students. She taught classes in Ukrainian until forced by the government to switch to Russian.
In 1884, Saint Petersburg published the first volume of the book "What the People Should Read?" (Chto chitat’ narodu)(Volume 2 – 1889, Volume 3 – 1906).This work earned the grand prize at the Paris International Exhibition, and a teaching manual, Book for Adults (Kniga vzroslykh) in 1900.
Khrystyna Danylivna set up bold experiments: she read "Little Tragedies" by A.S. Pushkin, "Demon" by M.Yu. Lermontov, "Notes from the Dead House" by F.M. Dostoevsky, the tragedies of W. Shakespeare and other works of classical and modern literature in front of illiterate Ukrainian peasants and proved that they are accessible to people, though in a particular interpretation through life experience that has developed outside of book influence.
Since 1897, Khrystyna Danylivna led the department "Chronicle of Sunday Schools" in the journal "Russian School", where her essays were published. The journals "Severny Vestnik" ("Northern Bulletin"), "Russkoe Bogatstvo" ("Russian Wealth"), "Russkaya mysl" ("Russian Thought") published Alchevskaya's articles about readings with people.
She also wrote a memoir, My Thoughts and Experiences ("Peredumannoe i perezhitoe), in 1912. She also published several methodological articles on adult education. In the 1860s, Alchevska's articles appeared in Aleksandr Herzen's journal Kolokol, under the pseudonym Ukrainka.
(Russian edition)
1912(Russian edition)
1889Quotations: Ever since Khrystyna Danylivna was a child she had the idea that "ability to write and read is a moral pleasure" to which she should "bring as many people as possible".
Khrystyna Danylivna encouraged girls and women to dress in traditional regional costumes at community festivals and to perform folksongs. She wore peasant costume as a symbol of her dedication to the people she taught. Her adaptation of folk culture and folk art helped peasants adjust to city life.
Khrystyna Danylivna married Alexey (Oleksii) K. Alchevsky, a Ukrainian businessman, later owner of a large mine and steel plant. Their children numbered many talented and accomplished artists. Son, Ivan Alchevsky, was a renowned opera singer. Daughter, Khrystia Alchevska, was a poet. Son, Hryhorii Alchevsky, was a composer.