Socrates said that education is the kindling of a flame, not the filling of a vessel. To truly light a fire takes extraordinary people, those who take educating beyond teaching, who give students the ability to lift themselves above their circumstances. And in so doing, create student success stories that demonstrate the value of education to those who saw none before.
I have seen first-hand the impact that remarkable teachers have not merely on their students' aspirations, but their whole concept of self. A child who spent most of their time at a police station taking the lead of Romeo in Shakespeare’s classic play. Or one bored with school, acting out the battle between 300 Spartans and the Persian army in the hallway under his teacher’s direction, with a dawning understanding of why history matters. These are life-changing events.
My education at a careworn Moscow public school had only a few such teachers but they were enough to instill in me a passion for learning and a desire to extend that opportunity to others. Despite the need to focus on earning a living after university – an imperative as the Soviet Union crumbled -- my dream of educational philanthropy never waned. Even as I built my career in logistics, I began establishing an educational foundation that today seeks to kindle this flame not just in Russia but in Africa, Europe, and elsewhere. With the recent sale of my stake in the freight rail company I co-founded, there is nothing more to distract me from turning my focus more fully to this educational philanthropy.
My philosophy is shaped by a deep conviction in the power of two vital soft skills: the ability to read well and with comprehension, and the capacity to analyze what one has read. These skills are the cornerstones of life, enabling students to explore and learn in any sphere, from science to the humanities. They are the tools needed to survive and thrive in a future where the only two givens are rapid change and uncertainty.
During my own academic journey, I experienced the transformative potential of these skills. At Moscow State University, during the exhilarating and unsettling era of perestroika, I encountered diverse perspectives that challenged and expanded my worldview. As a philosophy major, the ability to read critically and analyze complex ideas became indispensable tools in navigating this almost-surreal intellectual landscape – even as the school opened up to Western ideas, older communist professors continued to criticize history’s great philosophers.
Upon graduation, I entered business out of necessity. Entrepreneurship requires a 24/7 focus on company-building, so there were no spare hours for other pursuits. In the back of my mind, though, I was charting what I hoped would be a second career in education.
In 2005, having obtained some business success, I established the Dar Charity Foundation to run my new educational philanthropy. Dar, which means “gift” in Russian, funds educational programs inside Russia as well as abroad. In addition to helping kids, the establishment of Dar gave our activities a standing in the philanthropic world that led to the next natural step – opening our own school.
Private schools are rare in Russia and predominantly aimed at the elites. We wanted to build a new kind of private school where we could put in place a curriculum and teachers who would nurture students and teach them to read deeply, think critically and engage meaningfully with the world around them. Our aim was to create a caring atmosphere which encourages students to work hard, not out of fear or competitiveness, but for the pleasure of learning, because they perceive the value of sharing this experience with their peers and teachers. These students shouldn’t be afraid of making mistakes – everyone has the right to make mistakes - but these mistakes should come from active and conscious labor, not from sloth or lack of initiative.
In 2017, we opened New School, and found students were hungry for what it offered. In only its second year, there were nearly 700 applications for the 48 seats in the entry class for the pre-K through 11th grade school. It still receives about 600 applicants for that same class each year. Fees are kept low to attract a diverse student body and admission is on a needs-blind basis -- if a student is accepted, Dar will ensure their fees are covered.
Through initiatives such as math camps put on by traveling groups of educators, we seek to transcend borders and barriers. From villages in Africa to the classrooms of New School, we witness the remarkable metamorphosis that occurs when minds are ignited and potential is unleashed.
We don’t demand that our teachers have degrees in education. Rather, we seek individuals who know and love their subject and are committed to instilling that same passion in others. In the best cases, a kind of alchemy is achieved, as teachers and students create something new together.
Whether in Moscow or Montenegro, Africa or Eastern Europe, the ethos of our philanthropy remains the same: a dedication to fostering an atmosphere of intellectual curiosity and creative engagement. Fueling the embers that lie waiting in so many.
The prominent French philosopher Jacques Derrida gave a lecture at Moscow State University when I was a student there and Russia was opening to the West. It seemed a time of limitless possibilities. Even as circumstances in the world change, the power of one committed teacher partnering with one willing student to build a love of learning can overcome much. It is this we are seeking, to share the flame.
Nikita Mishin is the founder of Dar Educational Charity.
