They say that there are people who make the world go round and give the world something that will stay there for decades and, if you come across it, it will change your life. Speaking about such people in the world of education, we can’t but mention Vladimir Abramovich Karakovsky (1932-2015). His name is well known to many educators in America, Europe and Asia, and practically, to every teacher in Russia. Vladimir Karakovsky was one of those people who did not only introduce educational innovations but also promoted an overall democratization of schools. Vladimir Karakovsky’s life is inseparable from his school. Upon graduation from Chelyabinsk Teaching Training Institute in 1953, he began his professional career as a teacher of the Russian language and literature at Chelyabinsk School #48. In 1962 he was appointed Principal at Chelyabinsk School #1. Having defended, under Professor Lyudmilla Novikova’s supervision, his Candidate of Science (equivalent of PhD) thesis in 1977, Vladimir Karakovsky continued his career as Principal, Moscow Secondary School #8252 (currently known nationwide as Karakovsky’s school), where he worked for 34 years.

Several years ago a rather odd incident took place in an average school of an average city. Actually, it could have happened in any other school. Second graders were talking with their teacher about friends and friendship. The teacher was surprised to hear that most students considered the computer to be one of their closest friends. Such stories have become common, and adults’ reaction rarely shows more than just a condescending smile. But it is the very word common, which should cause our concern in this matter. Isn’t this a symptom of some infirmity which has infected our urbanized society? And it is not just computer or Internet addiction, which is much spoken about by doctors, psychologists, teachers, and parents. We seem to have a different problem. It is much wider-spread and more serious. It is the problem of our excessive reliance on technology and, as a result, the problem of our alienation from nature.