I have been at the university almost all my life, my whole soul is here - an interview with Professor Nikolai Zakharovich Zlydnev

2023 has been declared the Year of the Teacher and Mentor by the President of Russia. Stavropol State Agrarian University is famous for its outstanding teachers, who are widely known in the region, in the country and abroad. We are starting a series of interviews with educators in which they will present their views on teaching, education and students. We open the column with an interview with one of the elders of the university - Professor of the Department of Animal Feeding and General Biology, Doctor of Agricultural Sciences, Professor Nikolai Zakharovich Zlydnev. How have students changed in 50 years? What should new teachers do? Where did the love for studying cows come from?

Experience: more than 50 years

Zodiac sign: Aries

Education: graduate of the Stavropol State Agrarian University, Department of Animal Science.

What do you like about the teaching profession?

- When I was a student, my groupmates said: "On the course, the only person who studies at heart is Nikolai Zlydnev." Before entering the institute, I worked as a milker on a collective farm. I loved cows and cows loved me. And so I became attached that then I went to study at the institute as a livestock specialist. Since I worked practically, I liked it and wanted to learn. After studying, I entered graduate school, because my whole soul is here. I have been at the university almost all my life.

What do you dislike about the profession?

- Like all people, I do not like lies. Better, sometimes bitter, but true, from students and colleagues.

Have you had any teaching failures in your career?

- It's hard to remember. The fact is that, probably, with God's help, and because I was called to study and work for many, many years, there has never been a fiasco.

What occasion are you professionally proud of?

- My pride is that at one time, being a graduate student, I organized four more guys for a trip to Moscow for an agricultural exhibition. For the first time an exhibition came from Great Britain, dairy breeds of cattle were presented. I especially liked the Ayrshire breed in terms of exterior and udder. Its homeland is Great Britain. A young man, Andrei, I still remember him, brought his cows and one bull. I spent a day, and two, and three, disappearing near him and his cattle. In the end, the KGB officer took me aside and told me not to devote so much time to a foreign citizen.

Already working, I learned that we have a fairly decent number of Ayrshire cows in our country in the Leningrad Region and Karelia. I took my children and wife, and we went to look at these most beautiful herds. Then I found the journal of the Ayrshire Society of Great Britain, began to correspond with the general secretary of the society, Stuart Thomson. As the seventh Ayrshire cattle show in Sweden was approaching, he sent me some invitation cards to fly over and take people with me. I organized the specialists who were already working with me on the study of Ayrshires at that time, and we went to the exhibition. It was there that I fell in love with this breed even more when I saw its best specimens.

During the exhibition, we gathered in a restaurant for dinner. Suddenly, a huge Scot appeared in the doorway, began to wave his hand and shout: “Nicholas! Nicholas! Dobre! Dobre!” - what he remember from a trip to Moscow. I also get up and say “Andrey, good!”. It so happened that there was an empty seat next to me, Andrei sat down with me, and we talked all dinner. And then we devoted a lot of time to each other during the conference, shared our experience in researching our favorite breed. Exhibitors took a lot of pictures of us and said: "For history" .

My life is connected with the Ayrshire breed. If I show you my jacket, it always has badges of this breed from Canada, Finland and many other countries. I have been to many exhibitions and conferences on the Ayrshire breed, they were always invited there and given the opportunity to speak. All my students know from me about this breed of cows, they know about my love for it. I instill this love in them.

How have students changed since you started teaching?

- Due to the fact that there is little animal husbandry in our region, few students enter the zootechnical faculty. And often those who were not good at school or did not want to study do it, but there are also very good guys. Once I gave lectures to 50-60 students, and now there are only 20 of them. Leaving the audience, I am not very satisfied and I see few satisfied faces. Although in the past I have seen happy, smiling faces. I was pleased to leave the audience. I felt that my lecture was a success. Now it is rare, the attitude of students has changed, unfortunately, not for the better.

What, in your opinion, should a teacher do or not do in order for his influence on a student to be constructive and positive?

- My opinion has always been and remains the same: the teacher himself, from the very early years when he came to the faculty, needs to read and study a lot himself. As educators, we are self-taught. If there is no self-training, if you don’t work on yourself, then there will be little efficiency either. Therefore, I advise young teachers and say that you need to read a lot of specialized literature, then you will be successful. The more knowledge, the better you present, the higher the authority among students.

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