"The main thing in life is not to shine with reflected light"
Posted: Tue Jan 28, 2025 4:49 am
Elena Tikhomirova. Photo from personal Facebook page
theRunet: Lena, you teach people in life. What did they teach you as a child?
Elena Tikhomirova: My mother is very open, kind, an amazing motivator! She never insists "Go, you can do it!", but somehow very softly, delicately guides. Our grandfather, my mother's father, taught everyone this, although he taught at the Suvorov Military School. My father (former rector of MESI - here and further note by theRunet) is the complete opposite of my mother. Discipline, leadership and self-organization are a must. He is an eternal student, he reads all the time and never stops learning.
When I was studying, of course, I had to get straight A's, everywhere and all around. But I don't remember being scolded at home. My dad is very systematic, he likes to explain everything. And my mom would just say, "Remember that you are responsible for your grades." Only now do I understand how much responsibility for my actions this has brought up. Sometimes I even want to reduce this feeling...
When did you decide what your life's work would be?
As a child, I often went on business trips with my parents. My dad studied the experience of foreign universities in implementing e-learning. Perhaps, the fact that I am engaged in teaching is hereditary. Although I did not set a goal to engage in e-learning. I never knew who I would be. Life itself led me this way.
My father has been involved in distance learning since 1992. I helped him, us companies board of directors email database translated articles, books, even worked somewhere a little, that is, I was "in the know", but I was not going to build a career and never thought that I would do this professionally. After finishing school as an external student, I also transferred to external studies at my first institute. And then, by chance, a chance for a second education appeared.
We had a presidential program where I was offered to apply to study in the Netherlands. The application was approved, but I had to refuse - at that time the main thing in my life was my great love, who had just moved to Moscow from Odessa, and I could not imagine going anywhere. But a year later, when my love and I had already quarreled, I was offered to go again.
I wanted to study HR, but I was classified in educational systems design, which I found out about almost upon arrival. There were only five of us from Russia in this faculty. And I was the only one from Russia in my program.
theRunet: Lena, you teach people in life. What did they teach you as a child?
Elena Tikhomirova: My mother is very open, kind, an amazing motivator! She never insists "Go, you can do it!", but somehow very softly, delicately guides. Our grandfather, my mother's father, taught everyone this, although he taught at the Suvorov Military School. My father (former rector of MESI - here and further note by theRunet) is the complete opposite of my mother. Discipline, leadership and self-organization are a must. He is an eternal student, he reads all the time and never stops learning.
When I was studying, of course, I had to get straight A's, everywhere and all around. But I don't remember being scolded at home. My dad is very systematic, he likes to explain everything. And my mom would just say, "Remember that you are responsible for your grades." Only now do I understand how much responsibility for my actions this has brought up. Sometimes I even want to reduce this feeling...
When did you decide what your life's work would be?
As a child, I often went on business trips with my parents. My dad studied the experience of foreign universities in implementing e-learning. Perhaps, the fact that I am engaged in teaching is hereditary. Although I did not set a goal to engage in e-learning. I never knew who I would be. Life itself led me this way.
My father has been involved in distance learning since 1992. I helped him, us companies board of directors email database translated articles, books, even worked somewhere a little, that is, I was "in the know", but I was not going to build a career and never thought that I would do this professionally. After finishing school as an external student, I also transferred to external studies at my first institute. And then, by chance, a chance for a second education appeared.
We had a presidential program where I was offered to apply to study in the Netherlands. The application was approved, but I had to refuse - at that time the main thing in my life was my great love, who had just moved to Moscow from Odessa, and I could not imagine going anywhere. But a year later, when my love and I had already quarreled, I was offered to go again.
I wanted to study HR, but I was classified in educational systems design, which I found out about almost upon arrival. There were only five of us from Russia in this faculty. And I was the only one from Russia in my program.