Gy-ma-na-si-a by Sholem Aleichem. Short summary

5 seconds

After many difficulties, the father managed to send his own son to a grammar school. However, later the boy decided to leave the walls of the school, which greatly surprised his father.

1 minute

Jewish parents often argued between themselves about the place of education of their son — if the father insisted on the child’s education at home, the mother thought that their boy should acquire knowledge within the gymnasium.

Soon a member of the younger generation fails his first examination in arithmetic, and so they refuse to take him to the junior preparatory class. His mother still believed that her and her husband’s offspring were obligated to attend grammar school, but the young man fails another exam, this time in spelling, and is denied admission to the senior preparatory class.

A year later, the boy successfully passes all the necessary examinations, but he is still refused admission to various educational institutions due to his failure to meet the required percentage.

Desperate parents sell all the property and move to another city just to get their son into the gymnasium.

The boy is eventually accepted, but he soon decides to stop learning.