The problem of poor performance has existed since the first schools appeared. Teachers often superficially evaluate children who work poorly in the classroom and do not do homework. A striking example of bias in relation to lagging schoolchildren is the characteristic of Sevka Mymrikov, the hero of the work of G. Kulikov.
Who is Mymrikov
Sevka is a classic quartet and a headache for teachers. Mymrikov does not do homework, does not participate in social activities, and misses excursions. Even comrades in the pioneer detachment believe that it is useless to reeducate him. In the words of Vova Krasnopyorov, the characteristic of Sevka Mymrikov from the point of view of classmates is expressed - “helping him is like dragging water with a sieve.”
Sevka is a bully in the classroom; he is not able to answer teacher's questions without prompting. He is the only protagonist whose neglect is evident even in an appeal by name. The chairman of the pioneer detachment decides, for educational purposes, to “attach” an excellent pupil to a dvoynik and a bully Mymrikov. The intrigue remains to the last page: who will pull someone to his side. Will Sevka recover or will his boss become a loser?
Kostya Gorokhov
The exact opposite of Mymrikov is a quiet excellent student, spending time reading books. The only child carefully looked after by parents and grandmother. Kostya is a living encyclopedia; he can resolve a dispute about the authorship of a work or please a teacher with knowledge beyond the curriculum. It was he, as an excellent student and pioneer, who was instructed to seriously deal with Mymrikov.
Kostya is the antipode of Sevka. And this gives particular interest to their interaction. Gorokhov has to come up with various tricks in order to find an approach to the idler, but he himself becomes a victim of his cunning. And at this moment, the characteristic of Sevka Mymrikov becomes deeper.
Iceberg man
Like the iceberg, most of it is hidden under the water, so in the case of the doubleman Mymrikov his main human qualities turn out to be invisible. The plot develops unexpectedly: the excellent pupil Kostya is in the same team with Seva and they change places. A good hockey player Mymrikov helps the weak and inept player Gorokhov. However, here the author is preparing a surprise. Becoming the team captain, Sevka shows himself in all its glory. The hope of re-educating him becomes illusory. The culmination is the episode in which Mymrikov substitutes Gorokhov, blaming him for his serious misconduct.
Despite the fact that the characterization of Sevka Mymrikov seems extremely clear, the plot makes another unexpected turn and everything ends well. The book by Geomar Georgievich recalls that one cannot judge people superficially and draw hasty conclusions.