This was one of the chapters that I really enjoyed reading and found that it included some very interesting facts.
The reasoning behind kindergarten was something that I was never aware of, I was struck to find out that it was created purely for a social reform especially reforms that were supposed to extend beyond children and into the home. I wonder if kindergarten should be the time to teach morals and good habits instead of rushing children into education. Many scientists think that we are teaching children too young and that it would be better if we didn’t push children in education so hard.
This idea of home economics and the American cuisine was something that struck me as rather comical considering that those who were a part of this movement where pushing to feed everyone the same food that could be produced with the help of new technology. The same technology that now has an intense backlash. Most parents sending their children to public school would prefer that the children eat food that was home grown or at least cooked in the cafeteria or at least have meals that were cooked.
I found it very interesting that very basic things that we take for granted like having parks that children can play in attached to elementary schools or school nurses were parts of movements that made schools feel like social agencies.
I think this is also where we can begging to see the school having so much power and being an authoritarian figure instead of just a being a place to gain knowledge.
