One thing that was not clear to me from this chapter was how the kindergarten movement was supposed to solve issues with urban poverty. When it comes to the habits of the family the kindergarten could teach the children many things but if those ideas are not reinforced at home then the students will not make progress. For many children school can be a second home, and it is good that kindergarten was more so a parental education where the kids were more learning mannerisms than anything else. The ideas presented in “A Lily’s Mission” is very cliche, I do not see it possible for a flower to really change a family so quickly and I do not want to sound negative either but ideally it really is not that easy. I like how this chapter goes in to some of the ways that schools function as more than just a place of learning. The schools were now equipped with playgrounds which allowed the kids to socialize and play together, the school lunches helped to create a nutritional diet for the studetns and the nurses checked the health of the kids. Schools had several purposes now and began to be more than just a place to learn from books. I mostly agree with this idea of schools as a social center coming from a small schools I really felt like my school was a huge family. When kids are younger they become really attached to their classmates, teachers usually will try and have the kids believe that they are family so that they will treat each other with respect. The schools help the kids maintain a sense of unity and community, they care for each other and are there for each other. As much as we may read about how the different cultures tried to prevent themselves from losing their culture it is something that must be accepted about American history. The nation who opened it’s doors to everyone who wanted freedom had to find some sense of control. Although I am in favor of one national identity I do not feel that it is right to strip other people of their cultures, but I do not see a way to have one without doing the other.
One question that I would like to pose is have the schools really done their job? Have they helped to solve problems of poverty, health and other issues?
