chapter 8

I feel that while yes the point that more schooling allows for better social control, it appears to be the only reason school is supported at all. Kindergarten and summer school were merely established for, originally, the upper class to allow for superior status. Only later was it then applied as a substitute to expensive policing.  Immigrant children were denied education  and/or access to school systems at first, and as time progressed they were slowly and reluctantly admitted. Several minorities only acquired this privilege after a long political battle and then it was used for the deculturalization or Americanization of the students. In segregated buildings with poor quality teachers and usually supplies such as textbooks that had been discarded from white schools. Unless, the community or other philanthropist was willing to finance there school systems privately (and still pay taxes for white schools).

So on top of using schools as a primary form of social control they slowly but surely became a means of supplementing family socialization. School meals were supplied with in the schools and nurses were added as a norm within the school system. Girls were taught home economics for sewing and cooking. Schools became responsible for establishing playgrounds and sandlots, which was linked to social control mentioned above, but also to reinforce and industrial lifestyle of teamwork and rules.Establishing showers in schools and why was it excepted because of the lice that were present.

So to me it seems that for a decent amount of time the primary involvement with children has been shifting from the home life and the parents to the schools and teachers. Is that the way it should be though, should the school system and teachers be responsible for all these needs of the students: bathing, feeding, education, morals, play time, crime prevention, cleaning, cooking, etc? And in schools today are teachers still responsible for all of these and more or should parents be getting more involved in their own children’s lives?