H- Gracey, Kindergarten As Academic Boot Camp (446-460)

In this article, a question was posed. “How do you react to the idea that the essence of the educational institution is training into conformity?” What can I say about that, well I guess it would be to an extent because it does mirror the real world. In school you have to follow the rules set by the administrator vice versa in real life, you have to follow the rules set by the law of the land (Constitution) and those set by the State you live in. There are consequences for breaking either although I think there are more rewards for good behavior in school than there are in the real world. There is also the uniforms, which are very military like. The school lunches very much to what you can get in the galley on base. There is a set schedule for everything as we go to school and boot camp in the military is the same. You rest when you are told and children have recess when they are told. In school we are expected to do our homework and learn certain subjects without questioning our figure of authority, which is the same as conducting drills without questioning your COC or Sgt. These, are examples of how schools train kids to conform; it’s there to help them get ready for the real world.