The Hegemony of School Time

Abstract

Time conceptions and the relationship that humankind establishes with it became a key element of civilization. The evolution of time mechanisms and synchronization methods has contributed to the school regulation being dictated by the clock. Even circadian rhythms tend to be regulated by outside agencies such as the school times. The respect for certain rules and time values is included in the school’s hidden curriculum, that is, the school has to teach students to live according to (temporal) rhythms imposed by the institutions. Time has assumed an increasing importance in society, where school has played an important role in the transmission of rules and values, becoming an element of the grammar of schooling. It is a structural element in schools and structuring in society. Presently, time regulates the human activity in a doctrinal way, without being questioned.