(Na)časovanie sa v materskej škole

This contribution comments on various impacts of the kindergarten on children’s socialization into the social rhythms of time structuring. One of the consequences of the repeated contact with such specific school environment is the assumption of an obligatory timing framework. We focus on the fact that school is an institution of rather strict daily routine, with activities repeating day after day in the same order. Events at school do not happen because of their actors being interested that they do, but because it is time for them to happen. The time schedule and the rules of the school are impersonal and inevitable. Another consequence of the organization of time in schools is the everyday confrontation with the specific timing structures governing the school life. Children learn to work in units designed for various activities and resting. They get new experience choosing important events and information from a lot of simultaneous actions, paying attention to the essential features of the situation. Also, school introduces children into the “calendar” of the society, explaining time structures like days, weeks, weekends or holidays. Describing and interpreting everyday situations related to the time organization of school life, this text is focused on kindergartens and their role in this process.