A Banking System Of Education Analysis

The point of education is, simply put, to learn. School shapes every single child in our country. There is no person in this country that has not been affected by the school system. Since the rise of mandated education, we have used a system which oppresses the student. So it seems fitting to fix the problem. A well known educator and philosopher, Paulo Freire, believed the way to fix our education system, was to simply transfer the structure of our teaching from a failed banking system, to something that challenges the mind and builds critical thinking. Freire goes on to tell us of a system that has but few flaws and is a direct alternative to our current method, the libertarian system. The only way to fix our problems within society, is …show more content…
This system occurs when a figure of authority who believes they have knowledge, a teacher in this example, leads the students to record their knowledge and repeat that same knowledge until memorized. This false concept of learning strips away student’s humanity and leaves behind any individuality they could have. This removes any significance or meaning behind the information, while also taking away any creativity or true knowledge gained in the process. Learners are demanded to receive information from higher powers, accept that information, memorize that same information, and the student becomes fully proficient when they are able to repeat what was told to them. This creates nothing more, but a cycle of facts, not knowledge, and limits a student’s true potential. Students have been accustomed to this system for so long that it actually seems normal. Freire gives us a visual idea by comparing the student to containers only to be “filled by the teacher” (63) with useless information. It is important to note that no knowledge is ever created in this system, only repeated. This system takes away individual thought and creativity, leaving man with no formal instruction in the world and society around him. As Freire perfectly stated, “In the banking concept of education, knowledge is a gift bestowed by those who consider …show more content…
The libertarian system will begin a new age of enlightenment as students will no longer be doomed to be a simple cog in the system. We would see a rise of innovation as creative thinking would start to creep into the backbone of American society. A sharp increase of teaching jobs would be needed and they would need to be drilled away from their normal methods of oppression, but it would be well worth the simple cost. When the teacher is able to discuss ideas with the student, and the student is able to do the same, we will see true learning. Students and teachers, both will become more and more aware of their own reality and they will seek to savor their system that lets them create themselves. Now there will be negatives. Most scholars agree that Math, English, Science, and History are brilliant structures to building an education system and the libertarian system would in some sense deny that. But we are innovating. We can make these classes a requirement without oppressing and controlling the student. With the basics learned, the world is theirs to learn. This revolution will lead to passionate learning. Life doesn’t have to be a linear line; it should be a line that you define. Our country is to be developed in the future with the young we have today, and it is important to embrace their education and value it. Grades don’t