Why go to college? “To get a degree, to get a better job, to get rich.” Are some of the answers freshman provide an explanation to spending thousands of dollars on college. But what if education does not give the desired outcome? What if higher education is actually based on being oppressed by an oppressor? Paulo Freire, a Brazilian ideologist, explores this concept in his novel, Pedagogy of the Oppressed. The two concepts discussed are the banking system, a system focused on sole memorization of a text, and the problem-posing system, where students and teacher understand knowledge through discussion and collaboration. A non-liberal education forces individuals to adapt to a world; consequently, suffocating any source of self-expression. A
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Attending a school that provides a liberal education leads to a well rounded individual that can create their own formulated opinions: “Education as the practice of freedom...denies that man is abstract, isolated, independent and unattached to the world; it also denies that the world exists as a reality apart from people” (6). There are two main options that a high school senior is given when they apply to college: trade school or liberal education. Although trade school provides essential skills for a profession, it does not provide critical thinking skills; there is only a “black and white” way of doing things. Also, students are not encouraged to supply observations to their learning or challenge their teachers. Because critical thinking is suppressed, individuals are not able to truly understand their place in the world. Through a liberal education, students are prompted to focus on transformation. Whether that be through changing their environment or how they perceive the world. Along with their chosen profession, they are taught how to respond to others perspectives, demand equality, and participate in innovation. There is a direct exponential correlation between population increase and social dilemmas. Opposing views, political debates, and cultural differences start to play a vital role in everyday
Attending a school that provides a liberal education leads to a well rounded individual that can create their own formulated opinions: “Education as the practice of freedom...denies that man is abstract, isolated, independent and unattached to the world; it also denies that the world exists as a reality apart from people” (6). There are two main options that a high school senior is given when they apply to college: trade school or liberal education. Although trade school provides essential skills for a profession, it does not provide critical thinking skills; there is only a “black and white” way of doing things. Also, students are not encouraged to supply observations to their learning or challenge their teachers. Because critical thinking is suppressed, individuals are not able to truly understand their place in the world. Through a liberal education, students are prompted to focus on transformation. Whether that be through changing their environment or how they perceive the world. Along with their chosen profession, they are taught how to respond to others perspectives, demand equality, and participate in innovation. There is a direct exponential correlation between population increase and social dilemmas. Opposing views, political debates, and cultural differences start to play a vital role in everyday