Survival

Freire’s banking concept of education rings true to me. In the article Paulo Freire states “...the scope of action allowed to the students extends only as far as receiving, filing, and storing the deposits,” (Freire 87).  This is true for me, especially in my high school. We were usually just given information and never really had to do any problem-solving or critical thinking that challenged us. School was just about recalling or memorizing simple things and being able to answer questions. It was not about improving the student mentally. Due to this school was “Motionless, static,...., and predictable,” (Freire 87). All this shows the simplicity and lack of analysis needed at my high school it certainly fit the “misguided system,” Paulo Freire described. In previous classes, we discussed how Fredrick Douglass said that for the most part slave owners did not want slaves to be educated so they were not aware.

    Similarly from my experience, the people in my community are not aware that they can go to a university with scholarships relatively easily. They believe because of their school's reputation or because it is also an academically bad school in an underfunded community that their limit is a community college. In extreme cases, they even believe college is not possible. I relate this to the “ ‘Banking’ Concept of Education,” by Paulo Freire as he describes the banking concept by stating the following “Oppression–overwhelming control–is necrophilia…,”(Freire 91). These people around me are perhaps unknowingly oppressed. The resources and environment are certainly not up to par and for the most part, faculty is rarely willing to go the extra mile to assist. When we meet people from other counties we instantly see the difference in terms of education. However, this environment teaches us a different skill set. Adaptability, and survival. That’s if we get through it before our environment is infected with drugs, or alcohol or our minds believe we have no option but to work.