nancy pineda

In “Pedagogy of the Oppressed,” Paulo Freire analyses and discusses the

existing banking system in the educational system. According to Freire, there is

an urge to address the limitations of the banking system in education in order to

provide better quality of learning. In my perspective, I’ve learned that many times

you learn more by researching than actually listening to professors. I’ve sat in

lecture halls where professors talk for hours without sparking the interest of its

students. At UCLA, I had the opportunity to take an Asian American course,

where our grade was based on volunteering for a community-based

organization. I learned more in the two months that I was at this organization

than in my labor organizing courses at UCLA.

This banking system in the educational system has created a tension

between teachers and students. Teachers tend to just drop loads of information

to students and expect them to memorize it in a matter of hours or days. On the

other hand, as a student I know that a lot of what we study for our classes only

stays with us until we take our exams. There is no time for students to discuss,

process and implement the material outside of class. As informed in the article,

this would undermine the creativity of people, creating a poor educated society.

Students need to engage in their study and stop believing that the

professor “knows it all.” I believe that it is time to question whether it is the type

of educational system we would like to support. In order to have a fuller

educational experience, it urges that we speak up and defend our future. It is the

time to stop letting others decide for us, we must get informed and educate our

communities.