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Martha Shivers
EN106 First Year Writing Seminar II: Academic Research and Writing.
Professor: Ms. Sabrina Vargas-Ortiz
November 15, 2015

What Does It Mean to be Educated, and Who Decides? Entering a Conversation about
Education.
Education has changed throughout the years, some say for the best and some would say
todays education systems is flawed and has lost its main core. Many question the credibility of
the education being taught in colleges and universities but the reality is: What does it mean to be
educated? And who decides? Education shouldnt be measured by the opinion of others nor by
the school we attend. An educated individual is anyone whos driven to pursue a higher level of
education and challenge his or herself to think outside the box. In order for our education system
to strive, it must remove itself from the cookie cutter style of teaching and start challenging
itself and the students to build a two-way relationship between student and teacher.
Paulo Freire author of The Banking Concept of Education analyzes how education has
become less and less interesting and more about checking the block. In his piece extracted from
Predagogy of the Oppressed he states, The student records, memorizes and repeats these
phrases without perceiving (Freire, para., 3) This is a true statement as to how students have
been structured to listen and not question, to take notes and move on to the next subject as soon
as possible. Narration (with the teacher as narrator) leads the student to memorize mechanically
the narrated content. Worse yet, it turns them into containers, into receptacles to be filled by
the teacher. (Freire, para., 4) This is what Paulo Freire has pointed out throughout his work,

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focusing on how there is a lack of interest from student to teacher and vise versa. The teacher no
longer engages in discussion with the student and the student no longer challenges his or herself
to question the material being taught and instead both of them just go through the motions. Freire
makes it clear of how education has become repetitive and how in a way has prevented the
student and teacher from performing at their full potential.
Similar points can be explored on Mark Edmundsons On the uses of a liberal education:
as a lite entertainment for bored college students. Edmundson, just like Freire tackles the
problems in todays education system. While Freire focused more on the teacher-student
relationship, Edmundson covered similar territory but in a more critical way. Mark Edmundson
focused on the overall aspect of why the student has become more of a customer to universities
and not a student. Freire and Edmundson paint a clear picture of how we the students dive
headfirst, focusing more on the appearance than on the quality of education. Edmundson
describes how much has changed, he shares his personal experience by saying The college
catalogues I received, by my request only, in the late Sixties were austere affairs full of
professors credentials and course descriptions; it was clear on whose terms the enterprise was
going to unfold.) (Edmundson, para., 27)
It is easy to assume that both authors expressed their frustration with the turn our
education system has taken. Many would argue that we are on the 21st century and we must adapt
to the overall change in the education system but I would have to disagree. There is a lot of work
to be done in order to re-group the main purpose of education. Both authors do an amazing job at
providing substantial information on the lack of interest from students and teachers and they
touch up on how we must open our eyes and start paying attention to the main reason behind our
education. Friere and Edmundson give recommendations on the changes majority of the

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universities should make, but is up to the teacher and the student to try and stablish a stronger
relationship in the classroom by challenging each other and getting the most out of their course
together. Edmundson closes his case by stating, Ultimately it is up to individuals -- and
individual students in particularto make their own way against the current sludgy tide.
(Edmundson, para., 59) Perhaps this can serve as a wakeup call for both teacher and student to
stand against the new norm and go back to the basics and focus on what really matters. It all
starts in the classroom with the teacher and the student interacting and helping each other out,
not just going through the motions and instead making every aspect of education count.

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Works Cited
Edmundson, M. (1997, September 1) On the uses of a liberal education: as lite entertainment
for bored college students.
Retrieved from Harper's Magazine: http://www.ljhammond.com/essay.htm

Friere, Paulo. "The Banking Concept of Education." Pedagogy of the Oppressed. Trans.
Myra. Bergman Ramos. New York: Continuum, 1993. Print.