According to Friere, the “banking” concept of education is when the student only knows how to retrieve, file, and store away certain information given to them. Students only know how to memorize the information given to them, but don’t actually take the time to understand the material provided. Thus, by “banking”, Friere means to take and put away, just like you would do at a bank with your money. No further process needed. In the system of education, teachers assume the position of the all knowing, while considering others to know nothing. This highly disempowers the students by minimizing their “creative power” and taking their ability to solve problems on their own. With this, ignorance is projected onto others, causing the problem of oppression. These oppressors don’t want to see the world transformed with new ideas nor do they want to show the true nature of the world we live in. Friere states a list of rules in which the banking model incorporates. Some of these “rules” are that the teacher knows everything and the student knows nothing. Or the teacher chooses and enforces his choice, and the students comply. If this doesn’t scream oppression, then what does? Students are not being taught material needed for the real world, but rather useless information is stored into their brains that will be forgotten later. It is a means to an end.

Throughout my years of schooling, I had many teachers who were perfect examples of the banking model in modern education. There were teachers who had absolutely no interest in the topics of which they were teaching, and yet criticized the students for not doing well on assignments. How can students learn properly if the teachers themselves don’t want to be there? I have also had classes in which I had to learn the information given just for the sake of memorizing. It was a constant cycle of memorization without actual understanding. This was due to the need of passing examinations and getting good grades to please my parents. I barely even remember what I learned in my Pre-Calculus math class in high school, or my physics class. I even remember saying once, that after I took the exam, left the room, and then automatically forgot everything that I learned. When students are expected to know nothing in a subject, it becomes frusturating to only hear the words of the teacher and absolutely no input from the rest of the class. Ideas should be shared so that minds could be opened. However, an upside to the banking model would be that as we grow older, we start to question. As years go by, our ability to question the world around us arises, and we become more knowledgable than ever before. This allows new and innovative ideas to form along with new ways in solving different problens with different approaches. Also, the banking model allows for information provided to us that we didn’t even know existed or needed.

It’s quite fascinating that throughout the centuries, art has been a constant factor in bringing societies together. What do I mean when I say “art”? Art can be anything that allows the individual to completely express themselves without judgement or labels. This can include music, painting, drawing, or even singing. It doesn’t have to be anything in the sense of physicality, but rather something that moves the being from within. Ironically, the best art has come from the ones who were deemed as outcasts or mentally unstable. Take for example Vincent van Gogh.

He was an artist who cut his own ear off to give to a woman, and then in his later years, committed suicide. Even though, van Gogh went quite mad, he still created some of the best paintings known to man. Other terms that artists are familiar with being called are “outgoing” or “different.” These “outgoing” artists give the rest of society the opportunity and freedom to be themselves. Alot of people are fearful to be themselves due to certain labels society has created. With these labels, a once beautiful soul in someone can be pushed back into the dark, whilst manifesting a mask just to please current society. With the use of art, not only can it be therapy, but it can save lives as well. During times of hardship, the best stress reliever is the one where you can let it all out.

When I see or hear art, my hopes is to understand it and be able to communicate it. Much of art today, is abstract and has veered away from its fundamentals. Of course art is in the eye of the beholder, but to me a squiggly line on a canvas cannot be classified as art. When creating something beautiful, there has to be a story behind the chaos, no matter how vague. To me, art is something that connects people of all races, ethnicities, and cultures, resulting in a society brought together without prejudice. In 2018, that’s a difficult goal to achieve, but with time and effort it can be accomplished.

In my life, I have experienced art in its many forms. From the simplicity and swiftness of playing a sport to the technicalities of a high school choir. You might find it odd to consider playing a sport as art, but in the end it comes down to patterns, rythm, and dedication. In my childhood years, I used to play tennis. For eight years of my life, I trained three times a week for an hour a day. My trainer taught me to recognize the pattern of my opponents playing style and the rythm that I feel when hitting the ball. It was only recently that I knew I took it all for granted. I quit playing my freshman year of high school and didn’t think to look back, until recently. During my high school years, I joined a choir in school. We sang different kinds of musical pieces, from classical to modern, to appeal to everyone’s taste. Our main goal was to move the individual and show them that the classics have not yet faded from our generation. In Art1010, I am hoping to learn the affect art has had on generations before mine and what it meant to various cultures and societies. I want my mind to be opened to great possibilities, all drawn from the same root, which is art.

  Gustov Klimt’s “The Kiss”