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Rachel Michieli
Prof. Evan Farr
FRINQ 2071 Portland
8 October 2014
The Importance Of Education
The most obvious want for an education comes in the form of a good job and a steady
future. In the readings of Cronon, the want for an education comes in the form of freedom
stating; It aspires to nurture the growth of human talent in the service of human
freedom.(Cronon 1) While in the readings of Freire he takes a more aggressive stance, and
compares education to the uprising of the oppressed stating, for the role of student among
students would be to undermine the power of oppression and serve the cause of liberation.
(Freire 62) Given their backgrounds, one could find suitable arguments to support both sides, but
why not pick and choose and use our own education and abilities as freethinkers to choose both,
and create our own definition of what a college education truly means?
Coming from a devoted Roman Catholic family as I do, I have been taught to not only be
an example in the world for others to see, but to be my greatest self and seek wisdom in its truest
forms. Yes, I do wish to become as successful as I can in whatever career path I choose, but
overall I strive to be my greatest self. Cronons words of human growth and freedom ring true for
my desire to obtain a higher education in the sense, that I wish to educate myself and be as wise
as possible so in turn I can be as free as possible. When speaking of freedom, I do not take the
word for what its called in its physical form; moreover I choose to think of this freedom in a
spiritual sense. To have an education and all the freedoms that come with it, means that I am free

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to think, act, and do as I wish within the confines of societal law. Education means having the
access and ability to choose whichever path I choose to take in life as well as be an active
member of society, and make decisions that better the world with knowledge of knowing the
difference between good and evil. I most closely associated myself with Cronons ideals of a
liberally educated man, in which I believe that one must flirt with many different subjects and
topics in order to know what it is they truly want out of life and to make and impact on situations
that pertain to them. Furthermore, one must have a voice and the ability to obtain the most
knowledge they can in matters that concern the general population.
Cronon states that a liberally educated man must be somewhat familiar with all things he
or she may find in their respective walks of life and his or her surroundings. While reading his
article I came across a particular point that spoke to me, it stated, They are moved by what they
see in a great art museum and what they hear in a concert hall. They recognize extraordinary
athletic achievements; they are engaged by classic and contemporary works of theater and
cinema (Cronon 3) Growing up I was taught to appreciate every great work of art; whether that
be Michelangelos Sistine Chapel, Princes ability to play the guitar, John Elways athleticism, or
the scores for plays such as The Sound of Music and Les Miserables. I find relevance in my life
to this quote and to how it has helped me connect to many different people on many different
levels. My mother thought it very important for my five siblings and I to be well rounded and be
given as many opportunities as possible to experience our own likes and dislikes as well as to see
the beauty in everything.
My younger brother, Zachary, and I are the middle children in a lineup of six; we have an
unyielding bond over our love for soccer, classical music, and other such oddities of todays

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society. He can recite every song to Les Miserables as well as has a great ability to put the
images he sees in his mind on paper. However, we do differ quite a bit in the way in which we
learn. Referring to education, Zachary is very much everything Freire opposed to. He is a logical
thinker, loving math, chemistry, and lectures, whereas his literature and writing classes bore him
to endless doodles of nonsense within his notebooks. In regards to the Banking Method, Freire
states that, The more students work at sorting the deposits entrusted to them, the less they
develop the critical consciousness which would result from their intervention in the world as
transformers of that world. (Freire 60) Due to Freires past, I feel as if he has become opposed
and anarchical towards any form of hierarchical power, though most of his thoughts on education
are true on some level, I feel he lacks a disconnect when speaking to the overall population.
Zachary relates to the Banking method as a result of how his brain is wired. The Banking
method, in my eyes, is a necessity and the kick-start to being a successful student within the
Problem-Posing Method; they have a symbiotic relationship with each one needing the other to
the same degree.
People are not all the same mentally; they all have different thoughts and ways of
thinking, so why shouldnt they all have different ways of learning as well. I believe that it takes
all kinds, following the quote to each their own(Suum Cuique), there are a surfeit of paths
down which one could take in obtaining their education. Choosing one does not denote the other;
it simply means that they learn separately from the others. Thats ultimately what obtaining a
college education means, choice, to have a choice in how you learn and how you wish to live out
your path. Upon reading both sides of what the value of a college education means, I believe that
fundamentally, it is up to the individual to take what theyve been given and progress toward
their greatest selves.

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