Dehumanization in American Schools
Dehumanization is to oppress someone or a group to a point where they are no longer
being treated like humans; they are looked upon and see themselves as an object in society or
a small piece of the larger goal of the oppressor. Through the quality of teachers, the process
of tracking and pedagogy, American schools are dehumanizing and oppressing students. An
examination of Gangstas, Wankstas and Ridas by Jeff Duncan-Andrade, Pedagogy of the
Oppressed, by Paulo Frerie, and Keeping Track by Jeanne Oakes will prove that there is a
solution to this problem. It is possible to have an educational environment that is neither
oppressive nor dehumanizing, but encouraging and fulfilling.
The Banking Concept of Education is the main reason that the American education
system is dehumanizing the students. In Paulo Frerie’s Pedagogy of the Oppressed, he states,
“ In the banking concept of education, knowledge is a gift bestowed upon those whom they
consider to know nothing” (Frerie, 72). The teachers are expected to deposit knowledge into
the student’s “empty bank”. This model of education is oppressive and widens the gap
between students and teachers because it perpetuates the common misperception that teachers
know all and the students know nothing. Instead of the traditional definition of student and
teacher, we must adopt the Problem Posing model of education. Frerie states,
“Through dialogue, the teacher of the students and the students of the teacher cease to
exist and a new term emerges: teacher-students with student-teacher. The teacher is no longer
merely the-one-who-teaches, but one who is himself taught in dialogue with the students,
who in turn while being taught also teach” (Frerie, 80).
If teachers were able to learn from their students, it would benefit everyone. Teachers could
learn from another perspective and the students would have an opportunity to share their
knowledge and feel like they are valued instead of felling inferior, which leads to loss of
motivation and hopelessness.
During my sophomore year I lived in Norway for a semester and attended public
school. I got to experience a whole new culture and educational system. When I returned
from my study abroad trip, I was in class and my teacher began talking about Scandinavian
education and health care. A lot of the information he was telling us was incorrect, and I
knew first hand how the education and heath care systems worked. However, I was afraid to
speak up because of the banking concept of education. In America we are taught that it is
normal for the teacher to know everything and the students sit quietly and take in the
information. I felt that it would be disrespectful to speak up and inform the teacher that he
was incorrect. If our education system worked on the Problem-posing model of education, I
would have felt more comfortable speaking up and the whole class and the teacher would
have had a different and more accurate perspective on Scandinavian education and health
care. The banking concept of education is dehumanizing because it makes students feel like
they do not have a voice and that they are less valuable than the teacher.
According to Jeff Duncan-Andrade there are three types of teachers, Gangstas,
Wankstas and Ridas. Gangstas are the type of teachers we all hope we will never have, but
unfortunately we will at some point in our educational journey. They generally have a deep
resentment for the students, parents, school and community. The second type of teachers are
Wankstas. Duncan-Andrade states, “Wankstas are the result of a natural human instinct: selfprotection” (Duncan-Andrade, 622). These teachers fear getting to emotionally attached to
their students and tend to shut down when a student disrespects them. Ridas are the closest to
eliminating the Banking Concept of Education. These teachers are highly respected by their
students because, “They risk deep emotional involvement with the great majority of their
students… the depth of their relationships with students allows them to challenge students
and get notable effort and achievement” (Duncan-Andrade, 623). Ridas have the ability to
change a student’s outlook on education. This is rare in American schools, where many of the
teachers are disconnected from their students.
I have had many Wanksta teachers and a few Gangstas, however, I have only had
about three teachers I would consider Ridas. One of the Ridas really changed the way my
peers and I viewed education, by making us aware of oppression and dehumanization in
schools. She abolished the banking concept of education by only asking questions and having
the class lead the discussion. Instead of being tested on what we remembered from the
teachers lecture, we were sharing what we already knew from our experiences and learning
from each other. Having a class like this makes your school day a lot more interesting
because you know that your opinion and knowledge is valued. American schools need more
Ridas, there are too many selfish teachers who oppress and dehumanize their students for
their personal gain. Teachers want to feel like they have power in the classroom, so they treat
their students like stepping-stones to their own success.
Tracking in America is dehumanizing and scarring because it brands students with
either the label “intelligent” or “dumb”. In Scandinavia, specifically Finland, tracking is not a
common practice and it has been proven that, “…the gap between its highest and lowest test
scores is considerably smaller than in many countries, including the United States” (Oakes,
701). Jeanne Oakes explains in Keeping Track, that there are many alternatives to tracking
and many examples of countries that do not track that have successful results, however it still
persists in America. In Norway, students are separated by which foreign language they
choose to take. All students in one grade take the same general math, science, English and
Norwegian class. There are no Honors or AP classes and there are no specific levels of math
or science. This helps create equal opportunity for everyone and there is less competition
between the students.
The positive side of tracking is that you can pay more attention to students who need
help and give more challenging work to students who are advanced. However, the negatives
of tracking weigh much heavier than the positives. Oakes states, “Tracking’s negative
consequences, particularly for the students seen as “low”, persist as a result of deeply
entrenched tracking logic” (Oakes, 703). If a student is considered “lower” than the others
and they are aware of it, it can be scarring. It may lead to the students underperforming just
because they don’t believe in themselves and not because they are incapable of the work. If
the student’s peers are also aware of the students “status” it may cause social problems.
Students in the “higher” categories may have access to better teachers and harder curriculum,
while the other students don’t have the same opportunities. In some schools it is the other
way around, where the “lower” level students are given Rida teachers to try to engage them.
Either way, all students should have equal access to teachers and curriculum. Because of this,
students are being trapped in their category because they are not given the resources to grow.
There are many negative aspects to tracking and it is dehumanizing students by making them
feel like they have a specific value or putting them in a category that they don’t have the tools
to get out of.
I was tracked in elementary school and although I did not fully understand the system
at the time, I was aware at a very young age that I was in the “low” level classes. Tracking
has had an extremely negative impact on my education now and my confidence in school,
specifically in math and reading. I am still very uncomfortable reading aloud in class because
I had trouble reading as a child and I was in a low level reading groups called “Late birds”.
The term they used was a cover up to distinguished us from the more advanced students
called “Early birds”. When I was in third grade I did not think much of this, however as I got
older I realized I was put in a category and oppressed. I have always had trouble with math
and I used to get pulled out of class to go work on long division and multiplication with a
special ED teacher. My whole class knew she was the special ED teacher, so when she would
walk into the class and pull me out; it was no secret that I was not as advanced as my
classmates. This has scarred me and I still have trouble with math, to the point where I chose
not to even take a math class this year. Tracking is a large contributor in the dehumanization
of American students.
Through tracking, the banking concept of education and the quality of teachers,
American students are being dehumanized and oppressed. By tracking students, we are
taught to believe that we are in a category and feel that we do not have the resources to
change that. The banking concept of education is deepening the gap between teachers and
students, which is contributing to the dehumanization and oppression of students. The
American education system needs more Ridas because they abolish the banking concept of
education.