Freire’s Pedagogy of Liberation recognizes that the relationships between teaching and education are inherently political, primarily because its systems and structure are developed and executed by government institutions that are inextricably influenced by those in power. Instead of a traditional banking models of education that reinforce systems of oppression, Freire encouraged a Problem-posing style of dialogue in the classroom, and open question-and-answer interactions between teacher and student. Freire’s “critical pedagogy is meant to help students gain the tools needed to become active participants, influencers, and decision-makers in society (Malone).

Freire’s views on the connections between the educational system and a student’s position in their society can be directly associated with what would eventually become  known as social-epistemic theories in composition that emphasize that writing is always situated. A student’s writing is always a product of their relations, locations, and positions (Vandenberg et al.)

In acknowledging this we accept that, as Freire indicates, pedagogies can be (and have been) designed for and by those in power to benefit themselves all in the name of “objective truth.” It is then co-opted and capitalized upon. He concludes, “a rhetoric cannot escape the ideological question, and to ignore this is to fail our responsibilities as teachers and as citizens” (Freire).

Ultimately, Freire said that what education lacked is an acknowledgement of the humanity of students, an unwillingness for them to see and develop their own agency. An enlightened system of education is “the practice of freedom” and a belief by educators that their work “is not merely to share information, but to share in the intellectual and spiritual growth of our students. To teach in a manner that respects and cares for the souls of our students is essential if we are to provide the necessary conditions where learning can most deeply and intimately begin” (Freire).