Deceptive Complexity

Deceptive Complexity
When Amish teens turn sixteen, they are released from the confines of an oppressively simple way of life and thrust into modern society, the “English world.” For the first time in their lives, Amish teens are able to do as they like, without the approval of their parents. In his essay “The ‘Banking’ Concept of Education,” Paulo Freire addresses an educational system of oppressing students. Freire exposes the methods of a system of education where students act as a vessel for knowledge. Upon first glance, it would appear that the restrictive Amish way of life conforms perfectly to Freire’s banking concept of education. But a deeper look reveals a surprising amount of complexity from a society that seeks a simple life.
The Amish church was founded on the belief that a person should have the option of joining the church they were brought up in. Before a teen is allowed to decide whether to join the Amish church, they must first experience the alt...