Hidden Intellectualism by Gerald Graff
The intelligence we gain from taking notes and studying in class differs significantly from the intelligence we receive from real world experiences. In the short excerpt “Hidden Intellectualism” by Gerald Graff, Graff discusses how there is a gap between being street smart and being book smart; he adds in that colleges and schools have a difficult time connecting these two different layers of intellect, making it harder for kids in school if they are street smart. Being considered street smart in high school made my learning experience more difficult because I was constantly seen as less intellectual because I wasn’t book smart.
As I make my way through college, I hope to use my street smarts and utilize them into making me more book smart, so I can be a more well-rounded student. Being street smart will help you make real world decisions and solving problems easier while being book smart will help me get a better education and a job. The distinction between book smart and street smarts is important because it can allow for schools to help out students who aren’t book smart, and help give advice to the people who aren’t street smart.
When we describe someone as smart, we often are associating them with being book smart as opposed to being street smart. The distinction between street smart and book smart does exist in our society because not everyone is the same, meaning people are going to have a higher or lower intellect than others whether it be that you study more than others or you can solve a problem easier. This distinction should never be overlooked or considered negative, instead used to help people.
Schools should utilize this difference and use it to help students. For example, if the school notices a student is more intellectual in the real world instead of their book studies, they can use their strengths from their street smart intelligence to help them be more book smart. Even though we should help street smart people become more book smart, we should also allow for book smart people to open up and experience more real world experiences and become more street smart. Some students are naturally book smart and can thrive in school but at the same time have trouble dealing with real world situations.
This is also an example of how we can utilize the difference between book smart and street smart to help students. Schools should identify when a student is struggling with real world problems and help them through it, so they can become more street smart. For example, when I was in high school, a book smart girl was in my health class and she struggled with basic CPR concepts. She had a hard time grasping the real life situation as other kids could easily understand it. She was never considered dumb, but she just had a lack in street smarts. My teacher identified her struggled and continued to help her understand the concepts until she understood it completely. This is a great way that schools can use this distinction to help students thrive.
In conclusion, the distinction between being book smart and being street smart is important because we can focus on student’s strengths and weaknesses in each category and help them thrive further in school.
