Gerald Graff's Hidden Intellectualism

Graff says street smarts offer more life skills than the education provided in school. In other words, you can be smart without being highly educated because knowledge goes beyond academics. He grew up thinking he was anti-intellectual because his writing skills were not great about the topics he’s expected to write in school. Graff describes how sports helped him excel in academics and discover his hidden intellectualism. He believes ‘’Making students’ nonacademic interests of an object study is useful, the, for getting students’ attention and overcoming their boredom and alienation, but this tactic won’t in itself necessarily move them close to an rigorous treatment of those interests.’’

Levine claims that these children are looking up to gang members and drug dealers as a way of life, knowing that their are no educational requirements to fulfill these positions (20). These poor students are simply seeing school as a must do for the time being, and not seeing the the value of the education they could be receiving if they had a better role model to look up to. Similarly, Graff asserts that students are not connecting with Shakespeare or the French Revolution, these students do not value the information because it does not pertain to them; However, sports, fashion or dating interests these students and have values to them (245). Schools and colleges are not connecting the dots.

Intellect is a power that leads us to express our smartness. In the essay “Hidden Intelligence” by Gerald Graff he argues that the intellectual world is “much like the world of team sports, with rival interpretations … rival theories… and elaborate team competitions”. He attests from his own experience that intellect does not only exist in the scholarly form of thinking which is known as academic smart, knowledge can also take the form of street smart. He also demonstrates that there are some students are not academically good at school

If all the students are worried about is getting good grades to get those scholarships, then they are in school for the wrong reason. I believe that the point of going to school is to learn material not to take the easy route to satisfy yourself by getting good grades. I would rather fail something and learn from it, than pass with flying colors and not learn anything at all just because I wanted the money. Yes there is more of a reward for getting good grades rather than learning the material but what are you really getting out of it if you are not learning anything. Rags to riches, which means you might be the rag and at the bottom while you are in school, but if you learn something in school and work hard you while eventually be on the rich side of things.

The reading "Hidden Intellectualism" by Gerald Graff reflects views on being "street smart" and "book smart." He explains that society tends to associate people who are intelligent on solely being "book smart" and performing well in academics, rather than being street smart. He goes on to further explain that students perhaps can be intelligent on topics that interest them. Graff opens up the reading by giving his own personal experience on feeling torn between trying to prove that he was smart yet fearing that he was overdoing it. He was trying to prove that he learned just as much about the real world by reading his sports books and magazines as he would have if he had read the classic works of literature like most students in school.

In both Anthem and Fahrenheit 451 it is considered a sin to be too curious or too knowledgeable. In Anthem Equality 7-2521 is punished by his teachers for being too smart and for being curious about the things that he learns in his classes. He is even punished for being quicker at learning than the other students and for asking questions in class. Equality 7-2521 wishes he was not the way he was and wants to be more like some of his classmates who are not as smart and curious as he is.

This means that the games for children need to focus more on their pleasure and enjoyment rather than on the competition. Competition only makes children bound to be winners. It also discourages sportsman spirit. Instead of being a source of healthy growth, these competitive sports have started becoming the source of depression for children when they don’t fulfil the expectations of their parents. These sports should enhance the sportsman spirit in children and must be beneficial for their mental and physical health.

The diversity of student backgrounds, abilities and learning styles makes each person unique in the way he or she reacts to information. The intersection of diverse student backgrounds and active learning needs a comfortable, positive environment in which to take root. Dr. King continues by explaining, “Education which stops with efficiency may prove the greatest menace to society. The most dangerous criminal may be the man gifted with reason, but with no morals.” From back then to today’s society, kids are failing because they lack those morals that they need to succeed.

Graff feels that teachers should base some of their lesson on what students have a connection so they can be more focus because they are interested and not bored. He talks about how if schools and colleges will connect with the kids that are "Street Smart" they won't do a poor job in school they will do fairly better if they were more intact with the topic itself. Graff explains to us his growing up in the "hood" you were more respected for being street smart then you was for being book smart. It took a discussion about toughness for him to notice how intellectual he was, but he as just different from others , it wasn't about everything it was just about things he had a strong interest in. He noticed from how he us to have serious verbal altercations about sports and how he acknowledge the difference in players through

But when their age group entered a higher level of competition, he approached me to tell me that he was quitting because he felt that he could not perform at the level that were going into. He told me that he was having a hard time catching up with the physical demands of this new level of play and that he was quitting because its too hard. As a coach, I asked him: when your studies get harder, do you stop going to school? Quitting is not the solution when faced with a problem; especially one that you have direct influence

Other problem with this side of the debate is it believes participation trophies will not push the young athletes to become better, but the truth is the contrary of that belief, the truth is the trophies will cause kids to become better. As children see everyone is receiving the same treatment, they will desire to push kids to push further in the game, so they will be able to receive more awards for their efforts. Another flaw in the idea of not handing out participation trophies is kids will feel that they are not good at the sport causing them to quit,

They’re not taken seriously or listened to because they’re not academically educated. Street smarts is overlooked by teachers and undervalued by parents. Graff’s argument is that these street-smart kids are just as valuable as those who are academically gifted because within the “street-smarts” can be found “book-smarts”. There are different types of intelligence but they are not unequal in importance. I strongly agree with Graffs argument since I can relate on a personal level.

In the novel, Dr. Rios describes a concept He calls “dummy smart”. During his study he noted that there were multiple youth who were doing very well in school, but were labeled as being deviant and dumb by school officials. They purposely acted as if they were uninterested in school, but when called upon they always knew the answer, which shows they are more willing to gain respect from people of higher authority in a more negative way. As the novel progresses Dr. Rios goes on to explain how some of the youth wanted to change, but felt

Most teachers think students cheat because they don’t want to take the test but click on this website and read its called Stress, Anxiety Causes Us to Cheat by Natalie Shoemaker (Will be added at the bottom of my paper). Instead of holding are diploma against us the district or schools should just give bigger rewards to the passing students like prizes so that way it takes some of the pressure off. Another idea is maybe only make the kids who are failing take the test because as long as a student is passing there classes I don’t see why that alone isn’t proof enough that they understand the material. I know teachers use standardized testing to determine how much a student has learned and how to make learning other material more effective but if a student is turning in their

This notion is supported by Dr. Daniel Gould, who believes that “Children who participate in sports have increased educational aspirations, closer ties to school and increased occupational aspirations in youth” (1). People against the funding of high school sports think that parents and society are placing more emphasis than ever before and, “[P]ressures athletic personnel to deviate on winning from the athlete- centered educational and personal development mission” (Gould 1). However, athletes strive to do better in class. Michael Lorenc, a high school basketball coach believes that “those who seem to have an overwhelming schedule where they’re playing maybe multiple sports, and high academic schedules, they tend to do better than those who don’t do anything extracurricularly” (Gray). Balancing sports and school makes athletes put more effort into keeping up grades while playing the sport they love.