Summary of Hidden IntellectualismBrandon Lamp
English 102 Response Essay February 3rd 2016 Summary of Hidden Intellectualism Do the subjects being taught in schools tap into the true intelligence of all students? Some students that are extremely street smart are not as skilled in the subjects taught in schools. The article “Hidden Intellectualism” by Gerald Graff discusses the issue concerning teaching kids subjects that they will enjoy while still making them smarter rather than teaching them information that they won’t take interest to. Graff is surely right about the fact that students need to learn in using subjects that interest them, saying kids with “street smarts” have just as much potential as academically inclined students, and that many students can write better argumentative papers over the topics they understand to a better degree. Most people would agree that Graff is correct when saying that students need to learn using subjects that they show interest in rather than the topics that teaches force upon them. Graff uses the example of himself when he is younger in school to show how topics that interest him made it easier to be a critical thinker towards those subjects. Graff says, “I was practicing being intellectual before I knew that was what i wanted to be” (Graff 383) when describing that debates over such things as deciding who the “toughest” boys were in his friend group. He refers to the how the sports magazines pulled most kids attention more than the works that they were handed by teachers. Graff is arguing that if the students were allowed to write the argumentative papers over things more enjoyable to them, then they would be learning at a faster rate. Graff believes that “street smart” kids can develop ideas just as well as the academically inclined students when writing. Graff says, “Schools and colleges might be at fault for missing the opportunity to tap into such street smarts and channel them into good academic work” (Graff 380). When graff says that schools are at fault he is referring to the fact that most schools refer to street smarts as anti-intellectualism. Schools believe that the educational mind must be taught on a narrow path, while Graff believes they could be taught using whatever subject entertains the students while still teaching them. Graff thinks throwing such heavy subjects at students such as Shakespeare, Plato, and the French Revolution will teach the students everything they need to know rather than teaching them about cars, sports, fashion, and so on. Graff states that it would be easier for students to write papers using topics that they enjoy while still learning the main components of writing well throughout his entire article. Graff states, “Whereas schoolwork isolated you from others, the pennant race or Ted Williams .400 batting average were something you could talk about with people you had never met”(Graff 384). When he states this quote he is describing how easy it is for the young people in society today to engage in discussions over the topics that they find interesting. If the students can have an entire debate over a sports team with reasons to back up their argument then why not allow them to write their papers over it and emphasize the the structure of their papers. In conclusion, Graff believes that students should learn by using interesting topics, he also believes that “street smart’ children are capable of writing great papers, and that all students are capable of writing argumentative type papers if they truly understand the topics. He uses many examples of topics that could interest students while still teaching them. Colleges and schools could accomplish much more by teaching students to think the same way they do about genres that interest them as the topics they are given at higher ranking classes. The article “Hidden Intellectualism” by Gerald Graff is a solid article giving many examples to show that many kids can achieve academic excellence through different ways of writing. Works Cited Graff, Gerald. "Hidden Intellectualism." They Say I Say With Readings. By Gerald Graff and Cathy Birkenstein. Ed. Russel Durst. 2E ed. New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 2012. 380-386. Print. |
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