Summary Of Hidden Intellectualism By Gerald Graff

Knowledge does not reach its fullest power without the necessary skillset to effectively communicate it. In “Hidden Intellectualism,” Gerald Graff reflects on his unconventional journey of acquiring intellect to provide a new perspective on education. Upon later reflection of his conflicting adolescence, he realizes that with proper guidance and motivating topics in school, more individuals would not only be recognized for their intellect but would become familiar with it within themselves. Similar to Graff’s view, when I think about people I have identified as intellectuals, it was not in a school setting that I formed these opinions. In my experience, the true test of intellectualism is not found within education systems but rather the application

It was not until later in life that Graff realized his personal interests outside of school are what caused him to gain intellect and ultimately write about this topic. He hated books assigned in school, but he loved to read and discuss sports. The Chicago neighbourhood where he grew up had an obvious separation between upper and lower classes; even though Graff was among the ‘clean cut’ kids, he frequently interacted with the ‘hoods’ (Graff, 2003). Graff (2003) claims that if you were not able to fight well, it was important not to show literacy as this would put a target on your back. Partially for this reason, as well as his lack of academic interest, Graff discovered his identity through sports. At the time it was fun, but now he sees that it was where “[he] realized what it felt like to propose a generalization, restate and respond to a counterargument, and perform other intellectualizing operations” (Graff, 2013, p.248). Although in school his intelligence was not recognizable, interacting socially and sports strategizing prepared him for life outside of school. His understanding of the conflicting classes in his neighbourhood and how to navigate them was a true test of intellect requiring skills not obtained behind a

Graff grew up believing that because he was not concerned about the traditional academic topics, he was not intellectual. In social situations, an individual’s self-esteem is significant in successfully communicating, but students that do not excel in school may fear being ridiculed around those who seem more educated. In reality, it was Graff’s street smarts that taught him the language of intellectualism and he believes that the first step to incorporating this into schools is the use of interesting topics. Graff quotes professor Ned Laff who believes the challenge in this approach “is not simply to exploit students’ non-academic interests, but to get them to see those interests through academic eyes” (Graff, 2013, p.250). If this perspective is successfully obtained, the second step in Graff’s proposal is to introduce the typical writing that challenges intellectualism. After the skills are established with interesting topics, the classic academic topics will no longer be as challenging or out of reach. Graff (2003) acknowledges that this second step will not be successful with every student, but at the least, the first step will build intellect. These intellectual skills can be applied in everyday situations that rarely appear in settings similar to classrooms. Being able to function in society is a continuous test. I would include a third step to this proposal and encourage schools