Summary Of Hidden Intellectualism By Gerald Graff

Response to “Hidden Intellectualism” A teenage adolescent’s lifestyle can typically be categorized into two distinct, mutually exclusive modes: one inside and one outside of school. That’s at least what Gerald Graff presumes. In Gerald Graff’s “Hidden Intellectualism”, Graff argues that existing assumptions about being “street smart”, or having developed a versed background in dealing with situations of life outside of the school environment, has led to a misstep by schools in creating model students. He accomplishes this by offering a new perspective on how one can grow up to be street smart but still gain the skills to be an intellectual as well. Furthermore, he offers some of his solutions in hopes to alleviate the degrading relationship

Graff likens his expertise in the sports community with the school environment. Graff has observed that the community that exists in the sports world is full of competition which cultivates various kinds of motivated intellectual discussions, capturing the attention of those who are part of the culture. On the other hand, he notices that the school’s culture does not seem to develop the kind of intellectual discussion of making arguments but rather encourages “a show of information or vast reading, by grade-grubbing, or other forms of one-upmanship.” (249) Rather, the key to foster an environment filled with relevant intellectual discussions and improve one’s skill in forming arguments is, as Graff points out, by making the students’ “nonacademic interests an object of academic study”. (250) By doing so, it will induce constructive arguments to be the source of competition rather than something superficial such as

Students desire to stay up to par with their peers, whether that be socially or in this case, on the academic level. When one individual falls behind, there’s pressure on him or her to pick himself/herself up. At the same time, parents often stress the importance of the student’s grades along with the implications of the student’s future, such as entering a good college or landing a high-paying job. Moreover, the student’s own pride and personal aspirations are put on the line. Therefore, because society applies pressure on the student to perform well in school to admit himself/herself into a prestigious college or acquire a luxurious job, students reevaluate themselves and realize the way to reach that kind of success is not through arguing well but through “a show of information or vast reading, by grade-grubbing, or other forms of one-upmanship.” (249) As unfortunate as it may be, the changes required to accommodate all students, including the street smart adolescent, are much larger in scale than at first anticipated. Consequently, his attempt at fixing the problem may have had good intentions but is riddled with