Graff Hidden Intellectualism Analysis
In my opinion, Graff makes one very strong statement in his essay, and also a lot of personal background to support his point. This main point is on hidden intellectualism itself, and what exactly it means to be intellectual. He argues that intellectualism can be found almost anywhere, and I strongly support his argument.
Graff’s argument is based around the ideas of two different types of smarts, book smarts and street smarts. Being a teacher himself, he sees the students as more of a street smart group, and that it is his duty to bring out the book smarts in each. I agree with that thought in some regards, and I also believe that a teacher is there not to pry the academic intellectualism out of a student, but to guide it. This argument …show more content…
Yes, college is a very important academic institution in one’s life, mainly helping to determine a career that one will pursue for a long time after school. But there is so much more to college than the schoolwork. In fact this is a topic that I have spoken about recently, at a showcase at my high school over break. My old computer science teacher hosted a showcase for his students about STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) careers featuring students in college or that have graduated from college, speaking about how college works along with classes and the STEM majors and careers. The main point I would try to convey to the students is to get involved with something right away, because if all you focus on is your schoolwork you are going to have a miserable time at college. However, using the hidden intellectualism of being social, you can make friends, join clubs, compete in sports, and things like that which can not only make you happier, but even help your academic studies. The art of being social can be quite difficult, and it truly is a form of hidden intellectualism, and you can clearly see who is good and who is not with it. And ironically enough in most scenarios the most book smart students are those who struggle most in social settings. Not that that holds true in all scenarios, but it is quite common. That right there
Graff’s argument is based around the ideas of two different types of smarts, book smarts and street smarts. Being a teacher himself, he sees the students as more of a street smart group, and that it is his duty to bring out the book smarts in each. I agree with that thought in some regards, and I also believe that a teacher is there not to pry the academic intellectualism out of a student, but to guide it. This argument …show more content…
Yes, college is a very important academic institution in one’s life, mainly helping to determine a career that one will pursue for a long time after school. But there is so much more to college than the schoolwork. In fact this is a topic that I have spoken about recently, at a showcase at my high school over break. My old computer science teacher hosted a showcase for his students about STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) careers featuring students in college or that have graduated from college, speaking about how college works along with classes and the STEM majors and careers. The main point I would try to convey to the students is to get involved with something right away, because if all you focus on is your schoolwork you are going to have a miserable time at college. However, using the hidden intellectualism of being social, you can make friends, join clubs, compete in sports, and things like that which can not only make you happier, but even help your academic studies. The art of being social can be quite difficult, and it truly is a form of hidden intellectualism, and you can clearly see who is good and who is not with it. And ironically enough in most scenarios the most book smart students are those who struggle most in social settings. Not that that holds true in all scenarios, but it is quite common. That right there