The document discusses the compatibility of intellectualism and education. It argues that the current school grading system limits students' intellectual growth by narrowing their minds. A professor named Gerald Graff proposes assigning interesting magazines to students to get them reading and engaging in debates as a way to develop useful skills and motivate them for more challenging literature later on. However, others disagree, arguing that magazines use simple vocabulary and that exposing children to real-world competition could harm their self-expression. While grades may not reflect intelligence, "book smart" students work hard to satisfy their intellectual thirst through academic success. Overall, the school system faces challenges in balancing education and intellectualism but teachers are working to assess problems and improve the system.

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Emma Szabo
Professor Mrs. Weiss
October/24/2016
Intellectualism and Education are Compatible
People in today’s society have been living in a system where students are incapable to
reach their potential due to a constricted grading method, which narrows their mind. This issue is
the verifying reason why so many intellectually mature teenagers do feebly in school. As
claimed by a highly revered professor, Gerald Graft, there is an effective solution for altering
beneficially the academic program. Mr. Graft accentuates the feasibility of integrating
shrewdness with the academic work in his essay, “Hidden Intellectualism. “
Schools and colleges are being accused of being unable to induce students to gain higher
grades. Instructional results have been exacerbating since the world stepped into the 21st
century. Children and teenagers are losing their motivation to perform properly in school or
being encouraged by other activities which deprives them from the precious time to study. Either
way, the school system provides a futile role to tempt students into academic work and to guide
the youth into the prominence of proper education. Society cannot perpetually blame school in a
desperate circumstance. Unfortunately, this generation has reached the point where people are
prone to devaluate the significance of reading real literature. Magazines, journals, and gossip
papers are effortlessly taking over the shelves in book stores. Moreover, for some of today’s
teenagers it would be challenging to comprehend literature due to the deficit of a sophisticated
vocabulary. It is a thwarting obstacle to understand a passage or an old wise fellow without
knowing the meaning of the words.

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As reported by Gerald Graft, teachers should first assign interesting magazines for
students because if they start to read they could enter debates and gain useful skills in how to
argue or express their own opinions, additionally, it would be a proper initiative in the pursuit to
later assign plays from Shakespeare (268). Many people would contradict this recommendation
since magazines are using a prevailingly basic level of vocabulary and many times inappropriate
English. Although to encourage the youth into reading maybe it would be effective, but it should
be accomplished before they go to high school. Another reason why giving intersecting
magazines to youth is a mistake because after they would reject valuable literature and dismiss
the comprehension of how poets and writers have changed, affected and influenced the world.
Graft insists that the real intellectual world exist in the world, beyond school. To refute
the professor’s opinion many times, adequate teachers are able to manifest rival interpretations,
evaluations of texts, and helpful arguments where students could acquire critical thinking skills
to defend their statement. Another verifying reason why Mr. Graft is wrong is because when a
child is exposed to the competition which, occurs in the world, he/she could suffer due to the
disparages or condescending rebuffs from reckless adults who assume that they are arguing with
spiritually mature individuals. This could cause irredeemable impediments in the child’s self-
expression.
One of the author’s premises states the following: “I believe that street smarts bear out
book smarts in our culture not because street smarts are nonintellectual, as we generally suppose,
but because they satisfy an intellectual thirst more toughly than school culture, which seems pale
and unreal” (Graff 268). It is veritable since grades do not evaluate children’s intelligence, it is
not a measurement. On the other hand, it is a clearly fallacious assumption because “book smart”

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students are earning the highest grades and work hard for them in the pursuit to ease their thirst
for intellectualism.
Evidently individuals who are performing better in school than in actual life or vice versa
are both eager to satisfy their exuberant desire to succeed. Considering the issues the school
systems are facing is the incompetence to implement a system where education and
intellectualism are equally compatible. Although it is changeable with proper evaluation and
persistence to assess the problem and come up with an efficient solution; clearly teachers are
consistently working on it, which is an auspicious start in the pursuit in accomplishing the goal.

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Works Cited
Graff, Gerald. “Hidden Intellectualism.” They Say/I Say, edited by Gerald Graff, Cathy
Birkenstein, and Russel Dust, Norton, W. W. & Company, 2015, pp 264-270.