Book Smarts vs. Street Smarts - 1489 Words

Is One Better Than The Other? In 2006, when five hundred dropouts were interviewed, they gave many reasons for leaving school. Forty-seven percent, almost half of the students interviewed said that they left simply because they found their classes were not interesting. I think that a main problem in today’s school systems is that they are not connecting enough with the students and gaining their interest. Many students’ street smarts greatly surpass their book smarts. I believe that instructors can strengthen students’ book smarts by encouraging them to write, read, think, and learn about personal areas of interest. They can accomplish this by taking students on field trips so they actively experience what their learning in the class†¦show more content†¦X grew up as a smart child, however when he was in eight grade he dropped out of school. Years later he began committing petty crimes and began coordinating various narcotic, prostitution and gambling r ings. X was sentenced to seven years in prison after being arrested and convicted on burglary charges. It was there in prison that he taught himself how to read and write. X was â€Å"Immensely proud to realize that not only I had written so much at one time, but I’d written words that I never knew were in the world† (22). X moved on to be a successful man and fight for equality in the world. Malcolm X obviously had the street smarts, but like Graff he mixed his new book smarts with his street smarts to be successful in life. Both Malcolm X, and Gerald Graff make very interesting points about street and book smarts. I respect what Graff, and X have to say and agree with them, both book and street smarts are very important. I definitely believe that you must have both street and book smarts to be the most successful in life. I really like when Graff says, â€Å"Every â€Å"street smart† student has just as much potential as a â€Å"book smart† student, and knowledge does not just come through the classroom, but through everyday experiences.† So many times people think that if a person appears to have more street smarts than book smarts then they don’t have as much potential or aren’t as smart. They think that because book smarts aren’t taught, they aren’t as useful, or don’tShow MoreRelatedEssay about Street Smarts vs. Book Smarts in Academia1328 Words   |  6 Pagesto be labeled book smart or street smart? What about in the world of academics? Shou ld students be supported by schools and teachers to allow street smarts to be used in an academic environment? While some schools are likely to be against allowing students to use what they know to read, write, and think critically, many students and teachers, myself included, judge these techniques of teaching to be helpful to students. Every person has their own definition of what street smarts means to themRead MoreHidden Intellectualism. According To The Oxford English1090 Words   |  5 PagesDictionary, the term â€Å"street-smarts† is defined as â€Å"The experience and knowledge necessary to deal with the potential difficulties or dangers of life in an urban environment†. This term is often seen more negatively in the context of college acceptance and level of general intelligence. The idea of street smarts and book smarts is argued in terms of good and bad or good and bad judgment. Success has been determined in society as a well balance of both street smarts and book smarts. Intelligence, likeRead MoreEssay on Incorporating the Best of Both Worlds1371 Words   |  6 PagesWhen asked which is better, being street smart or book smart, which would you choose? You don’t really need to look them up in Urban Dictionary to know that a person with street smarts is one with strong common sense , one who knows what is going on in the world, and one who knows how to handle different situations. On the other hand, a person with book smarts is defined a one who excels in academia, but not when it comes to common sense or reality. In â€Å"Hidden Intellectualism,† by Gerald Graff, authorRead MoreEssay about to build a fire922 Words   |  4 Pages In the short story, â€Å"To Build a Fire† by Jack London shows how man vs. nature and how inexperienced traveler in the Yukon tries to travel alone with his dog, even though it’s advised not to. Yet he is stubborn and thinks he is right, and sets off for Henderson Creek to meet his friends. He faces many different conflicts of man verses man, and man verses nature. 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This military slang would soon be applied to the Tutsi people as a whole,† (Rusesabagina, 27). On the other hand, the genocide in Cambodia also used symbolization to classify the smart people around them and mak e it easier to show a sign of them.In this case, they wanted to kill the smart people and those associated with the westRead MoreAnalysis Of The Book The Book Thief 1403 Words   |  6 Pages1. Title- The Book Thief 2. Author- Markas Zusak 3. Date of Original Publication- March 14, 2006 4. Novel Type- Historical fiction STRUCTURE 1. Point of View- Death 2. Relationship to meaning: Deaths point of view is important because he tells you all of his experiences he has come across people dying. The bad part about death narrating the story, is that you cannot feel the characters emotions and feelings. 3. Plot Structure a. Exposition- Death introduces himself as the narrator. He also introducesRead MoreThe Lasting Effects Of Social Class On Our Education System Essay2148 Words   |  9 Pagespotential and become successful if they are not given the essentials to get there. We as humans are fundamentally conditioned to believe that you can either be street smart or you can be school smart, but you cannot be both. As a young adult I find this to be completely narrow-minded and inaccurate. Anyone can be both, street and school smart if they are taught the proper way that suits them. Every student is different with diverse interests, with that being said, why are schools still stuck in theRead MoreAre Bilinguals Smarter Than Monolinguals Essay833 Words   |  4 PagesQuarterly, 22(3), 277-293. doi: 10.1016/j.ecresq.2007.03.003 Goetz, P. J. (2003). The effects of bilingualism on theory of mind development. Bilingualism: Language and Cognition, 6(1), 1-15. doi: 10.1017/S1366728903001007 Hatt, B. (2007). Street Smarts vs. Book Smarts: The Figured World of Smartness in the Lives of Marginalized, Urban Youth. The Urban Review, 39(2), 145-166. doi: 10.1007/s11256-007-0047-9 Kaushanskaya, M., amp; Marian, V. (2007). Bilingual Language Processing and Interference in Bilinguals:Read MoreAfrican American Stereotypes. Paper1208 Words   |  5 Pageswear baggy pants, and have cornrows. Kool Aid , Chicken, and watermelon was also thought to be a specialty meal in their household. They were thought to live in the lower class neighbor hoods, have one parent, multiple siblings, be rather street smart versus book smart, involved in gangs. When a group of African American children were asked in a local Baltimore elementary school what they wanted to become when they grow up they had many common answers. Many boys wanted to be a professional basketball