Christina Oswald

Professor Sotirakopulos

Honors English 1102

8 February 2018

Hidden Potential of Struggling Students

The stakes are high in academia. The constant barrage of assessments and standardized

tests forcibly groups students into categories measured by their academic intellect. You either

succeed or fail based on how well you do. No student hopes to fall into the category of failure,

yet many students find themselves unable to achieve success in academia. Is it because these

students are stupid? Or is it just because they are gifted in other areas besides academic

education? This concept of intellect hidden behind the mess known as academia is explored by

Gerald Graff in his work, “Hidden Intellectualism.” In this excerpt, Graff explains how

intellectualism can be found in many areas other than the world of academics. Graff’s main

example consisted of sports fans that measure their intelligence with knowledge about sports

statistics and other sports related material. Graff argued that although sports fans may not be the

most studious people, they bear a form of intellectualism.

Joshua Katz, a high school algebra teacher, also argues in his TEDx Talk, “Toxic Culture

of Education,” that intellectualism should not be measured solely on a student’s performance in

school. Katz expresses his disagreement towards the setup of academia by comparing struggling

students to a fish being forced to climb a tree. The fish would struggle trying to climb a tree but

would excel in swimming. The student would struggle trying to comprehend physics but would

excel in other areas, such as art, music, or sports. In other words, Katz believes that students

should not label themselves as a failure if they find certain classes difficult because they most
likely will prosper in another subject. Similarly to Graff, Katz believes that measuring a student’s

level of intellect solely through tests and standardized tests is a disservice to the student. Rather

than homing in on the student’s capabilities, the student is marked as unintellectual. When a

student believes they are a failure, they are less likely to desire further academic achievement.

While reading Graff’s article and listening to Katz’s TEDx Talk, the word “passion”

continued to pass through my thoughts. Both seem to believe that school is not entirely harmful

to students; however, by failing to inspire individuals to find a passion in their studies, students

are less likely to succeed in school. Graff summarized it best by saying that “schools and

colleges are missing an opportunity when they do not encourage students to take their

nonacademic interests as objects of academic study” (270). A student who fails in one subject

has the potential to succeed in another subject that they have a passion for. I agree with this

concept and Graff’s claim. I think that intellectualism should not be measured by grades or

standardized test scores, but instead on the overall academic potential of a student.

A student’s intellect is often hidden behind labels of stupidity and failure due to their

struggles in an academic environment. Rather than deeming these students as unintelligent,

schools should instead opt for a way to show students their full potential as human beings. Not

all people are book smart. Not all people are street smart. However, both types of people are

intelligent, and it is time for both types of people to be considered successful.

 Works Cited

Katz, Joshua. “Toxic Culture of Education: Joshua Katz at TEDxUniversityofAkron.” YouTube,

uploaded by TEDx Talks, 2 May 2014, www.youtube.com/watch?v=BnC6IABJXOI

Gerald, Graff. “Hidden Intellectualism.” They Say/I Say, edited by Gerald Graff, et al., W.W.

Norton & Company, 2017, pp. 264-270.