Smart people were once ridiculed for being smart. For thinking about what was deemed not to be thought about, such as why he was king and not this genius free thinker who could save England. In one of Miranda's blog posts on the book Feed by M.T. Anderson, brings up what really makes people smart.
Miranda says that memorizing a bunch of facts does not necessarily make some one smart. Having tons of information stuck in your brain, which can be accessed at any time like a search engine (I.E. Google for those that don't know). She claims that this does not make a person an intellectual genius, simply someone who has a search engine in their brain and can use it whenever. So true.
This made me think about 51, and how we are graded 4 times a year. Each time we are handed our report cards, we all quiver in fear over whether or not we will get a good grade. Soon we glance at those faithful pieces of paper and either sigh with relief, or cry to our friends. Sooner or later, we all share our grades. This is the time when we are put in our place. This is when we are deemed smart, or dumb. But why?
Just because some people are better at memorizing mathematical formulas, or science regents questions, does this make them better then those who have wonderful ideas swimming in their heads and just do not do well on tests? This is exactly the truth, and everyone knows it. That in our middle school community, we are judged by our test grades, and I do not think that it is right to do so. Some do, and those are their views, not mine.
Miranda, thank you for inspiring my short, unnoticed rant on smarts. You have true intellect to think like this.
http://cottoncandymush.blogspot.com/2011/02/google-in-your-brain.html
I liked how you brought your own experiences in this response to Miranda's blog. And I completely agree with your last paragraph and we shouldn't be judged on our grades. I think you could have maybe expanded on that paragraph though. I think it was too short and simple.
ReplyDeleteReally great! I think this is one of the most insightful and well written posts about Google in your Brain. Though I may be slightly biased because you call me a genius :). Seriously though, I totally agree with what you said about report cards, people place way too much emphasis on them. There are reasons that people think we should be judged by our grades. I can't tell you what they are for sure since I am not those people, but I think it partly has to do with competition. At the age we are at the only concrete thing we can use to compare ourselves are our grades. They are a way for people to make themselves feel superior. Not that grades don't matter or a hard earned good grade isn't worth celebrating because they are, but there are other levels to intelligence. I would also like to say that your rants did not go unnoticed.
ReplyDelete