Street smarts also known as practical knowledge or common sense is essential to orienting yourself in everyday situations, whether its getting around a new neighborhood. There is no doubt in my mind street smarts kicks book smarts ass. On this program we talk about words and expressions that we use in. Apr 18, 2011 street smarts over book smarts gerald graff is a professor of english and education in the university of illinois at chicago. The question is, who will be the one smart enough to put the facts to use when needed. Adventures on the road and in the markets book online at best prices in india on. Being street smart beats being book smart any day of the week. What is the difference between book smart and street smart. Characterized by their love of learning, book smart people are organized and prepared for any situation.
Graff debates the common belief that having book smarts gives one an intellectual advantage over other forms of intellectualism. Where a book smart person is a little sharper when it comes to the facts. First, there is a common misconception that most people only have one or the other, and if you have both you are going places in the world. Mark twain book smarts vs street smarts is as intense of a battle as the current presidential election. I respect what graff, and x have to say and agree with them, both book and street smarts are very important. Street smarts what a pane while staring out an airplane window last week, i marveled at the multiple thicknesses of acrylic that protected me from the low pressure and frigid temperatures less than a paperback book thickness away.
Getting along with others knowing which questions to ask and not asking too many,being polite and friendly, but also being assertive. Maybe for some people, dating is sort of an organic thing where you just dive into it and let it grow whereas studying for economics is something you go to the library, grab a book, and start reading. However, the underlying idea is that the person deals with situations especially bad or difficult situations from an intellectual d. May 23, 20 street smarts trump book smarts if you want to get seriously rich. Book smart vs street smart essay research paper example. Being street smart means that you understand common sense and simple things do not slip between that cracks. Both malcolm x, and gerald graff make very interesting points about street and book smarts. If youre looking for a free download links of street smarts pdf, epub, docx and torrent then this site is not for you. So, my fellow book smart people, bear in mind that haters gonna hate and graters gonna grate. October 18, 2014 introduction this paper will be discussing the debate on whether or not higher education in law enforcement officers should be mandatory and the effect it can have in the correctional facilities. They deal with daily issues and problems with pragmatic approach, they arent at all irrational. Often their solution is to further strengthen their book smarts as a way to compensate for their lack of street smarts. Street smarts, on the other hand, comes from acquiring knowledge through people and life experience. Resilience education and bridging the achievement gap.
It cant be denied that the books smarts are indeed smart. Aug 11, 2011 book smarts mean they can retain information that they read and learn. This person possesses a strong grasp of facts, information, and precedents like book smart people. Book smarts refer to the education, schooling and other kinds of knowledge that one has acquired. Jul 16, 2010 i may not have brain smarts but atleast i have street smarts. Those known as book smart or educated should not be ostracized for the. Book smart people are wellread and possess a wealth of knowledge. People who are book smart are at a loss in situations that they have not studied so they are at a severe disadvantage over the person who has learned through experience and therefore gained exponentially more intelligence from the event. I also recognize that this kind of street smarts is a specialized, complex, important skill set which i, with all my book smarts, could never hope to master. Common sense refers to someone who has street smarts.
On this program we talk about words and expressions that we use in everyda. In the beginning he emphasizes that his knowledge of business comes from street smarts, beginning with the lessons he learned on the street from his father. Unfortunately, talking with mba colleagues, i also realized that my experience and comments are shared among many. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading street smarts. Whats the difference between book sense and common sense. Jun 18, 2014 whether one is more versed in street smarts or book smarts depends on the circumstances one has grown up under. It is from experiences such as mine that we get our education of life. Simply put, i am saying that street smarts are as equally as important in the world as book smarts. You can have all the book smarts in the world, but the real world will eat you up and spit you out if you aint able to play the game. We string them into jewels or into tinware, as we may choose.
Know plenty of people with a ton of book smarts who didnt go to far in life. A book smart person is sharper when it comes to the facts. Mar 15, 2016 leverage street smarts and book smarts. That doesnt necessarily mean that book smarts are bad though. Using your intelligence effectively in college by frozenflan on january 31, 2014 its the question weve all had in our minds as. Theres money smart, theres movie smart, theres computer smart. The talent for deception also tends to work both ways, and the character can be quick with a convincing bluff or misdirection. Whereas, street smarts refers to the experiential knowledge on things. Using your intelligence effectively in college by frozenflan on january 31, 2014 its the question weve all had in our minds as soon as our brains were capable of thought. Being on the street, or in the trenches, or whatever low to the ground metaphor you prefer, requires you learn to trust your own. Karina tiwanas military background allows her to go beyond the standard structure of a legal department to create optimal operating procedures, which produce tangible business outcomes for alcatellucent enterprise. Mark twain someone who possesses street smarts can also have book smarts, but usually people who have book smarts only rely on their intelligence. Now, its time for words and their stories from voa learning english.
Theres just too many different kinds of smarts for people to know all the smarts. You need street smarts to process book smarts and use book smarts effectively. Graff debates the common belief that having book smarts gives one an. When it comes to safety, street smarts will help you get out of a jam, not book smarts. An allpurpose tool kit for entrepreneurs kindle edition by brodsky, norm, burlingham, bo. No one can give you a template or magic formula for building a successful business, but you can develop and practice street smarts so you avoid common mistakes. If i describe a street smart as a person, the qualities which stems out of this category would be practicality, rationality and wit. Whenever someone says im not book smart, but im street. I see street smarts has having more ground of common sense.
While which one is more helpful can be a matter of debate and also depends on the context, it is generally seen that street smarts weigh more on the scale when it comes. Know a good few people who are just street smart who do quite well for themselves. Some are some of the brainiest and most knowledgable people around. There are several problems with the terms street smarts and book smarts. 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. He could perfectly recall the page number and paragraphs of the course. Book smarts as opposed to street smarts are viewed very differently at pleasant valley and in society. Lexington, ma 78186711 english language arts writing. This book is an invaluable resource for startups and small businesses who want to get wise on how to avoid pitfalls and common mistakes in runninggrowing a business. Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. The talent for deception also tends to work both ways, and the character can be quick with a convincing bluff or. Being on the street, or in the trenches, or whatever low to the ground metaphor you prefer. Book smart is simply describing that the person as generally intelligent, well educated and do well academically. This is a huge advantage when dealing with people as it offers you a sense of ease.
Those who are more street smart tend to handle many difficult problems with ease because they understand how to neutralize tough situations and stand up for what they believe in. This void can be a challenge when dealing with career politics or even navigating the world of relationships. Street smartpants are bs detectors and no one is going to pull the wool over their eyes easily. Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools. Theyre experts at recalling, recognizing, and analyzing information. Conversely, street smart people are often demeaned simply because they are classified as those who didnt have the right stuff to attend an institute of higher learning. Usually people considered to be book smart are known as lacking in street smarts, and vice versa. First, look for a 100yearold concept, an idea thats been around a while. Street smarts what a pane while staring out an airplane window last week, i marveled at the multiple thicknesses of acrylic that protected me from the low pressure and frigid temperatures less than a paperbackbook thickness away. You dont 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. It solely is a theoretical understanding of facts or ideas. If you think youre a book smart person, you may want to consider trying to be more street smart common sense. Book smart can be described as exam smart or academically. Street smarts trump book smarts if you want to get.
Why you need to be street smart, not book smart better. As an individual who i feel possesses an equal measure of book smarts and street smarts, i believe i can speak on this topic. Whether one is more versed in street smarts or book smarts depends on the circumstances one has grown up under. Apr 23, 20 when people discuss street smarts and book smarts, its usually implied that you can only have one or the other. While people with booksmarts may be able to study all week and ace a midterm, they may lack some serious common sense or the ability to converse and interact with people with ease, which comes naturally to those who have learned through their experiences, rather than classroom instruction. First, there is a common misconception that most people only have one or the other, and. Theres book smart, there is street smart, theres relationship smart, theres too many different kinds of smarts to know all of them. We will always remember his i have a dream speech for being inspirational without exaggeration.
Street smarts over book smarts gerald graff is a professor of english and education in the university of illinois at chicago. Street smarts is a worthwhile business book, and i do recommend this book to anyone interested in entrepreneurial material, however the author played a bit of a deception in the reader. Street smarts signification, definition dans le dictionnaire. Read on for some signs you have street smarts, as well as what to do if you dont. Being street smart means you have situational awareness. What he lacks in book knowledge he makes up with his street smarts and. One need not be a living lie detector to qualify as street smart, but a character is far more likely to be unduly suspicious than overly trusting. Why being street smart is better than being book smart.
Take notice in what others are doing and how they react to it. Someone who just gets it, they dont have to learn it. Many students at pleasant valley feel the disproportionate emphasis on book smarts as opposed to street smarts, leaving a lack of wellrounded character. Essay on street smarts versus book smarts 706 words bartleby. Authors mark mullins and john kuhn via as a mentor and advisor to entrepreneurs, i find its easy to recognize street smarts when i see them, but its hard to. Magazine, where ive followed norms street smarts column for years. Just as useful as book smarts, and in many cases more so. A recent debate at the eastern correctional facility in new york between prison inmates and the harvard debate team had me questioning whether its better to have street smarts or book smarts. Street smarts is just as much as knowing something with familiarity gained through experience and intelligence as book smarts. A better formulated strategy gets better outputs and optimization with the. Intellectualism by gerald graff is street smarts versus book smarts. Street smarts vs book smarts talking about thinking. You dont have the street smarts to last ten minutes in new york without getting ripped off. Gerald graff is an english professor at the university of illinois and has written many books.
Ive always wondered in the back of my mind what the actual outcome of this would be, so i was pretty excited when i saw your title. In the end the book smart harvard debate team was defeated by the street smart prisoners. This can be effective in some cases, but not always. He or she could learn from others mistakes without repeating. Apr 29, 2018 2 thoughts on street smarts vs book smarts scolon april 29, 2018 at 6.
Street smarts meaning in the cambridge english dictionary. Common sense knowing who you can trust, which areas in town are good and which are bad, etc. Do these problems take street or book smarts to solve. The authors is very persuasive using real life examples. Street smarts trump book smarts if you want to get seriously rich. Junior, addison even, feels that the two different types of intelligence are important. The world is full of people who are either book smart or street smart. What they usually lack is a good portion of street smarts.
Book smart is simply describing that the person as generally intelligent, well. Here are 10 ways to tell you are more book smart than common sense smart. I would say book smarts for me because it is the ideal type of smart, of the lifestyle i am pursuing. To be street smart means you have situational awareness. One of the major differences between the two and ultimately why street smarts are in many ways more helpful than book smarts is that being street smarts gives you situational awareness. Oct 20, 2015 a recent debate at the eastern correctional facility in new york between prison inmates and the harvard debate team had me questioning whether its better to have street smarts or book smarts. The ladies of the real share their views, in this girl chat. In graffs essay, hidden intellectualism, graff compares street smarts to book smarts. The author claims that people are better off if they are more street smart than book smart. Both, book smarts and street smarts are often put in comparison and unlikeness to each other. That is in contrast to street smart, which describes the person as having common sense. People who possess street smarts have a greater sense of what goes socially. This word is often used to imply someone lacks understanding of the world or common sense. A qualitative study of street smarts among african american male.
Ive known children at 5 be street smarter than me, so dont be. So lets find out if youre booksmart or streetsmart. Street smart and book smart are two different types of. However, when i hear the phrase im not book smart, im street smart, it generally is not referring to this sort of intelligence. Street smarts free summary by norm brodsky and bo burlingham. Why street smarts always win out over book smarts when it. You can assess the environment you are in, who is in it, and what the available angles are. I may not have brain smarts but atleast i have street smarts. See what you can learn from just paying attention to whats going on in the world.
When people discuss street smarts and book smarts, its usually implied that you can only have one or the other. Aug 12, 2007 street smarts or book smarts which are you. While many, if not most, people hold book smarts in the highest regard, the truth is. Street smarts, however, encompasses knowledge that generally cannot be learned through education but rather, from experience.
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