Connor Mulcunry
English 111
Rough Draft Intelligence
February 22, 2018
Mrs. Kathy May
Word Count: 505
Intelligence
Google defines intelligence as the ability to not only acquire knowledge but the ability to apply that knowledge. Every day more college graduates enter the workforce without a clue on how to use their degree. There is also the college applicant who, once again, every day gets accepted into a university without a clue as to what they want to do with their life. The average high school student is pushed to make a decision that will affect the rest of their life before they are allowed to use the restroom without getting a signed pass from a teacher.
No longer does someone base their assumptions on another’s intellect on their ability to learn. Someone who is considered intelligent today has a keen ability to regurgitate information. They are people who are able to memorize information rather than someone who can analyze information. Intelligence cannot be tied down to one form. Intelligence comes in many shapes and forms.
Intelligence is one of the most general terms used to describe someone besides “good and bad.” It can be found in the knowledge of geography and city layout and it can be found in the same way with someone’s knowledge of computer chips. To say that one is not intelligent is to say that they have no use in this world.
Intelligence can be something that someone is born with or have acquired later in life. Intelligence can be found everywhere. Everyone can remember someone in class that would ask seemingly thoughtless questions. Many times students were punished for this because teachers would think of it as insubordination or tom foolery. In some cases these children were even medicated. This is a hard decision for a parent when they see how much more well behaved their child is on the medication. Although many parents fail to realize they are dosing their children with a dangerous chemical most closely related to meth amphetamine.
Intelligence requires patience and patience requires intelligence. Patience requires one to rely on faith. Faith can empower one to pursue higher levels of understanding and intelligence. This is pursued because faith gives you the intelligence that’s needed when knowledge isn’t enough but believing is. At some point in life there will be obstacles that don’t have factual answers, but knowing everything will be okay is where faith plays it’s part.
Intelligence maybe a necessary quality, but does not define who you are as a person. When a student feels they aren’t being trusted in school, they don’t feel comfortable and don’t feel the desire to learn. They choose to rebel, skip school and not pursue education. School should focus more on learning than the grading system. If students feel their intelligence is compared to others through a grading scale, they may get discouraged and lose interest in school all together. Intelligence is not defined by a grading scale. Intelligence is not relatable, but personable, and should never be compared.