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Smart as a whip? Ouch. No, thanks. And remind me again why this is even considered good? Or perhaps you hadn't done much investigation into the word smart before now, either. Welcome to the club! I'm pretty new here myself, but I'd love to catch you up on what I've learned so far. For it was only recently that I really began to sit with smart and inspect its elements, turning it over and over again in my mind. It soon became clear to me just how deeply this one concept has embedded itself into our daily lives, by burrowing into our identities and institutions alike.
As someone whose sense of self was profoundly entrenched in her intelligence, I was all at once conscious of something I had always felt but never gathered into a single thought— our understanding of smart stings.
Whips are not the only allusion to pain in our casual references to intelligence; sharp as a knife, smart as a tack, and even cutting wit are other familiar favorites. But none of that is really surprising when you remember an old-fashioned way of using smart you may have heard in a black-and-white film. Something like, "Golly gee, Peggy May, I stepped right this jack, and it sure smarts!" You know, that kind of smart. The verb kind. The kind that is going around, doing things! The kind I am so ready to throw back into our modern discourse 'cause this smart packs a wallop.
And it's actually the original meaning. The earliest use of smart can be found in texts from before 1050 C.E. in an Old English word for painful like fire. As the language evolved, smart transformed to meet needs in new ways but maintained its central message. In the 14th century, for example, a sensation described as smarting was a biting one, but it was no longer the only context in Middle English where the word was being used. A second understanding of smart began to emerge, one closer to what we're familiar with today— smart as quick, prompt, and sharp, words still somewhat tinged with that initial priming of pain. And it feels like, on some level, we've never forgotten that.
For the bite of smart in today's world has caused an unconscionable amount of suffering. All of us have been tormented by the wounds it left on our spirit.
The blow of intellectual inferiority is completely bewildering. An attack has been mounted on your locus of self — the space where you imagine and improvise, reflect and remember, connect and create. It's the one space in the universe where you speak words unheard and see things unseen. It's all you've ever known, all you'll ever have, and (spoiler alert) all you'll ever need. Your intelligence is the mainframe running this space; it is the source sustaining the insights that give life all its meaning. So when someone challenges its legitimacy, it calls into question all of your other capacities, leaving you thoroughly disoriented. In today's world, it seems like if you're not deemed sharp on each and every touch, you're dull, slow, stupid. And damn, it smarts.
The problem does not exist with the word smart itself, of course, but rather with how we allowed it to evolve. Our understanding of intelligence fused with this concept of pain, and now it shapes our entire worldview.
Thankfully, a little dose of history is all we need to remind us that we are not stuck here. Like our ancestors before us, we can evolve beyond what we know. Words are the same tools they have always been; they are ours to reshape when we recognize a need. Today, it is our turn to use words to develop a more mature discourse around knowledge. And thanks to our ability to learn from the past, we have a chance to rebuild a concept of intelligence that will not cause such an unjustifiable amount of suffering. Perhaps, it could even create a world of greater liberation. But where to begin?
I say we start with a celebration that, frankly, is long overdue. It's not like I've been planning it or anything but... WELCOME TO THE BIG BANGIN' BLOWOUT BASH FOR YOUR BRAIN!
Surprise!! I just knew when you showed up today that you had no idea this was coming. It's good you arrived when you did because the details about the party leaked! Everyone but you knows what I've got up my sleeve today. You may be surprised by what you learn, but nobody else really was. It was almost as if they had known it all along... but no need to keep you in suspense any longer! The results are in— you, my friend, are intelligent.
Yes, you. Intelligence is not something you earn; it is something you were born with, something you were designed to activate. It is your birthright as a being with a brain, plain and simple. If you are born with legs, you are legged; if you are born with a brain, you are intelligent. Did someone forget to give you your Intelligent Species goodie bag on the way in? I'll grab you one. It's helpful to have it on hand to remind you of those basic facts that, for all their truth, are far too easy to forget in a world that constantly makes you feel dumb.
You are not often reminded that behind your very eyes sits a super computer of epic proportions, one continuing to baffle the most brilliant scientists alive. It seems futile to pinpoint everything it just did, in the last millisecond alone, but I can tell you something I know for sure— it was learning. That's one of its most essential functions. Every single brain inputs information, analyzes it alongside the unique collection of knowledge already accumulated, and acts upon the conclusions from that learning in a way that is most beneficial to its owner.
Always, always, always your intelligence is gathering clues about the best ways to make moves in reality to manifest those things that spring from the deep well of your humanity. You act intelligently by your very design.
Now, whether or not the actions you take actually benefit you, of course, depends on an infinite amount of factors and is by no means guaranteed. We can all have a big laugh about how deeply true we know this to be, because boy, do I have some stories. But to claim that this disconnect is directly related to one's ability to absorb, connect, or manifest their knowledge is a dangerous overgeneralization. And in today's world, a single well-intentioned miscalculation or an emphasis on the wrong thing at the time can label someone as stupid permanently. And although we all participate in this discourse, myself included, it never sits well because it simply isn't true.
That narrative about stupidity contradicts something we know as intimately as our flaws— our minds are magnificent beyond belief.
Just because your knowledge has manifested in ways that did not fit the exacting proportions to be considered smart at the time does not mean that your ability to learn is any less intelligent, any less powerful, or any less valuable for the world. Your intelligence is wholly worthy.
Throughout the ages, our wisest teachers have known this to be true, including the brilliant Dr. Maya Angelou. For despite all she was able to become— a polyglot of at least five languages, a recipient of over 50 honorary degrees, an artist who crafted a cherished array of poems, plays, movies, and books— this American icon knew just how sharply smart could sting.
Trauma destabilized Maya's life at a young age, and as an instinctual coping strategy, she went mute for about five years. Suddenly, neighbors she had known treated her differently, speaking in hushed tones around her. 'She must be slow, the poor dear. Such a pity.' Suddenly, young Maya had been thrown into a situation where the value of her entire humanity was questioned on a regular basis, all because others deemed her not smart.
The tragic irony is that Maya's muteness had in fact revealed her intelligence— a deep, human wisdom had roused to preserve the precious locus of her spirit.
Fortunately, on some level, young Maya recognized this. Her intelligent, budding mind was able to clock, not just the change in social patterns around her, but also the chasm that existed between their perception and her reality. The world's hurtful understanding of her was at odds with knowledge within her soul, a knowledge that whispered to her like her loving family members did, in gentle ways that kept her from ever surrendering to society's detrimental opinion.
She may not have had the language to express it yet, but this contradiction became the foundation upon which Maya cultivated a more humanizing approach to knowledge than what she had known. When she was older, Dr. Angelou made a special point to share what she had come to understand about the concept of smart— there's an important distinction between intelligence and intellect we need to recognize.
Angelou claimed that intelligence was the ability "to see, to examine, to analyze, to evaluate, to measure the climate of the times," to discover truths about the world.
Maya Angelou interview, 6:10
This understanding resonates with the experience young Maya had as a perceptive being, sitting silently and absorbing an amount of knowledge that would make her neighbors jaws drop. You possess the same capacity for brilliance, but it will manifest in ways that are uniquely yours.
But if you cannot yet produce the amount of confidence that statement deserves, don't worry. You may find that this insecurity in your intelligence may be the same one plaguing many of us, and it's related to the fact that our society today equates smart with being intellectual. It was very important to Angelou as an educator that students understood this. You see, everyone is intelligent, but not everyone is an intellectual.
Angelou maintained that intellect was a virtue developed through one's studies, often through academic pursuits. Therefore, intellect is just one particular way intelligence can manifest. A student skillfully navigating the waters of academia is revealing their intelligence through their intellect. This is a valuable strength, but it's silly to claim the ability to sail these seas is the only intelligence that counts. After all, much of life takes place on dry land.
All of this talk untangling smart, intelligent, and intellectual may seem elementary, but it is often the simple things that we need to remember most. Granted, I am an elementary educator, so I'm a bit biased. But you've got to admit, it's hard to argue with an approach that begins with the basic building blocks of humanity, especially as it becomes strikingly clear that we are on course to disconnect ourselves from what matters most. The discourse of smart gains influence each day, growing stronger as it emphasizes intellect above all else, diminishing our ability to humanize intelligence to a dangerous degree.
One begins to feel they must earn a Ph.D. to say anything of value at all.
We must recognize how truly absurd that is, especially since we have all, quite unironically, called a toddler smart before, and rightly so. Y'all, this may be one of the most heartbreakingly human things we do. In the moment we catch sight of the brilliance in that toddler's curious, young mind, we reacquaint ourselves with what intelligence truly is, in its most pure form; yet when we turn around, we continue to undervalue ourselves and those around us. A discourse where we speak as if infants and experts are the only ones qualified for their daily lives is absolutely ludicrous. Trust your instincts, kid— they were right. That baby is brilliant, and so are you.
Maya Angelou's wisdom can guide us toward a world that acknowledges that humanizing truth. Allow her to gently remind you that intelligence "does not always go hand in hand with intellect."
Maya Angelou interview, 5:25
Intellect is fine and dandy, but much like smart, it has an edge to it in today's world. Currently, the educational system is demanding more, more, more— more classes, more tests, more degrees. This plays into the debilitating discourse of smart, telling you always that you are less, less, less than what is required.
Before that rhetoric reels you in, remember the joy of today's jubilee. Treasure the fact that you are an intelligent being, trust the knowledge you have to share, and transform the way you speak about smart.
Especially now that, hey, you've gained a new intellectual insight! Through your studies, you've learned a useful framework with which to look at the world. And at this point, for every educator like me, it becomes a bit like If You Give A Mouse a Cookie.
For if you give a teacher an insight, it'll end up being helpful language in their life. When they use it in a moment that gives them the confidence to speak, they'll realize just how valuable it is. When they recognize a need to share it with someone, they'll get swept up in a dream of how to bring it to their students. When they find an effective way to teach it their class, they'll want to pass it on so it expands beyond their classroom.
Knowledge is on a natural trajectory to make an ever-expanding impact. It is not meant to inspire a new confidence in your life alone, for you are not the only one struggling under the strain of smart. The discourse of our times has dehumanized us all, and we have a duty to dismantle it.
As we infuse humanity into our discourse about learning, it must be teachers who lead the way in creating a new understanding of smart, reshaping how we speak about intelligence, and revolutionizing what it means to be an intellectual.
We may be tangled up in all this terminology but thankfully, this mess is in good hands. Speaking of which, I've got one of my own. While I deal with the remnants of our revelry, you can begin discovering how to bring about a new chapter that celebrates humanity instead of smarting it. But just so you know, when one is taught a humanizing approach to intelligence like critical pedagogy, they'll wish they'd learned about it sooner.
Since the heart of this problem revolves around our understanding of learning, schools are the first institution that must embrace the full humanity of education.
In the world today, the educational system is actively fueling our degrading understanding of intelligence, in part because it continues to be shaped by the exclusionary ideology of smart. The systems of learning are set with the intention to churn out oodles and oodles of smart, but as we follow this damaging objective, we force the learning process to mutate into a dehumanizing form.
Learning should be about exploring the wide world of intelligences, spurring students onwards towards a life of freedom. It should equip students with a confidence in their capacities to solve the array of problems their particular path has waiting for them. Critical pedagogy wants to turn this vision into a reality. Scholar Henry Giroux explains what the shift away from smart would look like—
We don't want you to be smart. We want you to be public intellectuals. That's different. We want you to integrate what you know with important social problems and believe that individually and collectively you can make a difference.
Henry A. Giroux, Conversation 2015, 10:10
Schools that take up this humanizing pedagogy could create an entirely new kind of intellectual, one completely separate from smart. These intellectuals would be grounded in the values of the public, which is something we actually do today, in the form of our good citizenship curriculum. But in a critical vision, social studies and civics would fuse with the other subjects as students cultivate their intellect around the problems in society that they care about transforming. Alongside academic skills, students would be learning how to see the world with an eye for the possible.
Henry Giroux argues this critical approach involves "reading the word in order to read the world, and reading the world in order to read the word."
Henry A. Giroux, Conversation 2015, 10:20
This is how to infuse humanity back into the learning process, by handing students the world. Since critical theory is founded upon the belief that to be human is to transform our world, this approach encourages students to identify the present obstacles on their personal path to freedom. This cultivates in them the ability to perceive their reality with a critical eye, in the same way young Maya Angelou did.
The moment Maya caught the contradiction between the discourse and her lived experience, she engaged her sense of critical sight. From this one childhood insight bloomed an educational mission to share how she overcame the unnecessary sting of smart, by finding comfort in the intelligence she knew she had.
Critical educators recognize that Dr. Angelou was able to use critical sight as a child, not because she was an icon-in-the-making, but because she was human. Like intelligence, critical sight is a capacity we are born with, one which allows us to see the parts of the world that require transformation. This is precisely the human capacity schools should be cultivating. It is in our intelligent nature to passionately seek out problems that need solving and questions that need answering, no matter how old we are.
Each of us should harness our ability to pinpoint the puzzles we prefer and wield our unique gift in such a way that brings us a life of fulfillment and freedom.
Advancing us ever towards this goal, critical pedagogy meets students where they are and embraces them for who they are with all their unique intelligences, capacities, passions, and curiosities. This approach inspires students like nothing else, for it speaks to that magnificent power they've always felt, crackling just below the surface.
No one knew this better than Paulo Freire. He was the educator who, quite literally, wrote the book on critical pedagogy. A master of humanizing education, Freire breathed a new sense of life into his students by opening their eyes to their ability of critical sight and empowering them to recognize the strength of their intelligence. His book, Pedagogy of the Oppressed, accounts how his class of illiterate adults reacted to this transformative approach—
Time and time again, peasants have expressed these discoveries in striking ways after a few hours of class: 'I now realize I am a person, an educated person.' 'We were blind, now our eyes have been opened.' 'Before this, words meant nothing to me; now they speak to me and I can make them speak.'
Freire, 1970 p. 33
We are all intelligent. Our critical sight has been picking up on patterns our entire lives, and if we find the right language, we can follow in Maya Angelou's footsteps and find useful insights from our lived experience. We are capable of so much more than we've given ourselves credit for, and it time our school systems begin valuing the learning experience for the true power it is.
Smart only benefits organizations that thrive on hierarchy and has no place in our schools. Education must reject this dehumanizing discourse and uplift different intelligences to build a new kind of intellect that captures the human spirit.
Intelligent people of all shapes and sizes will have to come together and demand that our society evolves to meet this deep, human need. By putting our heads together to revolutionize schools, we will tap into our historical legacy and push humanity closer to true freedom. While this will require a massive movement, there are changes you as an individual can make changes right now in the way you think and approach smart in your life.
Make a change tomorrow in your classroom by starting a discourse with your students about the difference between intelligence and intellect. Make a change next month in your staff meeting by proposing new guidelines for awarding good citizenship that aligns with the problem-solving spirit of a public intellectual. Make a change next summer in your district by organizing a collective to brainstorm how to rise up against standardized testing and its perpetuation of smart.
Liberating the world from the shackles of smart is not merely our duty as educators; it is our moral obligation as intelligent members of the human race.
References: Cover photo: unsplash.com/@laurazarateln
Freire, Paulo. 1970. Pedagogy of the Oppressed. p. 33
Henry A. Giroux, Conversation 2015. 10:20, 10:10
Maya Angelou interview 6:10, 5:25
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