Our society has always had an obsession with labels, whether in the form of fashion, in the description of personal relationships or in how we see ourselves as individuals. Labels never escape us. Therefore, if we are to be labeled by our peers, is it better to be labeled "book smart" or "street smart"? And in the academic world? Should students be supported by schools and teachers to enable the use of street smarts in an academic environment? While some schools are likely to be resistant to allowing students to use what they know to read, write, and think critically, many students and teachers, including myself, find these teaching techniques helpful to students. Each person has their own definition of what street smarts means to them. For me, however, having “street smarts” means having the good sense to recognize what to do whenever you face a problem. Street smarts come from our life experiences. Street smarts not only come from what we encounter every day, but also manifest through the principles, morals and wisdom passed down from generation to generation by our parents, teachers and role models. Street smarts allows a person to encounter and overcome a variety of obstacles in the world. In contrast, "book smarts" pretty much has a wide-ranging definition. Being book smart suggests that an individual is knowledgeable when it comes to understanding calculations, numbers, academic aspects, etc. Typically, book smart people do well on tests, understand topics very well, and almost always have their nose stuck inside a book. I think every person should have a good dose of each quality if they want to be successful in today's world. In his essay titled "The Purpose of Education," Martin Luther King summarizes my argument...halfway down the paper...for doing what you're told to get a passing grade before you can move on to the next class. Some may think this is unfair, but sometimes life isn't always fair. I was always told that to get to the fun stuff, I would have to suffer through things that maybe I wouldn't enjoy as much. As students, we are expected to read and write about topics that we may not find the most enjoyable. But we should know that having to do so does not mean hindering us in any way. It's all designed to help us grow as individuals and to support and prepare us for a stable and successful future. Works Cited Graff, Gerald and Cathy Birkenstein. They say I tell the moves that matter in academic writing. New York and London: WW Norton & Company, 2010. Print.King Jr., Martin Luther. “The Purpose of Education.” Access to the Seattle Times in September 16, 2011 .