Intelligence can apply to several different definitions. Intelligence, in my opinion, is not something that necessarily determines a person's intellectual capabilities in school. Intelligence can be defined in terms of street smarts, academics, natural intelligence, and more. It is important to debate over what intelligence really is because we must establish a solid understanding of one another's "intelligence". It prevents us from labeling a person as "stupid" or "dumb" because even though they show a weakness in one aspect of intelligence, they show extreme strength in another (as does everyone).
But where does our intelligence come from? It's a constant debate over if it comes from our genes (nature) or the influences we encounter (nurture). I stand strongly behind my opinion that intelligence is shaped by means of nurture. We can't allow ourselves to think that our genes alone are what influence our capabilities of intelligence. However, I don't rule out the fact that they may possibly have influence (science has it's unpredictability at times). The stimuli we encounter each day is what really shapes our intelligences. For example, the learning environment a student is in can really cause a difference in how they absorb whatever is being taught. Noises can be distractions to some while to others it may somehow be a tool that helps.
The debate over intelligence's origin really matters because it does shape our opinions of others. Being a high school student, it's common to encounter those who think a particular student is smart just because his mom is a rocket scientist and his dad is an engineer (something along the lines of that...). In reality, we should look past the family tree and notice how this person takes in whatever information he/she encounters.
As you can see, the debate over intelligence's definition and it's origin really matters to me. I know for a fact that I'm quite a mathematical and visual learner (Just a note I really don't like math even if it's my learning/thinking strength). At the same time, I tend to lack common sense and think critically when I really don't have to. I have my strengths, and I have my weaknesses. Everyone has them. Intelligence isn't something that should limit and label us. So even if someone may be the lowest scoring student in a class, he/she may be the smartest kid in regards to the streets or has a knack for thinking outside the box.
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