Why I may never get top grade

I found a very interesting article online which compared attributes of high achievers, gifted learners and creative thinkers. To a layman the three may not seem all that different but apparently they are, and hugely so. Here are two important extracts which more or less sum up the article.

...the teacher announces an assignment, and the high achiever quickly tries to determine what the teacher most wants so he can please and satisfy the teacher's intentions: "What do you really want?" The gifted learner ponders what to do that would most interest her as she learns: "What I would like to do is..." Simultaneously, the creative thinker's mind begins to race with all of the diverse and varied possibilities that could be explored...

And,

...the teacher poses a question to the class. The high achiever is delighted because he knows the answer and is in control: "Oh, I know that answer!" The gifted learner considers multiple nuances and alternative perspectives: "The question could mean..." or "It might suggest..." or "Another way to say that is..." or "Yah, but..." The creative thinker is still obsessed with the seemingly endless possibilities of the earlier assignment, concentrating so much on his ideas that he completely misses the teacher's question...

I guess I have a pretty good idea where I belong. 75% creative, 25% gifted learner. And that pretty much sums up where I stand.

Here's the article (High Achiever, Gifted Learner, Creative Thinker). Specifically, the table at the end of the article is interesting and useful.

The creative thinker

• Wonders
• Daydreams
• Overflows with ideas, many of which will never be developed
• Shares sometimes conflicting opinions
• Questions the need for mastery (yeah man)
• Prefers the company of creative peers but often works alone
• Is independent and unconventional
• Is original and continually developing
• Improvises
• May not be motivated by grades (he he)

QED