HUGGY
I Post Because I Care
I take it you didn't perform well in school.They may not be inherently smarter but they have better study habits as a rule and are more disciplined.Who Says All Asians Are Smart?
I believe the entire population of North Korea would prove otherwise.
I taught my 5 and a half month old Pit Bull puppy the discipline to sit and stay and several other commands as he is evolving into a guard dog. I'm fairly certain that in his own way he believes I am god.
I don't believe, as a human being, allowing one's self to be brain washed is a valued skill. It proves the opposite of intelligence.
A better description from my standpoint would be that I didn't "conform well" in school. I was exceptional in the classes I had an interest in if the teacher/instructor wasn't too abrasive. I didn't give my respect to authority automatically. Many teachers I ran into were hiding from competing in life in the teaching profession. Those that can't teach..Those than can, do. My open rejection of some teachers didn't sit well in the schools I attended. It didn't help that I left my mom's residence on Orcas Island at 14 to live with my dad who was seldom there and therefore I was pretty much my own boss.
In one "English" class at Queen Anne HS I told the woman teacher that I was never going to be a secretary so I would give her one out of the dozen or so required book reports and if she gave me an "A" that would prove I could write. She gave me an A plus on that report so I never gave her another but I did read every book on the assigned list of 50 or so allowed books. And as you suggested I received an "F" for that class even though I proved I could write better than an "A" level. I had to make up that required class in "Summer School". I received several A's and several F's depending on my interest or compatibility with the instructors.
I did attend a community college for a year and a half after HS but discovered that college was not dissimilar to High School and I lost interest in that form of education. I did enroll in a college that had classes in computer science and electronics which I attended for a couple of years and received straight A's while inventing several useful devices during that period in my life.
But the short answer to your observation is ...Yes.
"I will never be a Secretary", if you are one third owner of the company and your corporate title is Secretary, your vote at the board meeting counts just as much as the President and Vice President. The Secretary writes down the minutes of the board meeting in a log book and an official action.
I've never claimed my theory of living at age 15 wasn't without it's flaws. There are good reasons why head strong teenagers can't vote or drive without restrictions. My sense of independence led to fun and interesting experiences but left me wanting in the assimilating into the good little consumer the schools attempt to mold us. I was too smart for my own good yet somehow I don't miss engaging into the rat race as I have observed in most people. I have owned companies, some very successful, but as I predicted I never took on the responsibilities of "secretary". I have hired several.