Transcript:
Ms. Wingit: Holly, do you ever wonder why you don't do better in school?
Holly: I guess.
Ms. Wingit: You're quite SMART, you know...
Holly: People keep telling me that.
Ms. Wingit: With a little effort you could -
Holly: See?? There's the catch.
I got so I hated the word “Potential.” As in, “You’re smart. You have a lot of potential!” Usually followed by, “…if you’d just apply yourself.” Problem was, what was there for me to apply myself to? I was bored silly because I was an inveterate bookworm. Most of it I’d already read – or they’d taught the same info for the last three years and I had an excellent memory.
In high school, I often skipped classes, showed up for tests, aced the tests – and went back to skipping classes. Kids took to calling me “Encyclopedia Di.”
Potential. Bah, humbug!