I was a valedictorian and NMS with zero test prep. I absolutely hated school, but was very good at being a student. Now I’m a SAHM. I’m proof that you can be a top student without having any ambition to set the world on fire.
Both of my kids are gifted, but one also has special needs, including ASD, ADHD, and a LD. The other is a lot like me in that dc thinks school is lots of pointless busy work with very little actual learning. DC is complaining that first I said the CES (we’re in MCPS) would be challenging and it wasn’t, and then I said the middle school magnet would be challenging and it’s not. I hope that dc is more ambitious than I am and finds fulfilling work as an adult.