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Teenage Rowling was 'extremely intelligent' 
MAY 4, 2007 at 5:34 AM
Posted by CHEESER
Source: TwinCities.com
A Minnesota educator reminisces
about his days as a foreign student teacher in the UK, when 13-year-old Joanne Rowling herself was a pupil:
"I was contacted by the teachers in England who I had stayed with, and they told me that the Harry Potter author had gone to Wyedean at the same time I was there and perhaps I knew her," [Dale] Neuschwander said. "It had been a long time, but I went to the grade book that I kept from that time and when I saw the class that she was in and her grades, I remembered her."
It was easy for the teacher to remember his former pupil. Her writing shone.
"She got straight A's and A-pluses in creative writing," he said.
When Neuschwander wrote to Rowling in 2000 to congratulate her on publishing Harry Potter, the author wrote back and her handwritten letter (the contents of which are in the full article) now hangs on his wall.
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Student
Points: 282
HarryPotterNerdNumber1 says:
Obviously she's extremelly intelligent! She. Created. Harry. Potter. She's a genius! Yay! It's my first time being the first post! I love you JK!
Posted May 4, 2007 at 5:49 AM EST
Student
Points: 225
loyal2voldemort says:
I have no idea what to say. The person above me pretty much said it all.
Posted May 4, 2007 at 5:58 AM EST
Auror
Points: 2656
Grintster says:
Wow, of course! Like tell us something we don't know, haha! No surprise there :D
Posted May 4, 2007 at 6:23 AM EST
Wizard
Points: 655
Gryffindor's prefect says:
Who cant say she's not intellegnet??!! Absolutely NO ONE!! I mean she created somthing which in like seven years became popular among the world!! Other authors could probably do this in twenty years.
Posted May 4, 2007 at 6:52 AM EST
Order of Merlin, 2nd Class
Points: 1672
Ron+Hermione_4ever says:
That's cool!!
and I would've guessed she had A+'s in creative writing..
haha it's sort of a given.. haha
Posted May 4, 2007 at 7:03 AM EST
Harry’s Egg, Dan’s Duck
Points: 4720
Pearl* says:
Awesome story! I'll sure read what she wrote back. It'd be interesting also to read her early work, and see some potter-esque elements forming perhaps.
Posted May 4, 2007 at 7:04 AM EST
Order of Merlin, 2nd Class
Points: 1764
Woofer says:
Well nice to hear that the guy thinks she is inyelligent, but most of us had already figured that out years ago! To be able to create a world with so may characters and all other things in it, you have to be really intelligent.
Posted May 4, 2007 at 7:06 AM EST
Head Girl
Points: 438
bubblegum says:
AAwwwww i think that is so sweet i wish my teacher were nice l.o.l.
Posted May 4, 2007 at 7:32 AM EST
Lips of an Angel
Points: 26337
roflcopter (: says:
Well geez, you;d hope she was smart in school!!! ahaha!!! geez, it would have been hard to get smart out of school... well... there is uni i guess... and im RAMBLING!!! :P
Posted May 4, 2007 at 7:44 AM EST
Student
Points: 289
Yokata says:
But of course J.K. Rowling would achieve such spectacular grades! She would have to be mentally gifted in order to conceive a universe as elaborate as that she did with Harry Potter. :)
Posted May 4, 2007 at 7:50 AM EST
Order of Merlin, 3rd Class
Points: 1542
Feelin' Felix Felicis says:
Well that doesn't surprise me! Jo Rowling is a brilliant writer - she's a genious! The fact that she replied to Mr. Neuschwander's letter with a hand written letter of her own shows a lot about her character!
Posted May 4, 2007 at 8:18 AM EST
Order of Merlin, 3rd Class
Points: 1542
Feelin' Felix Felicis says:
Thank you, Jo Rowling, for giving the world Harry Potter!!!
Posted May 4, 2007 at 8:19 AM EST
Auror
Points: 2036
Nataly says:
A's and A-pluses? That explains a lot! ! heh:)
Posted May 4, 2007 at 8:23 AM EST
Auror
Points: 2502
School Governor says:
I t is not surprising that she got such good grades at school, and nice of JKR to write back to her former teacher too.
Posted May 4, 2007 at 8:26 AM EST
Witch
Points: 662
Rupert's Fangirl says:
Well, no surprise there. Just looking at her writing and she's handled fame and fortune tells it all.
Posted May 4, 2007 at 8:39 AM EST
Order of Merlin, 4th Class
Points: 1348
~*Veela Grl *~ says:
It's cool to hear about her life leading up to Harry Potter and to find out she's always been good at writing. Let's just hope all that work paid off and book seven is amazing!
xoxo*^*amy*^*
Posted May 4, 2007 at 8:43 AM EST
Heart Of Music
Points: 3538
_-_~*ZeE*J@Y*~_-_ says:
Ofcourse she is extremely intelligent ..she is the one who created harry potter (a whole new world).. the most popular story .
Posted May 4, 2007 at 8:43 AM EST
Mrs. Draco Malfoy
Points: 25342
Arika Granger Malfoy says:
WOW!
That is so cool! He is a lucky man...and yay JKR!!!!!
Hehe....That must have been awesome to know that he taught her.
Posted May 4, 2007 at 8:55 AM EST
Witch
Points: 634
Gred and Forge says:
I can't say that it doesn't surprise me! But I think that it was very sweet of him to write to congratulate her, and then hang her written response on his wall. Too cute!
Posted May 4, 2007 at 8:59 AM EST
Keeper of the Faeries
Points: 5007
juliebug04 says:
Well, of course she was and IS intelligent! :o) What a cool article, though.
Can't wait for July! :o)
Posted May 4, 2007 at 9:21 AM EST
Witch
Points: 525
Draco'z Devil says:
Well you would expect a famous author to be good in english. wouldn't you?
Posted May 4, 2007 at 9:28 AM EST
Auror
Points: 2062
kermittounette says:
Yeah I was sure that she would have been creative in her childish days, I bet we can expect more from her, and I can't wait to see what she has into the pen after the Potter series...
Posted May 4, 2007 at 9:30 AM EST
Malfoy by Nature
Points: 12439
WickeDraco says:
No wonder. *laughs* Not that I expected any less than our fantastic idol. Well, good for her.
Posted May 4, 2007 at 9:35 AM EST
Student
Points: 234
JeffHodapp says:
What were her other grades? Did she ever play up the teachers? I bet she was a very nice little girl and sat in the front of the class. I got straight A's in everything but sat in the back because my family was poor and my parents were alcoholics. I came to school in hand me downs and the beatings at home showed. In America, it is a sin to be poor and the other kids and teachers never let you forget it.
Posted May 4, 2007 at 9:49 AM EST
Charms Mistress
(Moderator)
Points: 4693
Weesa says:
It's very nice that she wrote him back. Of course we already knew she's brilliant, just like Hermione.
Posted May 4, 2007 at 9:49 AM EST
Order of Merlin, 2nd Class
Points: 1614
Hermione's younger sister says:
I'll bet she did. I would so love to read her writing pieces. I also would have loved to have been one of her teachers, especially in a class like creative writing or something.
Posted May 4, 2007 at 9:51 AM EST
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