Never judge a book by it's cover.

This question was a struggle for me. I sat and pondered this thought with my husband because I try not to make assumptions on the abilities of others. I tend to use an assessment method that draws from objective information that I have gathered historically. Then I was reminded of a comment that I made regarding a high school classmate. I was shocked to learn that one of my high school classmates was a successful Computer Engineer for Microsoft Corporation in the state of California. I shared with my husband that I never realized that he was academically capable of achieving that type of success. I remember the shock that I felt when I realized that he was accepted into a respected college and then to learn of his graduation some years later.
My judgment of his learning ability was based on one simple fact, I never had classes with him so I automatically assumed he was not college bound. I graduated from a small school system that yielded 89 graduates the year of my graduation. College prep students were always categorized and placed in the same classes. I failed to realize that those not in the college prep pathway could still gain entry into college and still succeed. My perspective of this situation did not change until nearly 20 years later when preparing for our 20th year high school class reunion. As one of the organizers of the event, I tracked this young man down to deliver a personal invitation for his appearance. Once I began speaking to him, I was floored, astonished and almost speechless to find that he had experienced such academic success as well as professional success. I must say that after 20 years, I am proud to say that I do my best not to pre-judge the abilities of others.