Nerds Love Tough Schoolwork - Television Tropes & Idioms

Willow: Goody! Study party!
Xander: Will, you need a life in the worst way.

— Buffy the Vampire Slayer

Fiction thinks that tough schoolwork is the greatest thing ever to a nerd. They live for pop-quizzes, mid-terms, and final exams. Not that they are just enthusiastic about subjects they are interested in, but the thought of doing tough work is awesome on its own. Basically, they are portrayed as the bizarro students. Having an extra day of school is like having a day off from school to most students.

Is this Truth in Television? Somewhat. Again, people will be glad to learn about things that actually interest them (especially if they are going for higher college degrees). But there's a difference between being interested in learning calculus, and acting like a pop quiz on calculus is like meeting a rock star. Then too, a nerd might like to learn, but absolutely loathe having to learn in a school setting. Can also be true with children who are especially gifted. Many schools are incredibly reluctant to actually let gifted students skip a grade, even when they really should. For those kids, this can be very frustrating in a "has the keys to a Ferrari, but forced to ride a tricycle" way. When they get to something more their speed, it can be downright refreshing.

Commonly suffers from Opinion Myopia, and will be baffled at why their fellow classmates aren't acting like they're meeting a rock star. "Why do you guys look so down? We're having a pop quiz on calculus! Isn't that great?!"

Heck, some nerds might find even these nerds too nerdy.

Compare Proud to Be a Geek.

Contrast Brilliant, but Lazy.

Examples

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Anime & Manga

Ami from Sailor Moon, although justified by the fact that she is someday planning to become a doctor.
In 'Soul Eater', Maka is asked by Blair if tests are fun, in the Super Exam episode. Maka replies that yes, of course they are! You learn things while you're studying and you get to see your class ranking! Blair does not seem convinced, however, probably because she saw Soul studying miserably across the hall.

Comic Books

Spider-Man: Peter Parker was at least a mild example of this in his high school days. In fact, Flash Thompson once used Peter's overachiever tendencies to explain why he picked on him in high school (keep in mind that this conversation took place at a time when Peter and Flash had been friends for years).

Comic Strips

In Foxtrot, Jason is portrayed as a super-nerd who loves doing math and science homework, often doing his older siblings' homework for fun.
Andy: How was the big math test?
Jason: Outstanding. Shades of fall '99 with daring reminders of finals '01. Imagine the playfulness of a mid-term '00, coupled with the difficulty of a late '97 or '98.
Andy: You know, there's a thin line between "connoisseur" and "nut case", Jason.
Jason: I still have an old '98 upstairs. I really should take it again.

Films — Live-Action

Peter, the nerdy kid in Dressed To Kill is totally excited with his science project.

Literature

In Harry Potter, Hermione shows this to varying degrees. To the point she was more afraid of being expelled over death. She says "oh no" when she hears that all tests have been canceled as a school treat.
There are also definite signs of this in Artemis Fowl, where one quote says he hacked a school computer to make the tests harder. But then again, he knows more than the teachers there, so that was probably a joke more than anything else.

Live-Action TV

In an episode of Full House, DJ complains that the nerds brought homework back from Summer vacation.
In Friends, we learn Monica was like this, and is again when she goes to night school with Phoebe.
Family Matters: Steve Urkel was implied to be this, though so little of the show took place in the halls of their school.
Buffy the Vampire Slayer's Willow looks forward to homework as the summer draws to a close.

Web Comics

Angel Moxie: Riley is this. As seen in the picture, she cheers upon being told the class is focusing on more advanced calculus. At least part of that was due to the previous teacher treating middle schoolers like a kindergarten class and teaching them the most basic of basics, which drove Riley up the wall (though for this very reason).

Web Original

Whateley Universe: the Whateley Academy devisers and gadgeteers even have specially advanced math and science classes that the ordinary kids (even the really smart "ordinary" kids who have eidetic memory and read at 900 words a minute) don't get to take.

Western Animation

Dexters Laboratory: Dexter not only looks forward to hard tests, but is so proud of being in school and being a genius that he was a Teacher's Pet until Mandark comes along and gives him a rival. Mandark also enjoys the tests and challenging work.
Phineas And Ferb: Baljeet who is introduced reading a big pile of school books...during summer vacation. Subverted with Phineas and possibly Ferb, though: both are Gadgeteer Geniuses, but the whole plot of the show is them trying to do all the things they want to do before school starts up again.
Rocket Power has Sam "Squid" Dullard. He gets ecstatic when school starts back up.
Recess: Gretchen.
My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic: Twilight Sparkle so enjoyed reading and studying that when we meet her in the first episode of the series she prefers to do so at the exclusion of socializing. In "Lesson Zero", she states that doing homework is one of the things she did with her doll. PRETENDING to do homework even. In "Spike at Your Service", Twilight practically salivates at the prospect of her latest assignment: reading a dozen books over a single weekend.
Kick Buttowski: Kendall so loves school and learning that she got her dad to request a snow day not be called for Mellowbrook middle school.
Arthur: Every time Mr. Ratburn assigns a new big homework assignment, everybody groans...except Brain.
The Simpsons
- Martin Prince has been shown to be like this from time to time, enjoying getting homework and pop quizzes. On more than one occasion he has reminded the teacher about the test or big homework assignment that she was going to give.
- Lisa Simpson also does this from time to time. In one episode the school has to shut down, and by the time Lisa gets home she is hysterical due to withdrawal. She immediately takes out an emergency kit she keeps under the couch, which contains a picture of Spingfield Elementary and a tape recording of a teacher yelling at students.
- From episode "Lisa the Skeptic":
Principal Skinner: (over intercom) Attention. All honor roll students will be rewarded by a trip to an archaeological dig. Also, all detention students will be punished with a trip to an archaeological dig.
Averted with Daria, who is extremely intelligent and nerdy (to Ambiguous Disorder levels), but loathes school due to a combination of Surrounded by Idiots and just being kind of lazy.