Average vs Exception

In the last few days I have noticed when teachers get together, even just two of us, we often talk about students, not by name but by action. Often I hear "I have a student who ...". I think it is interesting that we talk about the exceptional student or students, not the average, the regular, the middle students. I suppose this is a human thing, to notice and discuss the one person or thing that is different from the rest. Perhaps this is in our biological history. But it can give uninformed listeners the wrong impression. The student that gets talked about is almost always the exception, the one who does something unexpected or out of the ordinary or completely differently from the rest of the class.