TeriJo Here you go:

https://www.verywell.com/underachievement-of-verbally-gifted-children-1448965

Know that I’m not saying you were an underachiever; on the contrary, it sounds like you were a high achiever. Alex is, too. But when given a situation where the teacher exhibits no flexibility in plans (no reading when work is finished, for example) ends up costing the teacher. Alex always finished his work; usually during the time the teacher was instructing the class on how to do it, before sending them on their way to learning. Meaning he had nothing to occupy him during the actual work time. which meant he was ALL OVER THE PLACE. running laps around the class, as you say.

But here’s an example: he kept getting marked down for not showing his work in math. FOR LIKE THREE YEARS. and i’d tell him over and over he had to show his work and he would say, how do you show your work when you do it in your head?

it took time to get through to him that learning to show his work was practice for later on, when he COULDN”T do it in his head anymore…but once he understood the practical application, he stopped having problems with it. he just wasn’t willing to do something that, to him, had no purpose except that someone said he had to.

He gets how adults sometimes get on power trips. he fights this, like his momma. lol.