bright but too self-confident

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Home : 2003 : January : 28

bright but too self-confident
By S.E.

Is he weaker in some area - like creative writing or creative problem solving? Maybe if you found an area he needed practice in, and encouraged him in that, he would see that a) he has weaknesses just like others b) he
still has to work hard in order to achieve. I have one very bright student, who although not exactly cocky, likes to show off whenever he gets back a quiz or assignment (factual) where he scores highly, which is all the time. His weakness is his creative writing- although very well-read and imaginative, he writes VERY LITTLE and without detail, so his C in Writing on his first report card

stunned him and his mother into realizing that although he has the ability, his output and effort yielded him a poor mark. ("I've never gotten a C before."). I don't know if this is a similar situation. As well as giving him 'more' practice in writing, I give him more challenging work in the areas he excels, but don't make a big deal of it in front of the others- he doesn't always know it himself. (e.g. up a grade level, or more in-depth extensions of a concept)