Math Identities

It was interesting to read from the article "Complex Identities" that some students think they need to be creative to be good at math and some students think they need to be obedient to be good at math.  It was also very interesting that when asked to place a classmate on a number line (from good at math to not good at math) it was comparatively different to where that actual student placed himself/herself.

I thought about my classroom, given this information.  Then I thought about the time my master teacher told me that I shouldn't spend so much time guiding a particular student.  "He gets it, he's just not a focused student most of the time.  You don't need to pay so much attention to him."  As soon as she said that to me, I had a hard time dealing with that.  How could I just let him go without aid?  I could see on his paper that he was not giving the right answer to the math problem.  I know she doesn't want me to lose time (she feels pressured in math to stick to a timeline) and to make sure that if I have the majority getting "it" then I have to keep moving on.  But after reading this article, I still maintain that I can't, in good conscience, leave a student behind like that.  What if, to her, he "gets it." But in reality, he is playing a really good act and fooling her?  It's something to think about...