And why is it, if this is such a special way to learn leadership and important life skills, that I have never read on this board about a little boy being recruited into the same role?
Mostly because little boys who are bored find other ways to amuse themselves that disqualify them from that role in the eyes of the teacher. I look at my DD and how hard she tried to keep her name off the board in elementary school, and I don't recognize that behavior. It certainly wasn't me. As long as my behavior didn't warrant loss of recess or a phone call home, it didn't bother me. And as long as I was bringing home straight A's, my mom was fine with all the comments about how I talk too much and disrupt class.
I read about gifted perfectionism, and see it daily with my DD, but it wasn't my thing. What motivated me at that age was competition. I was happy to get 95% on the test as long as nobody else got 100%. I wanted to be the first one done, too. Good citizenship awards were given, but I didn't consider them to be any kind of accomplishment.
While I may not have been a mentor/tutor in elementary school, I know the role well. A school teacher never recruited me for the role (well, except for that Navy instructor with the horrible accent that nobody else in the class could decipher), but my fellow students did.
