I've got the same going on right now with DD4. She can do all sorts of things but pretends like she can't. She particularly likes to play this game at gymnastics. She is very capable there and has been accelerated. The typical routine is as follows: the teacher shows her the next thing to do. DD masters it on the first try. But usually the teacher will ask her to do it maybe 2 more times. On the subsequent tries she does an AWFUL fail with great drama. "I can't dooooo that." The teacher gets a little frustrated. I advised the teacher to try to look away a bit when it's time for DD to do her thing again. (She does the same thing with reading and all sorts of things.)
DD has been mischievous from birth. So I am not surprised that she does this. She likes getting the adults all engaged. I just try to keep the emotional volume low and not react too much. And I also do what Zen Scanner suggested, particularly "guide but never emit, appreciate but never gush". DD will shred any authoritarian teacher to pieces in seconds. She is a sweet, beautiful, cuddly little shark. Thank goodness her preschool teachers are as talented as they are.
