LOL! My DS 3 is also like that. He only does what he wants and it has to be his idea or he won't do it!
I've learned to be sneaky. Examples-
~ I'll write short sentences on our white board and leave them there for a while. Eventually he will creep over and read them but he won't do it if he knows I'm watching.
~ With writing I leave trace pictures and letters around the house with pencils/crayons and and he'll do them, in his own time.
~ With Numbers I leave flashcards around the house and he'll put them in numerical order. I'm not sure if he can count the teens or not, its one of his secrets, but he can put them in order:)
He gets mad 50% of the time if we praise him for anything?? The complete opposite of my praise hungry DD7.
The good part about his independence is that he potty trained himself early, with absolutely no help from us; and he already wants his training wheels off, which I will do this weekend.
I am very worried how my self motivated, do it MY way, perfectionist will be in the classroom.
He is what we call "too big for his own britches"!
