A bit late to this but I would like to add:
My son's teacher is using him as a peer helper in his second-grade class (this is the way she is differentiating for him). She refuses to expose him to any new math concepts past what the rest of the class is working as "he won't have the explanation". She and he differ on what "peer helper" means.
She thinks he should stand by, ready to assist the other student and actively helping them to work through the problem.
He thinks he should explain it and allow them the privacy to work through it and make mistakes. When he moves away from the other student, the teacher thinks he is "losing interest and wandering away."
My son FEELS resentful that he is being asked to help other students while being held back in math himself. He doesn't have a problem helping others and is very social but there is a communication gap between he and his teacher that I bridge.
Just another 0.02. :-)
