LOL i do this all the time... i nvr use the methods given from the books i have b/c i always find faster ways & i nvr like 2 solve word problems w/ more than one equation.
my dad was like that too... he would figure out better ways 2 do stuf than what his teacher said, & realized he was better at the subject than his teacher. There's a funny story about that XD but i'll just sum it up. Homework was weighted 10% of his highschool math course's grade, & the tests were 90%. He refused 2 do the homework, saying he would still get an "A" w/o it. The teacher swore up & down that he wouldn't, & that she could design a test he couldn't do, to which he replied, "No you can't." He would plainly tell the teachers that he was watching TV during homework time. Well, he said that at the end of the year, his teacher hated to give him that "A".
FYI: For anyone reading this, I highly don't suggest following these examples if u struggle w/ stuff; it can kick me in the shins sometimes if i get lost (which doesn't happen often, but has happened) lol
