A prominent feature of education in the United States is the widespread endorsement of an "achievement narrative," which links individual motivation and effort to academic achievement. In mathematics and science domains, this narrative is often coupled with one that special intelligence is required for people to do math and science. We argue that such narrative are especially problematic for students from non-dominant backgrounds, since de-racialized, ready-made narratives such as these obscure how broader sociopolitical structures shape individual and racial group success in school, and normalize the experiences of white children. We analyzed the negotiation of such master-narratives by students from less dominant backgrounds as they figured themselves and others in the world of school achievement, and learning mathematics. Our analysis demonstrates the importance of initiating and orchestrating conversations that support students in explicitly grappling with these master-narratives in order to confront and change the power they hold.