Hi, Val,
Sorry if I missed this up-thread (I read some of it earlier but we're up to 9 pages now!), but if the teacher is this particular it must have come to the attention of other parents as well, I would think. Have you had the opportunity to discuss this with anyone else--because that might be helpful. (On the other hand, perhaps it would be tricky if your kid is working far ahead of others, but still--the staples?? I would think most parents would find that ridiculous, at least in private.) Also I would imagine somebody who is this picky about what the students are doing might also have rubbed her colleagues the wrong way as well. It would be nice if teachers like this faced some pressure--social or from people higher up the scholastic food chain--to be more reasonable.