I'm a K-2 math/science teacher with a son who began reading simple paragraphs at age 2. He just turned 3 and is gaining fluency. On rare occasions he'll read to others, at which point I inevitably hear, "She's a teacher, so I'm sure she works with him all the time."

Now, if I could teach 2 and 3 year olds to read, I would be demanding a dramatic increase in my salary... But such comments do lead me to wonder, "Can you seriously hothouse a toddler into reading?" I suspect you could teach them a few words, as a lot of kids this age begin to recognize some environmental print, but whole sentences and paragraphs? Really?

Maybe there are parents who successfully hothouse. If so, what in the world are they doing? Not that I'm advocating for it, I'm just curious about the mechanics and the rate of success.