....so, I was able to take a deep breath and try to move forward. I thought- well- even though the page said, "no substitutions"- I could at least ask. Perhaps they are concerned that a kid might substitute something at an easier level- or something inappropriate? Who knows.... So I did my best to write a kind email explaining that dd8 was into this particular literary classic right now- and might she be able to read that instead? The teacher was Nice- but the answer was no... She said that the book was "too high" for a third grader in September. She said that while she had not been able to assess dd8's reading level yet, she would not be allowed to read the original classic- but perhaps she could find a "version" of the book that was on 3rd grade level. Sigh. So- I think reading at school is going to be a non-starter. I appreciate that some have suggested active defiance and just writing what she is actually reading on the log- if we pull her out of that school- I'd go there- but right now, I should probably try to pretend to be compliant with the dumb third grade reading laws. As others have reminded me, they can't control what she reads outside of school. I just wonder if I should say that the 5 minutes of reading they are sending home is taking her 30 minutes, so that they don't send more- or if I should just write that it is taking her 5 minutes.
I think that my childhood education was far from ideal- but I never thought I would wax poetic about being able to go to the school library, pull a book, and read whatever the heck I wanted.
