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To be fair, there does appear to be a first grade teacher--and likely parent of an advanced learner--who comments further down the thread that teachers can allow for both teacher-selected texts and parent/student-selected texts in school, combining the mandate to cover the state curriculum with meeting the student at her reading level.

Though that is only one voice out of many others opposed.

Certainly, not all teachers are like that...DS has had two who are emphatically not, bless their souls. But it's interesting, and a little scary, to see behind the curtain.

Honestly, before I had a child who could read this well this young (DS read the Narnia series at 4, for instance) I probably would have been skeptical that children like this existed. I read at 4, too--but not Narnia. But the thing that bothers me is that teachers ought to be open to the idea of difference, right? You ought to go in there with an open mind (you may be allowed to be skeptical, a bit) and see what the child can do. You can't just be so damned reactionary.

Here are 5 years of media checking out by my son at school

k- not allowed to check out/bring home books (teacher on disability and maternity leave most of first half of year) went to media center for story time, time to read books pulled by the specialist on the tables afterwards, teacher checked out to the classroom up to 50 books for classroom reading. I took him to public library (or went by myself) weekly basis for appropriate reading material for him and bedtime stories I read to him. When teacher came back assessed him at DRA level of 40 and his needs were met by teacher instructionally and books available and enrichment group. I don't know if they checked out books or not when she came back...he didn't bring them home.

1-new school with dual language program...teachers didn't agree with DRA of 40 from previous school. Media rule was each week check out one book in Spanish, one picture book around first grade level, one informational book. I went in and got a notation on his card that he could chose a picture book or a chapter book up to third or fourth grade level. He spent the rest of the year reading every Geronimo Stilton and goosebump book in the school media center. No one helped him at the school with selection so I continued to support him after school at the public library.

Summer in between first and second grade he read up a storm over a hundred books. About 2 weeks into school year I took a huge shopping bag full of books he had read and a list of those we had checked out of the library...the show and tell was to explain that he could read any level and that he was a voracious reader. Nobody was to put Baby in a corner. About two months later staffed gifted.

2-from that conversation wasn't limited and checked out one Spanish book, one informational, and one his choice (other kids had to pick in their assessed AR range). They tracked AR points and he won out of the entire school (beating 3rd, 4th and 5th graders).

3rd grade he skipped

4th grade same as second

5th grade same

I had to supplement with public library and our own rules until we were all on the same page in the second grade. But really, I still have to now, just less. And he is a media center helper this year and she lets them get extra books above the three book limits if she knows they are fast readers and he is in there every morning so he returns and picked out books all the time.

I guess while there were some restrictions in my kids library. I just didn't rely on the school library being their man source of books, most of my kids read books that I'd bought either through Scholastic book club or the excellent local children's book shop nearby. In school they were allowed to take out a book in their AR level for K-3rd and one free choice. Honestly my son was mostly taking out non-fiction books in K-2nd grade. One of the ways that I managed to make sure he could check out appropriate books was I volunteered to help at library time and got to know the librarians and the library that way.

That is what I found sad about it-- that the teacher(s) didn't seem to consider the harm that they'd be doing by shutting this child down-- if it WERE legit.

That wouldn't be a neutral thing, and might set the tone for "school" for both students and parents not only for the year, but for years in the future.

Oh, the school library is generally a minor source of books in my kids' lives. However, DS is spending a lot of his school day reading independently at this point (much better than going over phonics!), and is also sent to the libary during class time to check out his own books. So, the librarian actually matters to his life. His teacher is dealing with her for me.

I feel like a couple of people have mentioned this, and it's a nice idea if you can do it, but I can't (I work). And we shouldn't have to...you know?

On two occasions in different years (k and either 1st or 2nd), I had to send a message to the VP saying, effectively, please stop preventing my DD's access to literature, there's nothing in an elementary school library that should be barred to her.

This was a major problem for DD because they wouldn't let her bring any literature from home, anything she read during free time had to come from the school. And since she had a lot of free time...

Thankfully, the gifted teachers have a private library DD is allowed to access, and they're good about keeping it stocked with contemporary literature the kids are interested in, so that's a solved problem now. The only issue we had there was when one of the teachers requested a hand-written, signed note approving DD's access to Harry Potter.

I spent one term (out of a five-quarter sequence) in an elementary ed master's program. I seem to recall that I had four courses (plus field experiences): literacy, numeracy, sociology in the schools, and multicultural topics in education. So we spent half the time talking about social justice issues, and the other half on pedagogy. I didn't stick around for the other four terms, so I don't know what they would have gone on to.

So many of these stories, and that thread, are horrifying.

In my credential program they practically laughed at us if we asked about gifted eduction. "Ha! You wish! You don't need to worry about that, you'll be teaching troubled kids and struggling to connect with them etc etc." Of course I ended up teaching nearly all honors/AP and definitely had genius students I (as a newish teacher) struggled to challenge. It would have been nice not to go in with only my own memories of feeling under-challenged in school to guide me.

I recall asking for Les Miserables at the school library and being informed it was not a children's book. The first week of junior high I marched into the library, checked it out, and read it easily. It stretched me in some ways (old-fashioned quirks), but it wasn't difficult vocabulary or content.

There are several kids in DD's second grade class reading Potter now. Some parents will have them stop after a few (which I tried, but DD was desperate! And wasn't disturbed at all. She's stone cold. She loved them! But I guess she gets it's fiction. And she certainly "comprehended" them!)