I'm depressed that this is a common practice. It makes me wonder if this is taught to librarians?
Um, no. These bizarre stories are really hard to read, and help remind me that however frustrating our school situation is there are things to be thankful for. I/my kids have never encountered any limitations on book choices; we have found the opposite, in that the librarians we know, both at school and in the public libraries around here are happy to listen and help kids find what they are looking for. We have found this to be true in classroom libraries, as well.
Independent reading has got to be the easiest way to accommodate different abilities in the elementary classroom- thank goodness some teachers (and librarians) get that, and sorry to those of you who have to work with those who don't get it.
