sbutler

Posted on 9/30/09

As a parent I would be livid that my child would not be allowed
to choose a book to read. We live in the USA and even kids
have freedoms!! Geez, the books are not banned! I would have
the parents sign a permission slip saying they are allowed to
check out and extra book for home reading. What is with these
teachers thinking they "own" the kids and treating the specials
teachers as if they are lesser than themselves?

On 9/25/09, Frank wrote:
> What do I do about a teacher who continues to dictate (not
> guide) what she allows her students to check out from the
> library? I always make sure her kids have an on-level AR
> book, something she requires, but I also allow at least one
> free choice book. She has a big problem with this. She
> does not want to let her students borrow any graphic
> novels, Goosebumps, etc. She does not understand that
> Goosebumps and other low level books can actually act as a
> bridge into higher level chapter books, something that she
> wants from her students. She sends kids back if I manage
> to let them get a graphic novel or a nonfiction selection
> about personal interests. Most of our students are ELL so
> graphic novels go a long way in getting these kids
> interested in reading, another fact that she does not
> recognize or understand. She tells her kids such things
> as "put that back you cannot read it" in front of the whole
> class, even if it is just one level above their AR level or
> even if it is ON their level but she just happens to not
> like the book herself. She's even told me that she should
> be the one to decide what her kids read. I've tried to
> reason with her, I've given her the research various times
> but she obviously doesn't read it. I've even pointed out
> that the state skills require free selection. The
> principal doesn't care. Her test scores are low and have
> been for years. She was educated several decades ago in
> South America. I'm in my third year with this woman and
> frankly it is really sad to see the damage she is doing to
> her students. How can I fight this?

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