Caught Read Handed

(I’m in the gifted education program, and obsessed with reading. Each day I come with three non-school related books in my book bag, and finish the class assigned reading in a day when it is assigned for a full month. When I get to sixth grade, the teacher has heard about this.)

Teacher: “[My name], come here. I know you like to read ahead in the assigned reading, and I don’t want you to do that. From now on you’ll be getting these once a week.”

(She hands me a photo-copied packet of two chapters.)

Teacher: “Please don’t lose them.”

(I’m furious, but being small and shy, I nod, and finish the two chapters by the next class. My best friend feels sorry for me, and gives me her copy of the book. The next day in class, I’m reading one of my extra books.)

Teacher: “[My name], what are you doing?”

Me: “Reading!”

Teacher: “Where is your packet?”

Me: “I didn’t bring it, because [friend] gave me her book and let me finish it!”

(The teacher is raging, stops class to lecture me, and ends up confiscating my book from home. I’m now forbidden from reading in her class, and tell my mom about it.)

Mom: “Well, that’s stupid of her. School starts at nine tomorrow, right? I’m going to go up there and raise hell.”

(True to her word, my mother goes to the principal, who calls the teacher, and she and my mother proceed to throw fits in the principal’s office; my mother wins. She gets the reading list for the year, gets all the books from the library, and I read them in a week. From then on, I always made sure the teacher saw me read her books in her class.)