Since apparently nobody ever took us through “phonics,” I suspect we learned to read by “sight.”
My kindergarten teacher was so offended by my being able to read, in actuality better than she did, that she called my mom in to complain. Apparently it was against the rules or something to not learn via the designated system. Mom thought it was hilarious.
I remember getting in trouble in kindergarten for doing the worksheets too quickly. They would have instructions like "circle the cat in each picture" that were meant for the teacher to read to the students. I had circled all my cats before the teacher was done explaining what should be done.
Schools really can't handle the intelligent kids. If I was in school today, I guess I would be pumped full for ritalin to keep me from reading ahead.