Why don’t schools make you just through some hoops for redshirting?

[Anonymous]

Just enroll your kid in kindergarten already. Yes, your kid will be among the youngest and the early years of grade school will have more twists and turns, but in the long run it's better. That way, your student graduates from high school at 17 instead of 19 or 20.

Our summer birthday started college at almost 18 and will graduate with a bachelor's at 21. A lot of her redshirted peers in the same grade are already 23. They'll graduate with a bachelor's at 24/25/26. Half their 20s are already over, and now what? Grad school? They'll be almost 30 by the time they hit the workforce...

Look ahead 20 years, OP. Redshirting actually holds your kid back later.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Just enroll your kid in kindergarten already. Yes, your kid will be among the youngest and the early years of grade school will have more twists and turns, but in the long run it's better. That way, your student graduates from high school at 17 instead of 19 or 20.

Our summer birthday started college at almost 18 and will graduate with a bachelor's at 21. A lot of her redshirted peers in the same grade are already 23. They'll graduate with a bachelor's at 24/25/26. Half their 20s are already over, and now what? Grad school? They'll be almost 30 by the time they hit the workforce...

Look ahead 20 years, OP. Redshirting actually holds your kid back later.

+1

Agree. It is unfair to make your kid graduate high school when they are 19 or almost 19.

[Anonymous]

My DD is in 3rd grade and has a classmate who’s 10 already. A few more turn 10 before she turns 9 this spring. It’s bonkers but I’m just relieved it’s not like the olden days when you get your learners’ permit at 15, because it would be insane for an 8th grader to drive themselves (with a parent in the car) to school!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My DD is in 3rd grade and has a classmate who’s 10 already. A few more turn 10 before she turns 9 this spring. It’s bonkers but I’m just relieved it’s not like the olden days when you get your learners’ permit at 15, because it would be insane for an 8th grader to drive themselves (with a parent in the car) to school!

Nevermind, just looked up rules in my state and these kids can have learner’s permits at 15. Yikes.

[Anonymous]

Can confirm there is no red shirting in NYC. Our K class is all kids born in 2018. I have a March kid who is one of the oldest.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Be glad the cutoff is 9/1.

In New York State, it’s 12/31. And people still redshirt summer boys at least, so the gap is huge.

That’s too much. Public schools really need to mandate it. Anything that is 6months from the cutoff should require a medical/learning condition of some sort that they are receiving services for.

Nonsense. You parent your kids, let other people parent theirs.

The point is that it affects others. It affects the class dynamic. It changes the age and size range etc in the class.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I actually don't think this is a bad idea.

+1. I mean, there are a lot of hoops for advancing your kid a year, why wouldn't there be the same for holding them back?

I do think there are kids who should be redshirted even when their birthday is not near the cutoff. My DD has a friend in her class who has March birthday and was redshirted. But she has special needs and it was done specifically to give her a chance to mature a bit more, and I think it was a really good call. DD is young for the grade and they are actually buddies because they are both on the immature side, even though the friend is actually over a year older than DD. It's fine, kids mature at different rates and this was the right call for this kid.

But she had documented special needs and I know it was a measured decision with a conversation between the family and the school to figure out what was the best fit. To me that is best practice. I don't understand talking about redshirting without even consulting the school unless the child is within a couple months of the cutoff.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Be glad the cutoff is 9/1.

In New York State, it’s 12/31. And people still redshirt summer boys at least, so the gap is huge.

That’s too much. Public schools really need to mandate it. Anything that is 6months from the cutoff should require a medical/learning condition of some sort that they are receiving services for.

Nonsense. You parent your kids, let other people parent theirs.

The point is that it affects others. It affects the class dynamic. It changes the age and size range etc in the class.

This. I don't understand the attitude that redshirting is a purely individual choice. Obviously there's a social/cooperative dynamic or there wouldn't be age cut offs at all. They'd just tell parents to send kids when they felt like it.

I don't have any issues with redshirting when appropriate but I don't think it should just be a unilateral parent choice unless you're talking about kids right near the cut off where it's not really going to make a difference for the cohort (a redshirted August birthday is always either going to be the oldest or youngest, but only by a bit so I don't care what parents choose in those cases).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My DD is in 3rd grade and has a classmate who’s 10 already. A few more turn 10 before she turns 9 this spring. It’s bonkers but I’m just relieved it’s not like the olden days when you get your learners’ permit at 15, because it would be insane for an 8th grader to drive themselves (with a parent in the car) to school!

Nevermind, just looked up rules in my state and these kids can have learner’s permits at 15. Yikes.

In some states it’s 14!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Just enroll your kid in kindergarten already. Yes, your kid will be among the youngest and the early years of grade school will have more twists and turns, but in the long run it's better. That way, your student graduates from high school at 17 instead of 19 or 20.

Our summer birthday started college at almost 18 and will graduate with a bachelor's at 21. A lot of her redshirted peers in the same grade are already 23. They'll graduate with a bachelor's at 24/25/26. Half their 20s are already over, and now what? Grad school? They'll be almost 30 by the time they hit the workforce...

Look ahead 20 years, OP. Redshirting actually holds your kid back later.

+1

Agree. It is unfair to make your kid graduate high school when they are 19 or almost 19.

Right on cue, the inability to do math pops up.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Just enroll your kid in kindergarten already. Yes, your kid will be among the youngest and the early years of grade school will have more twists and turns, but in the long run it's better. That way, your student graduates from high school at 17 instead of 19 or 20.

Our summer birthday started college at almost 18 and will graduate with a bachelor's at 21. A lot of her redshirted peers in the same grade are already 23. They'll graduate with a bachelor's at 24/25/26. Half their 20s are already over, and now what? Grad school? They'll be almost 30 by the time they hit the workforce...

Look ahead 20 years, OP. Redshirting actually holds your kid back later.

+1

Agree. It is unfair to make your kid graduate high school when they are 19 or almost 19.

Right on cue, the inability to do math pops up.

Your inability.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Be glad the cutoff is 9/1.

In New York State, it’s 12/31. And people still redshirt summer boys at least, so the gap is huge.

That’s too much. Public schools really need to mandate it. Anything that is 6months from the cutoff should require a medical/learning condition of some sort that they are receiving services for.

Nonsense. You parent your kids, let other people parent theirs.

The point is that it affects others. It affects the class dynamic. It changes the age and size range etc in the class.

I assume you are stopping all outside supplementation, then? Since you are so concerned about what affects the class dynamics? Your kid had better not be doing outside worksheets or RSM or being read to at home. All of those activities, particularly outside tutoring like RSM and other academic programs, demonstrably have a far greater negative impact on class dynamics than redshirting. There is a lot of educational literature about how these programs skew the education of the entire class and how inequitable they are.

And don’t bother answering. I know you’ll come up with nonsense, self-serving reasons why your educational decisions for your child are perfectly fine but other people’s are not. I didn’t redshirt, but I absolutely despise the blantant hypocrisy of the anti-redshirters.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Just enroll your kid in kindergarten already. Yes, your kid will be among the youngest and the early years of grade school will have more twists and turns, but in the long run it's better. That way, your student graduates from high school at 17 instead of 19 or 20.

Our summer birthday started college at almost 18 and will graduate with a bachelor's at 21. A lot of her redshirted peers in the same grade are already 23. They'll graduate with a bachelor's at 24/25/26. Half their 20s are already over, and now what? Grad school? They'll be almost 30 by the time they hit the workforce...

Look ahead 20 years, OP. Redshirting actually holds your kid back later.

+1

Agree. It is unfair to make your kid graduate high school when they are 19 or almost 19.

Right on cue, the inability to do math pops up.

Your inability.

No, I can add. It is the anti-redshirters who cannot add.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You’ll have to reach out to your school board. A redshirted spring/summer birthday would be turning six before K not 7.

I’m talking about our current class. 3 kids are 7 already and it’s February. This is a Sep 1 cutoff public school.

Public schools don’t have a requirement that kids start until they are 6 by September 1. Kids can start at 5 or they can defer a year and enter at either K or 1st grade. Not starting at age 5 is following the rules. You just don’t like the rules which allow parents latitude about deciding when to enroll their kids.

The PP who said go to the school board is right. That would be the only way to change it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Be glad the cutoff is 9/1.

In New York State, it’s 12/31. And people still redshirt summer boys at least, so the gap is huge.

That’s too much. Public schools really need to mandate it. Anything that is 6months from the cutoff should require a medical/learning condition of some sort that they are receiving services for.

Nonsense. You parent your kids, let other people parent theirs.

The point is that it affects others. It affects the class dynamic. It changes the age and size range etc in the class.

This. I don't understand the attitude that redshirting is a purely individual choice. Obviously there's a social/cooperative dynamic or there wouldn't be age cut offs at all. They'd just tell parents to send kids when they felt like it.

I don't have any issues with redshirting when appropriate but I don't think it should just be a unilateral parent choice unless you're talking about kids right near the cut off where it's not really going to make a difference for the cohort (a redshirted August birthday is always either going to be the oldest or youngest, but only by a bit so I don't care what parents choose in those cases).

Make up your minds. Does it hurt others or only hold your own kid back if you redshirt? So many people post about what a tragedy it is to redshirt your kid and the message it sends to them and how their young for grade kid is running circles around everyone. So what's the problem? I think it's pretty clear people use the faux concern as a cover because they are insecure about their own kids.