Another redshirting dilemma, switching from public to private in 5 years

[Anonymous]

This redshirting is insane. Either your kid is ready for kindergarten or not. Yours is. The whole repeating a grade is usually for the legacy/sibling kids who aren't smart enough to get into the school. They make them repeat.

Helicopter mommies need to stop holding your kids back. I was 4 when I went to kindergarten and graduated at 17. We wonder why we can't compete with other countries and this is one of the reasons. 19yr olds in high school?? Ridiculous!! Send your kid to school already.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This redshirting is insane. Either your kid is ready for kindergarten or not. Yours is. The whole repeating a grade is usually for the legacy/sibling kids who aren't smart enough to get into the school. They make them repeat.

Helicopter mommies need to stop holding your kids back. I was 4 when I went to kindergarten and graduated at 17. We wonder why we can't compete with other countries and this is one of the reasons. 19yr olds in high school?? Ridiculous!! Send your kid to school already.

Summer birthday kids are not going to be 19 in high school, moron, unless their high school graduation is in late June or beyond...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:In 5 years the age won't matter. Don't red shirt

Actually, that's often when the age difference starts to matter. Even a very bright kid who's at the lower end of the age range will often encounter social challenges around middle school. I teach middle school and I see it every day. And, yes, I know many parents will say that middle school is awful for everybody, but even if you believe that (which I don't), why make it harder for your child? The reality is that so much about school has changed over the last 20-30 years. Parents accept this, yet many continue to believe that the age for starting school shouldn't change accordingly. I'm not sure that makes a lot of sense.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It is common for kids to repeat a grade when they go to private. Make your best choice now, and don't worry about the future. Because repeating is common in the move to private, you have an even easier choice. When you're ready to move him, you'll be able to evaluate where he is and whether red shirting would be a benefit or not.

+1 -- my 3 summer birthday kids all repeated a grade when entering private in MS; not a big deal at all

that would be a huge deal to me.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:In 5 years the age won't matter. Don't red shirt

Actually, that's often when the age difference starts to matter. Even a very bright kid who's at the lower end of the age range will often encounter social challenges around middle school. I teach middle school and I see it every day. And, yes, I know many parents will say that middle school is awful for everybody, but even if you believe that (which I don't), why make it harder for your child? The reality is that so much about school has changed over the last 20-30 years. Parents accept this, yet many continue to believe that the age for starting school shouldn't change accordingly. I'm not sure that makes a lot of sense.

For example? With respect to middle school, please.

[Anonymous]

August bday..a boy? I would red shirt. I would probably find a cheaper option jk somewhere and then do k in public school for five years. I would not want to be repeating in fifth grade no way that would be awful.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It is common for kids to repeat a grade when they go to private. Make your best choice now, and don't worry about the future. Because repeating is common in the move to private, you have an even easier choice. When you're ready to move him, you'll be able to evaluate where he is and whether red shirting would be a benefit or not.

+1 -- my 3 summer birthday kids all repeated a grade when entering private in MS; not a big deal at all

that would be a huge deal to me.

There may be other factors, but the school gets an extra year of tuition out of this. Hmmmm.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It is common for kids to repeat a grade when they go to private. Make your best choice now, and don't worry about the future. Because repeating is common in the move to private, you have an even easier choice. When you're ready to move him, you'll be able to evaluate where he is and whether red shirting would be a benefit or not.

+1 -- my 3 summer birthday kids all repeated a grade when entering private in MS; not a big deal at all

that would be a huge deal to me.

There may be other factors, but the school gets an extra year of tuition out of this. Hmmmm.

I was thinking this.

[Anonymous]

DS, late birthday, was not asked to repeat a grade when switching from public to private at Grade 7. It turned out well. Was recently accepted early decision to first choice college.

OP, you might rethink this, too, and not transfer to private until middle school. Not sure where your child is grade-wise.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This redshirting is insane. Either your kid is ready for kindergarten or not. Yours is. The whole repeating a grade is usually for the legacy/sibling kids who aren't smart enough to get into the school. They make them repeat.

Helicopter mommies need to stop holding your kids back. I was 4 when I went to kindergarten and graduated at 17. We wonder why we can't compete with other countries and this is one of the reasons. 19yr olds in high school?? Ridiculous!! Send your kid to school already.

Summer birthday kids are not going to be 19 in high school, moron, unless their high school graduation is in late June or beyond...

There are families that redshirt from January on, it is not just summer. My daughter had 7 out of 65 kids turn 13 in 6th grade before June. So yes, they WOULD be 19 BEFORE they graduated. But thank you for the moron compliment.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I don't see this as tricky at all.

I think that IF in five years you regret not redshirting, you are just as likely to regret it if ds is in public school as if ds is in private. Issues related to maturity, organization, size, developmental stage are likely to crop up in either/any environment.

Also, private K is usually more developmentally appropriate/less academic than public, so if you think he's going to be fine in public K, I don't see why you'd worry at all.

But also - all kinds of things happen. Plans change, jobs change, people move, you and your kid may love his school and not want to switch him. I'd just worry about now.

+1

Your question assumes that private school is per se more demanding than public school is - and that is simply not true. In some cases, it is the opposite.

Make your decision in the here and now.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It is common for kids to repeat a grade when they go to private. Make your best choice now, and don't worry about the future. Because repeating is common in the move to private, you have an even easier choice. When you're ready to move him, you'll be able to evaluate where he is and whether red shirting would be a benefit or not.

+1 -- my 3 summer birthday kids all repeated a grade when entering private in MS; not a big deal at all

that would be a huge deal to me.

It would be a huge deal to you as a parent now, or it would have been a huge deal to you as a kid? In either case, why? Wouldn't you want to be with kids your age? Why wouldn't it be persuasive to you -- as a parent or child that different schools have different age ranges for each grade? That seemed pretty straigthforward to our kids.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Redshirt when you switch

This. Only if you need to.

[Anonymous]

My son is in 5th grade and just went to a 12th birthday party. My daughter is in 7th grade and turned 12 in Sept. I think the red shirting is making the curriculum tough for teachers. Some with a 2yr age gap. The more people redshirt, the more people will want to because what once was the youngest in the class by a few days, others months at most and no more than a year max, is now having kids with Sept birthdays with kids 18 months older than them in the same class. I wish schools would put age windows for acceptance.

Also, the studies show the youngest kids in the class are usually the smartest. Not the oldest.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It is common for kids to repeat a grade when they go to private. Make your best choice now, and don't worry about the future. Because repeating is common in the move to private, you have an even easier choice. When you're ready to move him, you'll be able to evaluate where he is and whether red shirting would be a benefit or not.

+1 -- my 3 summer birthday kids all repeated a grade when entering private in MS; not a big deal at all

that would be a huge deal to me.

It would be a huge deal to you as a parent now, or it would have been a huge deal to you as a kid? In either case, why? Wouldn't you want to be with kids your age? Why wouldn't it be persuasive to you -- as a parent or child that different schools have different age ranges for each grade? That seemed pretty straigthforward to our kids.

Not the PP, but I think that if I were a child, and somebody said, "Ok, you just did third grade with these kids in this school, and now you're going to do third grade again with these other kids in this other school, but it's great! they'll be your age!", I would be dubious.