Almost 7 year old in kindergarten!!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have a child w/a late Nov bday (FCPS) so they will start K at 5.5 and will finish K at 6.5. How is a 6.5 year old in K that different from a 7 year old, really?

Exactly. People are taking extremes. Could there be a 6 and 8 yo in the same class? Sure. But it is likely the 6 year old is close to 7 by the time the other child turns 8.
So maybe at the extreme we are talking about an almost 7 year old and a new 6 yo.

My DS liked mincraft when he was 5 and at 7.5 he is still taking about it. I don't see this changing soon.

We didn't allow minecraft till 6. The extremes are an issue. Our first grade has mid-6 year olds who have summer and fall birthdays and we have kids who have been 8 for a month or two. 6-7 is fine. 7-8 is fine. But not 6-8, when the 8 year olds should be in 2nd. If it was for maturity, holding them back clearly didn't help. If it was for academics, well, doubt that as they are doing well academically. So, why?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

If kids are not ready, then the preschool and parents should have prepared them for school. I feel bad about holding my child back a year where he didn't get much out of school for a year, but I'm glad we moved him ahead a year to give him what he needs. We have worked a lot with him to get him ready and for him to be prepared. A huge part of it is parenting.

Why do you care what others do for their own kids?

Because it impacts my child and his needs. If my child goes into K. reading, he's basically in a holding pattern till the rest of the kids catch up. If my child knows his basics, he's not getting much academically out of school as it is review. If a child is held back, socially it makes it difficult, especially if the older ones, like in our situation are bored and misbehaving which constantly disrupts class time. And, then worse, to fit in, my child initially would try to copy (we put a stop to that quickly as did the school but they cannot get the other kids behaviors under control). This year, in 1st, my child is ready and asking for multiplication and division, but they are working on basics like telling time, which my child has known for several years. So, the only way to meet his interests is to homeschool on top of regular school. Most kids are ready to do more but not being given the opportunity and instead we dumb it down.

My DS was already reading prior to K and in fact just asked the other day if he could do multiplication (we've been watching a lot of School House Rocks). Guess what PP, this is not standard. Kids are not required to read in K and as for more advanced math, that is not a requirement of 1st grade. So it is not the kids that went on time who are young who are "holding back" the class. The curriculum is what it is. So parents like us supplement at home. We are in Arlington so advanced testing doesn't happen till next year. If my son is still ahead by then I expect he will have more challenging work in 3rd grade. If he levels out with his peers I expect he'll stay where he is.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have a child w/a late Nov bday (FCPS) so they will start K at 5.5 and will finish K at 6.5. How is a 6.5 year old in K that different from a 7 year old, really?

Exactly. People are taking extremes. Could there be a 6 and 8 yo in the same class? Sure. But it is likely the 6 year old is close to 7 by the time the other child turns 8.
So maybe at the extreme we are talking about an almost 7 year old and a new 6 yo.

My DS liked minecraft when he was 5 and at 7.5 he is still taking about it. I don't see this changing soon.

We didn't allow minecraft till 6. The extremes are an issue. Our first grade has mid-6 year olds who have summer and fall birthdays and we have kids who have been 8 for a month or two. 6-7 is fine. 7-8 is fine. But not 6-8, when the 8 year olds should be in 2nd. If it was for maturity, holding them back clearly didn't help. If it was for academics, well, doubt that as they are doing well academically. So, why?

But it is not 6-8. Months count at this age. We are not talking about the difference between 36 and 38.
DS has a child in class who turned 6 on 9/30 (the APS cut off). She is the youngest in the class at 6 years and 8 months (as of Monday). This makes her 17 or 18 months younger than the oldest child in your scenario.
I am just not seeing how this is a big deal. This child is the extreme. I know her mother and she seems to be doing well in school. My DS has a late October bday so a kid who turned 8 in April would only be 6 months older than my son. Big deal. So while yes technically you have 6, 7 and 8 in one class you are really talking about 6.5, 7.5 and 8.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have a child w/a late Nov bday (FCPS) so they will start K at 5.5 and will finish K at 6.5. How is a 6.5 year old in K that different from a 7 year old, really?

Exactly. People are taking extremes. Could there be a 6 and 8 yo in the same class? Sure. But it is likely the 6 year old is close to 7 by the time the other child turns 8.
So maybe at the extreme we are talking about an almost 7 year old and a new 6 yo.

My DS liked minecraft when he was 5 and at 7.5 he is still taking about it. I don't see this changing soon.

We didn't allow minecraft till 6. The extremes are an issue. Our first grade has mid-6 year olds who have summer and fall birthdays and we have kids who have been 8 for a month or two. 6-7 is fine. 7-8 is fine. But not 6-8, when the 8 year olds should be in 2nd. If it was for maturity, holding them back clearly didn't help. If it was for academics, well, doubt that as they are doing well academically. So, why?

But it is not 6-8. Months count at this age. We are not talking about the difference between 36 and 38.
DS has a child in class who turned 6 on 9/30 (the APS cut off). She is the youngest in the class at 6 years and 8 months (as of Monday). This makes her 17 or 18 months younger than the oldest child in your scenario.
I am just not seeing how this is a big deal. This child is the extreme. I know her mother and she seems to be doing well in school. My DS has a late October bday so a kid who turned 8 in April would only be 6 months older than my son. Big deal. So while yes technically you have 6, 7 and 8 in one class you are really talking about 6.5, 7.5 and 8.

Thank you. While there may be "extreme" examples - the majority are not. I just fail to see how this is that big of a deal. There was one poster on here whose child's class size is 9 kids. So yes for them, 2 redshirted kids "might" make a difference. But most of us are not dealing with 9 kids in a class. Also I would think that with that small of a class size - the teacher could differentiate quite well.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have a child w/a late Nov bday (FCPS) so they will start K at 5.5 and will finish K at 6.5. How is a 6.5 year old in K that different from a 7 year old, really?

Exactly. People are taking extremes. Could there be a 6 and 8 yo in the same class? Sure. But it is likely the 6 year old is close to 7 by the time the other child turns 8.
So maybe at the extreme we are talking about an almost 7 year old and a new 6 yo.

My DS liked minecraft when he was 5 and at 7.5 he is still taking about it. I don't see this changing soon.

We didn't allow minecraft till 6. The extremes are an issue. Our first grade has mid-6 year olds who have summer and fall birthdays and we have kids who have been 8 for a month or two. 6-7 is fine. 7-8 is fine. But not 6-8, when the 8 year olds should be in 2nd. If it was for maturity, holding them back clearly didn't help. If it was for academics, well, doubt that as they are doing well academically. So, why?

But it is not 6-8. Months count at this age. We are not talking about the difference between 36 and 38.
DS has a child in class who turned 6 on 9/30 (the APS cut off). She is the youngest in the class at 6 years and 8 months (as of Monday). This makes her 17 or 18 months younger than the oldest child in your scenario.
I am just not seeing how this is a big deal. This child is the extreme. I know her mother and she seems to be doing well in school. My DS has a late October bday so a kid who turned 8 in April would only be 6 months older than my son. Big deal. So while yes technically you have 6, 7 and 8 in one class you are really talking about 6.5, 7.5 and 8.

Thank you. While there may be "extreme" examples - the majority are not. I just fail to see how this is that big of a deal. There was one poster on here whose child's class size is 9 kids. So yes for them, 2 redshirted kids "might" make a difference. But most of us are not dealing with 9 kids in a class. Also I would think that with that small of a class size - the teacher could differentiate quite well.

They could differentiate, but they will not. (asked many times).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have a child w/a late Nov bday (FCPS) so they will start K at 5.5 and will finish K at 6.5. How is a 6.5 year old in K that different from a 7 year old, really?

Exactly. People are taking extremes. Could there be a 6 and 8 yo in the same class? Sure. But it is likely the 6 year old is close to 7 by the time the other child turns 8.
So maybe at the extreme we are talking about an almost 7 year old and a new 6 yo.

My DS liked minecraft when he was 5 and at 7.5 he is still taking about it. I don't see this changing soon.

We didn't allow minecraft till 6. The extremes are an issue. Our first grade has mid-6 year olds who have summer and fall birthdays and we have kids who have been 8 for a month or two. 6-7 is fine. 7-8 is fine. But not 6-8, when the 8 year olds should be in 2nd. If it was for maturity, holding them back clearly didn't help. If it was for academics, well, doubt that as they are doing well academically. So, why?

But it is not 6-8. Months count at this age. We are not talking about the difference between 36 and 38.
DS has a child in class who turned 6 on 9/30 (the APS cut off). She is the youngest in the class at 6 years and 8 months (as of Monday). This makes her 17 or 18 months younger than the oldest child in your scenario.
I am just not seeing how this is a big deal. This child is the extreme. I know her mother and she seems to be doing well in school. My DS has a late October bday so a kid who turned 8 in April would only be 6 months older than my son. Big deal. So while yes technically you have 6, 7 and 8 in one class you are really talking about 6.5, 7.5 and 8.

Thank you. While there may be "extreme" examples - the majority are not. I just fail to see how this is that big of a deal. There was one poster on here whose child's class size is 9 kids. So yes for them, 2 redshirted kids "might" make a difference. But most of us are not dealing with 9 kids in a class. Also I would think that with that small of a class size - the teacher could differentiate quite well.

They could differentiate, but they will not. (asked many times).

Well this is not a red-shirting problem.

[Anonymous]

Because it impacts my child and his needs. If my child goes into K. reading, he's basically in a holding pattern till the rest of the kids catch up. If my child knows his basics, he's not getting much academically out of school as it is review. If a child is held back, socially it makes it difficult, especially if the older ones, like in our situation are bored and misbehaving which constantly disrupts class time. And, then worse, to fit in, my child initially would try to copy (we put a stop to that quickly as did the school but they cannot get the other kids behaviors under control). This year, in 1st, my child is ready and asking for multiplication and division, but they are working on basics like telling time, which my child has known for several years. So, the only way to meet his interests is to homeschool on top of regular school. Most kids are ready to do more but not being given the opportunity and instead we dumb it down.

OP, this is a very sad post. I don't think you understand how school works. I taught for years--and never did I have a "homogenous" class. ALL teachers differentiate--but if by "differentiate" you mean frequent one on one instruction--then you should probably homeschool. That is just not going to happen.

Here is a very simplistic example: A K teacher may have a lesson where the children discuss something the kids can all relate to--perhaps the weather. Then, the class might write a story together on a chart or board. Then, the teacher may have children read it back to her. In all likelihood, she is helping the ones that are already reading increase their reading vocabulary. For the non-readers, she is developing "left to right" reading and, perhaps, working on speaking vocabulary. Then, the kids go back to their seats and do something else with it. For the advanced, that might be writing a story. For others, it might be drawing pictures or practicing a word. As I said, this is a simplistic example--but things like this go on all day in a classroom.

Believe me, your child is not in a "holding pattern". It is close to impossible to keep an advanced kid from progressing--and no teacher wants to do that. AS for the multiplication and division, I don't know what the teacher is doing, but I would think that if your child has already mastered everything the teacher is doing, that they are doing something. And, FWIW, I taught first grade back in the day--and we never spent much time on "telling time". A day or two certainly won't hurt him. These days, lots of kids have never seen an analog clock. Maybe, it takes longer now.

Sounds to me like you need to homeschool. No school is going to give your child total individual instruction. Sounds like that is what you want.

And, I still don't get what this has to do with redshirting.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Because it impacts my child and his needs. If my child goes into K. reading, he's basically in a holding pattern till the rest of the kids catch up. If my child knows his basics, he's not getting much academically out of school as it is review. If a child is held back, socially it makes it difficult, especially if the older ones, like in our situation are bored and misbehaving which constantly disrupts class time. And, then worse, to fit in, my child initially would try to copy (we put a stop to that quickly as did the school but they cannot get the other kids behaviors under control). This year, in 1st, my child is ready and asking for multiplication and division, but they are working on basics like telling time, which my child has known for several years. So, the only way to meet his interests is to homeschool on top of regular school. Most kids are ready to do more but not being given the opportunity and instead we dumb it down.

OP, this is a very sad post. I don't think you understand how school works. I taught for years--and never did I have a "homogenous" class. ALL teachers differentiate--but if by "differentiate" you mean frequent one on one instruction--then you should probably homeschool. That is just not going to happen.

Here is a very simplistic example: A K teacher may have a lesson where the children discuss something the kids can all relate to--perhaps the weather. Then, the class might write a story together on a chart or board. Then, the teacher may have children read it back to her. In all likelihood, she is helping the ones that are already reading increase their reading vocabulary. For the non-readers, she is developing "left to right" reading and, perhaps, working on speaking vocabulary. Then, the kids go back to their seats and do something else with it. For the advanced, that might be writing a story. For others, it might be drawing pictures or practicing a word. As I said, this is a simplistic example--but things like this go on all day in a classroom.

Believe me, your child is not in a "holding pattern". It is close to impossible to keep an advanced kid from progressing--and no teacher wants to do that. AS for the multiplication and division, I don't know what the teacher is doing, but I would think that if your child has already mastered everything the teacher is doing, that they are doing something. And, FWIW, I taught first grade back in the day--and we never spent much time on "telling time". A day or two certainly won't hurt him. These days, lots of kids have never seen an analog clock. Maybe, it takes longer now.

Sounds to me like you need to homeschool. No school is going to give your child total individual instruction. Sounds like that is what you want.

And, I still don't get what this has to do with redshirting.

Amen sister.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Because it impacts my child and his needs. If my child goes into K. reading, he's basically in a holding pattern till the rest of the kids catch up. If my child knows his basics, he's not getting much academically out of school as it is review. If a child is held back, socially it makes it difficult, especially if the older ones, like in our situation are bored and misbehaving which constantly disrupts class time. And, then worse, to fit in, my child initially would try to copy (we put a stop to that quickly as did the school but they cannot get the other kids behaviors under control). This year, in 1st, my child is ready and asking for multiplication and division, but they are working on basics like telling time, which my child has known for several years. So, the only way to meet his interests is to homeschool on top of regular school. Most kids are ready to do more but not being given the opportunity and instead we dumb it down.

OP, this is a very sad post. I don't think you understand how school works. I taught for years--and never did I have a "homogenous" class. ALL teachers differentiate--but if by "differentiate" you mean frequent one on one instruction--then you should probably homeschool. That is just not going to happen.

Here is a very simplistic example: A K teacher may have a lesson where the children discuss something the kids can all relate to--perhaps the weather. Then, the class might write a story together on a chart or board. Then, the teacher may have children read it back to her. In all likelihood, she is helping the ones that are already reading increase their reading vocabulary. For the non-readers, she is developing "left to right" reading and, perhaps, working on speaking vocabulary. Then, the kids go back to their seats and do something else with it. For the advanced, that might be writing a story. For others, it might be drawing pictures or practicing a word. As I said, this is a simplistic example--but things like this go on all day in a classroom.

Believe me, your child is not in a "holding pattern". It is close to impossible to keep an advanced kid from progressing--and no teacher wants to do that. AS for the multiplication and division, I don't know what the teacher is doing, but I would think that if your child has already mastered everything the teacher is doing, that they are doing something. And, FWIW, I taught first grade back in the day--and we never spent much time on "telling time". A day or two certainly won't hurt him. These days, lots of kids have never seen an analog clock. Maybe, it takes longer now.

Sounds to me like you need to homeschool. No school is going to give your child total individual instruction. Sounds like that is what you want.

And, I still don't get what this has to do with redshirting.

Our school is a private and there is no differentiating. They have one set of things they do and that's it. Everyone does the same thing. There is no, one chid can draw while the other child writes. All children either draw or write. There are no reading levels. So, when my child was fully reading, the other kids were learning very basic phonics so my child had to too. Several of the staff didn't even realize my child could read till I forced him to admit it and show them (several months into the school year). We do basically homeschool and school is more for structure and socialization. There was no progress in reading and we made the mistake of focusing on other stuff knowing he could read well. If my child is younger and bored, then what is it like for older kids who master it quickly or know it... what do kids do when they are bored, they act up. The older kids in our school are acting up and their behavior impacts my child as it takes away from teaching time. And, no I do not want 1-1 teaching. I want the teacher to recognize my child's needs and if he is capable of more encourage it. Instead of having him practice his letters last year, allow him to write words, etc.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Because it impacts my child and his needs. If my child goes into K. reading, he's basically in a holding pattern till the rest of the kids catch up. If my child knows his basics, he's not getting much academically out of school as it is review. If a child is held back, socially it makes it difficult, especially if the older ones, like in our situation are bored and misbehaving which constantly disrupts class time. And, then worse, to fit in, my child initially would try to copy (we put a stop to that quickly as did the school but they cannot get the other kids behaviors under control). This year, in 1st, my child is ready and asking for multiplication and division, but they are working on basics like telling time, which my child has known for several years. So, the only way to meet his interests is to homeschool on top of regular school. Most kids are ready to do more but not being given the opportunity and instead we dumb it down.

OP, this is a very sad post. I don't think you understand how school works. I taught for years--and never did I have a "homogenous" class. ALL teachers differentiate--but if by "differentiate" you mean frequent one on one instruction--then you should probably homeschool. That is just not going to happen.

Here is a very simplistic example: A K teacher may have a lesson where the children discuss something the kids can all relate to--perhaps the weather. Then, the class might write a story together on a chart or board. Then, the teacher may have children read it back to her. In all likelihood, she is helping the ones that are already reading increase their reading vocabulary. For the non-readers, she is developing "left to right" reading and, perhaps, working on speaking vocabulary. Then, the kids go back to their seats and do something else with it. For the advanced, that might be writing a story. For others, it might be drawing pictures or practicing a word. As I said, this is a simplistic example--but things like this go on all day in a classroom.

Believe me, your child is not in a "holding pattern". It is close to impossible to keep an advanced kid from progressing--and no teacher wants to do that. AS for the multiplication and division, I don't know what the teacher is doing, but I would think that if your child has already mastered everything the teacher is doing, that they are doing something. And, FWIW, I taught first grade back in the day--and we never spent much time on "telling time". A day or two certainly won't hurt him. These days, lots of kids have never seen an analog clock. Maybe, it takes longer now.

Sounds to me like you need to homeschool. No school is going to give your child total individual instruction. Sounds like that is what you want.

And, I still don't get what this has to do with redshirting.

Our school is a private and there is no differentiating. They have one set of things they do and that's it. Everyone does the same thing. There is no, one chid can draw while the other child writes. All children either draw or write. There are no reading levels. So, when my child was fully reading, the other kids were learning very basic phonics so my child had to too. Several of the staff didn't even realize my child could read till I forced him to admit it and show them (several months into the school year). We do basically homeschool and school is more for structure and socialization. There was no progress in reading and we made the mistake of focusing on other stuff knowing he could read well. If my child is younger and bored, then what is it like for older kids who master it quickly or know it... what do kids do when they are bored, they act up. The older kids in our school are acting up and their behavior impacts my child as it takes away from teaching time. And, no I do not want 1-1 teaching. I want the teacher to recognize my child's needs and if he is capable of more encourage it. Instead of having him practice his letters last year, allow him to write words, etc.

Quite honestly - why are you sending your child to a school that is not meeting his needs? I'm still not really sure how the school not meeting his needs is related to redshirting but aside from that - you don't sound particularly happy with this school.

[Anonymous]

Quite honestly - why are you sending your child to a school that is not meeting his needs? I'm still not really sure how the school not meeting his needs is related to redshirting but aside from that - you don't sound particularly happy with this school.

Agree--why in the world would you pay for this?

[Anonymous]

My first grade age child was sooooooo good at Kindergarten this year.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My first grade age child was sooooooo good at Kindergarten this year.

My first grade age child struggled with kindergarten. Happier now?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

I agree. My son is in 1st grade and there are a number of redshirted or otherwise held back boys in his class that are more than a year older. They are genuinely nice kids, but socially, they have nothing in common with a 6 year old. If too many parents do it, or too many kids are held back for academic or attendance reasons by the school, it creates an inappropriate social environment for the kids who are the expected age for their grade.

Are you honestly saying a 7 year old has nothing in common with a 6 year old? You can't be serious. I would guess 70% of 1st graders will turn 7 during 1st grade.

A number of these kids turned 8 early this year, not 7. Whatever, deny it is an issue if you want, you are not there. Fortunately we are moving next year so it won't be an issue any more for us either.

We have two kids who turned 8 the past month or two in 1st. The rest are 6 and 7. Big difference between 6 and 8.

You are talking about 2 kids. As you mention the rest are 6 or 7. Are these two kids really having that big of an impact on the rest of the class?

Yes. The redshirted kids fall into one of two categories: those who are socially awkward and need OT or something like it (and being older doesn't help with this), and those who are just flat-out too old and big. Boys in both groups (yes, they seem always to be boys) end up taking way more than their proportional share of the teachers' time, dominating conversations, and generally disrupting what would otherwise be a perfectly pleasant school experience.

Do you go to school every day too or what? You know exactly what goes on every day and who is being unpleasant and why?
And it's only because they are older not because all people have different personalities and your kids should be learning that life isn't perfect and quiet - it's messy and things don't always go our way all the time?

Maybe the parents are giving the kid an extra year of play before the us educational systems misguided attempts at educating it's 5 year old kindergarteners
http://taughtbyfinland.com/the-joyful-illiterate-kindergartners-of-finland/

[Anonymous]

Dear God. Put this thread to rest already. As I have said before. If you don't like it, move or start your own school.