Teachers: why aren’t you weighing in on the redshirt debates?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:For those who redshirt, did you have your child tested by someone (i.e., someone not involved with the current preschool, no self-interest)?

Since I am not basing my decision on delays or “academics”, no.

If it is social/emotional, then you think its best to ignore it and wait a year vs. getting an evaluation and services/help for your child to catch up. Sounds like lazy parenting. My child could do the academics with delays and we sent him. Far better to send them and let them get the support then ignore the problem hoping it will go away in a year.

But sometimes the problem does go away with another year of growing and maturity.

Sometimes, but if your child is having a "problem" you address it vs. ignoring it. What if another year doesn't address it? Do you still ignore it and send them? Keep them back another year? Do the right thing and get them help? More parents prefer to ignore than help and then blame the kids. This is a parenting and preschool failure.

DP. My God you are nasty. Do you truly have a kid with SNs?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My DD’s teachers and several other people in education seem to think that being older is better and most kids born in July and August would probably benefit from another year in preschool.

So, lets say a kid is with a SAHM or nanny and starts preschool at age 2. If 3 years, isn't enough, then maybe something else is wrong and someone failed the kid somewhere. Or, a working parent who is in child care at birth... again, these kids have had 5 years. What is the benefit of another year? If they had 5 years, someone failed them along the way if they are not ready.

That's not how preschool works. It's not how children or child development works either.

Exactly.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:For those who redshirt, did you have your child tested by someone (i.e., someone not involved with the current preschool, no self-interest)?

No, my child is fine. It's the school that's the problem.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My DD’s teachers and several other people in education seem to think that being older is better and most kids born in July and August would probably benefit from another year in preschool.

1st grade teacher here and this is ABSOLUTELY TRUE.

I can usually tell who the summer birthdays are, especially the boys, before I even see the roster. Everyone is going to argue with me and shoot me down but it is SO true.

Yep.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Because most of the people on DCUM who hate redshirting also hate teachers.

Actually it’s the opposite.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Because most of the people on DCUM who hate redshirting also hate teachers.

Actually it’s the opposite.

Most people on DCUM hate teachers. Period.

Until they want us to tell them they're right in a debate like this.

[Anonymous]

I have zero control over it so I am not going to waste energy thinking about it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Because most of the people on DCUM who hate redshirting also hate teachers.

Actually it’s the opposite.

Most people on DCUM hate teachers. Period.

Until they want us to tell them they're right in a debate like this.

+1

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Because most of the people on DCUM who hate redshirting also hate teachers.

Actually it’s the opposite.

Out of curiosity, are you a teacher?

[Anonymous]

I teach a primary grade in FCPS and am killing time during a practice.

I think red-shirting is ridiculous and created a problem that didn't need to exist. What happens in my grade is that there are kids with summer birthdays held back for K who are way more mature and advanced than kids who went on time. So, I basically do my best to meet the kids where they are, but I have been in many CLT or kid watch meetings where a teacher would go on about a kid who is 16 months younger than the oldest kid in the class. There is a broader range of behavior expectations based on age. It just sucks that the academics ramp up and we can't modify for this so we have kids who are frustrated and this begins the whole kid watch nonsense.

Take a look at that ADHD study. I think there was a correlation by age.

I just wish we all would send our kids on time so we had a year between the kids. This year I have 18 months between my oldest and youngest.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My DD’s teachers and several other people in education seem to think that being older is better and most kids born in July and August would probably benefit from another year in preschool.

So, lets say a kid is with a SAHM or nanny and starts preschool at age 2. If 3 years, isn't enough, then maybe something else is wrong and someone failed the kid somewhere. Or, a working parent who is in child care at birth... again, these kids have had 5 years. What is the benefit of another year? If they had 5 years, someone failed them along the way if they are not ready.

I recommend waiting because I know how there is no playing in kindergarten. Your child will be required to sit and write. Your child will be expected to remain quiet for long periods of time. These are things that used to be expected of 7 year olds, not 5 year olds. If you're willing to subject your child to that earlier, be my guest. It's the same amount of work for me, but I'm thinking of your child's childhood, NOT my workload.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Because most of the people on DCUM who hate redshirting also hate teachers.

Actually it’s the opposite.

Most people on DCUM hate teachers. Period.

Until they want us to tell them they're right in a debate like this.

+1

+1000

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My DD’s teachers and several other people in education seem to think that being older is better and most kids born in July and August would probably benefit from another year in preschool.

So, lets say a kid is with a SAHM or nanny and starts preschool at age 2. If 3 years, isn't enough, then maybe something else is wrong and someone failed the kid somewhere. Or, a working parent who is in child care at birth... again, these kids have had 5 years. What is the benefit of another year? If they had 5 years, someone failed them along the way if they are not ready.

My late August son had frequent daytime accidents well past age 5 - he's since been diagnosed with inattentive ADD, and such accidents are not uncommon with kids like him. He took nearly daily naps until he was 6ish and if he didn't get them he was a wreck. He is extremely shy and has terrible social anxiety. He is also small. It would have been a disastrous start to elementary school if we had sent him according to the county's schedule. And that, my friend, would have been "someone failing him" - namely us, his parents, by forcing him to start a heavily structured, academically focused class when he was not ready.

He is perfectly content now where he is, and every year of his education I think, I can't imagine him being a year ahead. He is just 2 weeks older than his best friend who was born after the cut off (that is, his friend who is only 2 weeks younger than him was NOT redshirted). He is not the biggest in class nor the smallest, not the farthest ahead academically nor the farthest behind. He has grown a little more confident every year and is able to participate in the classroom better, especially thanks to the years of therapy.

So the "benefit of another year" was indeed just that - time. Time for his body and mind to develop a little more so he fit in better and wasn't overwhelmed or picked on.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I teach a primary grade in FCPS and am killing time during a practice.

I think red-shirting is ridiculous and created a problem that didn't need to exist. What happens in my grade is that there are kids with summer birthdays held back for K who are way more mature and advanced than kids who went on time. So, I basically do my best to meet the kids where they are, but I have been in many CLT or kid watch meetings where a teacher would go on about a kid who is 16 months younger than the oldest kid in the class. There is a broader range of behavior expectations based on age. It just sucks that the academics ramp up and we can't modify for this so we have kids who are frustrated and this begins the whole kid watch nonsense.

Take a look at that ADHD study. I think there was a correlation by age.

I just wish we all would send our kids on time so we had a year between the kids. This year I have 18 months between my oldest and youngest.

It's interesting that in a thread where people were asking for teachers' opinions, this post was basically ignored.

The entire red-shirting thing is a parent driven thing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:For those who redshirt, did you have your child tested by someone (i.e., someone not involved with the current preschool, no self-interest)?

Redshirting and August boy. He was tested by 3 defferent uprofessionals with no affiliation with the preschool. One was an MD. They all said he would do better being held back a year.