+1 The natural law anti-redshirter has arrived, and the PP is responding to that person. As background, that adorable little weirdo believes that it is “natural law” that students in a class all need to be in the same calendar year. She considers any student who is born in the fall to be “redshirted” even if the birth cutoff date is (say) 9/1. So, let’s say you have a kid born Sept. 15, in a school where the cutoff is Sept. 1. Natural law redshirter believes that kid has been redshirted. She has posted about this incessantly on DCUM over the years, and anyone who has read even a few of these threads over the years knows who she is. That’s what we are working with here. After having seen her posts many times, I’m not sure she is actually capable of understanding how cutoffs work. She will still insist that kids who are 18 for all or most of their senior year are redshirted even after the math is laid out step by step for her. I actually quite enjoy the delightfully absurdist nature of her posts myself. It is classic DCUM entertainment. |
Kids absolutely talk about age and birthdays. Don’t kid yourself. They get their parents or the school or both held them back. They younger kids get that the older kids were held back. You can out make kids artificially smarter by being older. And, if sports are your priority your values are messed up. If I held back my kid they would miss out on a year of better academics in stronger subjects. I’d rather pay for graduate school than an extra year of preschool which will help them more in the real world. |
Okay, don’t send your kid to a school that redshirts. Problem solved. |
I’m sorry to hear that either you did not prepare your kids for kindergarten or you did not have the confidence that they could be successful given the opportunity with your support. Guess you prefer the easy parenting choices so you can put the least effort into your kids. We had no issue getting our kid into a private. |
As a parent of older teens I find your imaginary world fascinating. It doesn’t match any sort of common reality, but the window into your perception of the world is really quite something to see. I believe your kid indeed talks incessantly about age and birthdays, however. |
I see you still haven’t noticed that this discussion is on the private school board. There is zero stigma about redshirting summer birthdays in private schools, because, in many schools, it is universal. Period. And certainly in this environment nobody uses the term “held back”. The kids say that they “did an extra year”. And nobody cares, except ideologues like you. |
My kid wasn’t redshirted. I’m just hear for the entertainment value that comes from the incessant and entitled whining of the anti-redshirters who are furious they can’t make private schools admissions officers bend to their demands. |
We had our DC repeat PreK at the same school - one of the best decisions we made. DC was the youngest by 5 months in the first PreK class, with some classmates more than 1 year older. In new class, DC is not the oldest - there are a few June and July birthdays too. |
What if my child was born in February and I wanted him to be the oldest in his class. I want him to become captain of the varsity football team as well as valedictorian. As a capitalist demand the right to stack the deck in my kids favour.
Why can’t I? Why are only kids born in the summer given that choice? |
Well, you obviously are not capable of planning conception to align with a more flexible birthday. Why would a school be interested in the child of such a person? |
Favour? Are you trolling from outside the US? |
Honey, if you can find a school who will admit him according to your demands, go for it. Good luck. |
I had no problem getting my child in. The problem we had with private was they didn't have the advanced classes and differentiation in MS/HS like publics do. It's funny how people like you have older kids in the grade and the privates start math later and you think that's just good enough for smart kids who enjoy challenges. Sounds like you care more about prestige than your child. |
I am in London at the moment so yes to the second part. |
You can but if your kid isn't smart or naturally athletic, holding back isn't going to actually help. Plenty of people do it and add an extra senior year. |