Here's what I don't understand about red shirting

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Oh, stop. I've been in education for 20+ years. The concept of sending a child who was born within 1 month - at the most 6 weeks) before the cut off has been a conversation among middle class parents for all those 20 years. Nobody is talking about holding a child who was born in February and will therefore be 51/2 at Kindergarten entry into public school. They are talking about kids who turned 5 a few days before they start school. There is a HUGE difference at 5 years old between being barely 5 (Aug birthday) and being basically 6 (Sept/Oct birthday). Just as there is with a just turned 1 year old and a child who is basically 2 at 23 months old.

And for those who ARE held back with a spring birthday - the 2 examples given above - were a child who immigrated to this country with NO English and a child with serious developmental delays. (and frankly, a child with developmental delays needs MORE than just to be held back, but their parents know that - it's none of your business).

And by right before the cutoff I mean an August or mid July birthday for a Sept 1 cutoff, a Nov 15 through Dec 31 birthday for Dec 31 cutoff. Even the June kids are going to kindergarten.

Someone needs to be the youngest, someone needs to be the oldest, but if my child weren't socially and emotionally ready for the heavy lift of kindergarten (at this time, this country has VERY developmentally INappropriate kindergarten expectations for children, too) then I'd hold my August birthday kid back if he really wasn't ready. And some just aren't! Or, if I wasn't sure, I'd send him to a different Kindergarten (private or Waldorf), and then send him to either Public Kindergarten (to keep holding him back/redshirting) or 1st grade depending on whether he were ready.

+1 Could not agree with the bolded more.

+2 I was sent a year ahead of my peers. Different country, different time, but I was home by 1pm every day for the first 5 years or so. I am terrified of how my 5yo will be expected to be gone until 4pm each day!

Are you a SAHP with no preschool? I don't get it. Most of us at age 4 put our kids in a 9-3 preschool to get them prepared. Going to elementary school was not a transition as kids at our preschool were prepared. It was a non-issue as they were used to it, used to sitting and functioning in a classroom. Most were also reading.

[Anonymous]

My kids have birthdays in February, March, and May and I’m just not seeing this phenomenon of winter/spring kids being held back. To me it sounds like more hysterics from the anti-redshirting crowd...although to be fair, people who can’t do basic math and go on and on about how they don’t want their kindergartner in class with 8 year olds or a 20 year old senior...well, you can’t argue with crazy lol.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Oh, stop. I've been in education for 20+ years. The concept of sending a child who was born within 1 month - at the most 6 weeks) before the cut off has been a conversation among middle class parents for all those 20 years. Nobody is talking about holding a child who was born in February and will therefore be 51/2 at Kindergarten entry into public school. They are talking about kids who turned 5 a few days before they start school. There is a HUGE difference at 5 years old between being barely 5 (Aug birthday) and being basically 6 (Sept/Oct birthday). Just as there is with a just turned 1 year old and a child who is basically 2 at 23 months old.

And for those who ARE held back with a spring birthday - the 2 examples given above - were a child who immigrated to this country with NO English and a child with serious developmental delays. (and frankly, a child with developmental delays needs MORE than just to be held back, but their parents know that - it's none of your business).

And by right before the cutoff I mean an August or mid July birthday for a Sept 1 cutoff, a Nov 15 through Dec 31 birthday for Dec 31 cutoff. Even the June kids are going to kindergarten.

Someone needs to be the youngest, someone needs to be the oldest, but if my child weren't socially and emotionally ready for the heavy lift of kindergarten (at this time, this country has VERY developmentally INappropriate kindergarten expectations for children, too) then I'd hold my August birthday kid back if he really wasn't ready. And some just aren't! Or, if I wasn't sure, I'd send him to a different Kindergarten (private or Waldorf), and then send him to either Public Kindergarten (to keep holding him back/redshirting) or 1st grade depending on whether he were ready.

+1 Could not agree with the bolded more.

+2 I was sent a year ahead of my peers. Different country, different time, but I was home by 1pm every day for the first 5 years or so. I am terrified of how my 5yo will be expected to be gone until 4pm each day!

Are you a SAHP with no preschool? I don't get it. Most of us at age 4 put our kids in a 9-3 preschool to get them prepared. Going to elementary school was not a transition as kids at our preschool were prepared. It was a non-issue as they were used to it, used to sitting and functioning in a classroom. Most were also reading.

Sounds fun.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My kids have birthdays in February, March, and May and I’m just not seeing this phenomenon of winter/spring kids being held back. To me it sounds like more hysterics from the anti-redshirting crowd...although to be fair, people who can’t do basic math and go on and on about how they don’t want their kindergartner in class with 8 year olds or a 20 year old senior...well, you can’t argue with crazy lol.

When my kid, with a January birthday, started school (on time) he was the youngest out of 10 boys in his class. At least 7 of them were redshirted. This was a Catholic school 8 years ago.

[Anonymous]

bring back the calendar year cutoff and stop all the nonsense

[Anonymous]

The thing is that when people here talk about the advantages of redshirting, it makes those of us who sent our kids on time feel like bad parents somehow. When I tell people that my son has an August birthday, I feel like I have to provide an explanation for why he started K at age 5.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The thing is that when people here talk about the advantages of redshirting, it makes those of us who sent our kids on time feel like bad parents somehow. When I tell people that my son has an August birthday, I feel like I have to provide an explanation for why he started K at age 5.

Not me.. I feel like my kid is stronger and tougher (though smaller) - both kids have summer birthdays, one in mid August.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This is anecdotal, but in my kid's day care the only kid i know being redshirted actually has a late September birthday, which is well within the fealm of reasonable. An extra $18k is a lot to pay for that!

I’m a sahm who redshirted, all of the kids that I know in her grade who were redshirted have sahms as well.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Redshirting is not new. I turned 18 a few weeks after starting college. Many of my friends were already 19! This was in the 90s

My Aunt redshirted her son who was born in 1980.

[Anonymous]

Reading is now expected in kindergarten, but five/six year olds are no more ready to read than they were 50 years ago.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The thing is that when people here talk about the advantages of redshirting, it makes those of us who sent our kids on time feel like bad parents somehow. When I tell people that my son has an August birthday, I feel like I have to provide an explanation for why he started K at age 5.

I dont know of anyone who’d ask why a 5 yr old started K? If they did, it’s not a hard question to answer.
Some people bring drama on themselves.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The thing is that when people here talk about the advantages of redshirting, it makes those of us who sent our kids on time feel like bad parents somehow. When I tell people that my son has an August birthday, I feel like I have to provide an explanation for why he started K at age 5.

Really? When I see people tout the "benefits" I assume they are idiots who follow trends and read magazines instead of doing real research.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The thing is that when people here talk about the advantages of redshirting, it makes those of us who sent our kids on time feel like bad parents somehow. When I tell people that my son has an August birthday, I feel like I have to provide an explanation for why he started K at age 5.

Yea I agree with this as well. I feel defensive about our decision to send our August boy on time because everyone always says "Oh, you should have held him back!"

[Anonymous]

Perfectly OK to bring up the topic, Op. It should be brought up again and again. Good to keep the pressure on.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The thing is that when people here talk about the advantages of redshirting, it makes those of us who sent our kids on time feel like bad parents somehow. When I tell people that my son has an August birthday, I feel like I have to provide an explanation for why he started K at age 5.

I dont know of anyone who’d ask why a 5 yr old started K? If they did, it’s not a hard question to answer.
Some people bring drama on themselves.

You would think that, but as you're reading here, so many parents assume boys with August birthdays will start late. Even when my kid was a newborn, I had people say to me, "Well he'll be the oldest in his class since you can start him late". WTF?