Why don’t schools have stronger policies about redshirting?
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Anonymous
A day in a kindergarten classroom or pre-k classroom is generally so chaotic with lots of lining up to go to recess, wash hands, go to lunch, so much noise, crying, laughing, etc no kid is really bored the whole time. And if they are bored it’s probably because their parents drilled them to death with boring worksheets to teach them everything in advance just to make the experience worse? |
Anonymous
Not necessarily. Unless you somehow think kids never grow up, mature or evolve. |
Anonymous
Neither the preschool or kindergarten classrooms for my kids were "so chaotic." They were both nurturing, enjoyable environments. But they would have been bored in their preschool classroom largely because they were both starting to sound out words and phrases by the summer before K and knew their numbers and could do very basic addition and subtraction. My experience is that preschool would not have offered any enrichment in these areas, because that's just not the focus of preschool. Whereas their K classroom offered daily phonics instruction and small group lessons in math and reading, and this opened up a whole new world for them in terms of understanding the world around them. I don't know why I would delay that a full year. Nothing against redshirting, there are of course kids who are not ready for K. But also there are definitely kids who are ready with K (even with summer birthdays, both my kids have summer birthdays) and if there isn't a tangible reason to hold back I have no idea why you would? K is really great. |
Anonymous
DP but I think the PP is right. Maturity is one thing, but that's different than hyperactivity and behavioral issues. Maturity issue that can improve with redshirting: A 4 yr old with a September birthday who gets the wiggles during a 15 minute reading lesson and starts climbing under the table or staring out the window. This child will mature into a longer attention span with a year delay. Behavioral issue or SN: A 5 yr old who cannot sit still for more than 2-3 minutes, and impulsively sings or bangs on the table when he feels bored or distracted. This child may have ADHD or another SN, should be evaluated, and may actually benefit from starting on time with an IEP. A year delay for this child may result in these behaviors getting worse because they may be easier to mask in a PK classroom where there is less focus time or with younger kids whose immaturity helps masks this child's SNs. Maturity issue: A younger child who is still grasping the concepts of sharing and waiting turns might struggle in a K classroom where older kids have learned to resolve these issues without crying or adult intervention. This child might benefit socially from redshirting, so that they can handle the behavioral expectations of K without being labeled a "crybaby" by peers. Behavioral issue or SN: A child who resolves sharing/waiting issues by hitting or screaming at other kids is not immature, but has maladaptive behaviors that need to be treated or they will worsen with time. An elementary school is generally better equipped to deal with kids like this, with SN staffing and often a social worker on staff. Redshirting this child will not change these behaviors but could make them worse when they finally start K, as an older and bigger child who now seems more threatening to the other kids. He won't be labeled a crybaby but may be labeled a bully or "mean kid" even if these behaviors are impulsive or the result of neurodivergence that just needs intervention and treatment. |
Anonymous
| They should make all kids start a year later. Overachieving parents can opt to do the opposite of redshirting - and stick their kids in school a year earlier. |
Anonymous
It’s definitely the case that you need to make good selections for PreK and enrichment if you’re redshirting. But in theory parents do that anyway. There isn’t a public kindergarten in my area that comes close to the amount of outdoor time recommended for 5 y/os. |
Anonymous
And if you complain about your kid being the youngest, they will think you're crazy! Each class has kids from multiple grades. |
Anonymous
I think parents with strong Montessori options aren’t worried about the public school redshirting rules. |
Anonymous
A hyperactive obnoxious behavior problem at 5 years old isn’t much different at 6 years old. |
Anonymous
A perspective which demonstrates why parents don’t let you make choices for their kids. We feel badly enough for yours. |
Anonymous
Kids aren’t all the same. Your 4 yr old isn’t exactly the same at 5 or 6 with or without issues. Trust that the parents know what the kids need the most. Funnily not a single teacher is in here backing up the parents insisting that the kids need to be in school as young as legally possible to get “services”. |
Anonymous
Clearly you have never spent a single day in these classrooms. I used to volunteer in a classroom and I have no idea how those teachers did it day in and day out. If you’re used to working with adults all day, spending a day in a K classroom not remotely the same. Nobody is saying hold back every kid for no reason but certainly some want to eliminate the possibility of choice for all kids. And nobody is denying these kids anything, they will get to K when they get there and have an extra year of childhood to explore, wonder, and do what kids do. There’s no prize for finishing the youngest in class. |
Anonymous
| Redshirting at the publics gives very little academic advantage in my experience. (I know privates are different, and I understand it's a different educational experience, with different norms and expectations, and classes carefully selected to weed out problem kids.) If you are considering redshirting for public, maybe you would be better off at a private, where it would actually make some difference. A public elementary generally will not provide differentiation for kids who are advanced are ahead of their peers. |
Anonymous
Your experience seems to be limited if you can’t understand that parents could want to redshirt their kids for any reason besides gaining an advantage, academic or otherwise, over their peers. Have you considered that they may have troubles that the parents are hoping to mitigate by postponing K for a year to minimize the DISadvantages they would otherwise face? Moreover, many kids (redshirted or not) would be better off at a private, but that doesn’t make it any more accessible to the majority of families, who just can’t afford it. |
Anonymous
+1 |