My son's kindergarten class has several 7 yr olds in it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You'd need to extrapolate a bit to think of how it's used for a 5 year old (like just letting a late summer birthday boy mature a bit, etc. etc). See, pretentiousness involved.

Alternatively, you might ask yourself why someone chose to invoke the concept/term in the context of delaying a 5 year old's entry into kindergarten and conclude that the answer was pretentiousness. "Gap year" is a hip new upper middle class trend -- which typically connotes social service or adventure or a more deliberate approach to college -- none of which are involved here. By contrast, "my 5 year old isn't ready for K" is much less glam.

Don't get me wrong -- I think it's a wise parent who recognizes that their 5 year old isn't ready for K and acts on that recognition. And I don't think said parent should feel compelled to justify/confess/explain why s/he made that decision. But framing it as a "gap year" just reeks of BS to me.

[Anonymous]

And just at the level of work choice "gap" means break -- so even if you have the minimalist understanding of gap year (a year off of school between HS and college), calling a JrK year a gap year makes no sense. Where's the gap?

[Anonymous]

oops, that should be *word* choice

[Anonymous]

Who said a gap year could not be educational? What absurdity. I know some gilded few from the North take a gap year for a Safari or visiting Mother England but this not not define a gap year -- only for the individual in question. Some try out for a Professional sport, some work, some prepare for the Olympics, some write, some pursue an intellectual or educational pursuit not planned in College, some go off to the Sorbonne, Oxford and the like before returning to their home university.

Let's not be too concrete and restrictive. A lot of concrete between the ears here.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Who said a gap year could not be educational?

No one. But it does refer to taking a year off from *school* (which, of course, is not the only context in which one can learn).

Anonymous wrote:What absurdity. I know some gilded few from the North take a gap year for a Safari or visiting Mother England but this not not define a gap year -- only for the individual in question. Some try out for a Professional sport, some work, some prepare for the Olympics, some write, some pursue an intellectual or educational pursuit not planned in College, some go off to the Sorbonne, Oxford and the like before returning to their home university.

Let's not be too concrete and restrictive. A lot of concrete between the ears here.

This seem to prove the pretentiousness point. A year spent in Jr. K instead of K is like preparing for the Olympics or going on safari??!! Let's not be too delusional...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You'd need to extrapolate a bit to think of how it's used for a 5 year old (like just letting a late summer birthday boy mature a bit, etc. etc). See, pretentiousness involved.

Alternatively, you might ask yourself why someone chose to invoke the concept/term in the context of delaying a 5 year old's entry into kindergarten and conclude that the answer was pretentiousness. "Gap year" is a hip new upper middle class trend -- which typically connotes social service or adventure or a more deliberate approach to college -- none of which are involved here. By contrast, "my 5 year old isn't ready for K" is much less glam.

Don't get me wrong -- I think it's a wise parent who recognizes that their 5 year old isn't ready for K and acts on that recognition. And I don't think said parent should feel compelled to justify/confess/explain why s/he made that decision. But framing it as a "gap year" just reeks of BS to me.

Some don't like "redshirting" because it reeks of holding back so the child can become bigger, stronger, faster to better compete on the playing field (and nothing of education or maturity). Gap year was suggested as less about athletics and more a catch-all phrase for "taking an extra year for whatever I don't need to explain." If you don't like the term, please share a better one.
As for "gap year" as a hip new trend --- I have no idea what you're talking about and I know of 5 teens currently undertaking a gap year. Most have to do with maturity (probably because their parents didn't give them the (gap) year when they were 5) or working to save for college tuition.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Who said a gap year could not be educational?

No one. But it does refer to taking a year off from *school* (which, of course, is not the only context in which one can learn).

Anonymous wrote:What absurdity. I know some gilded few from the North take a gap year for a Safari or visiting Mother England but this not not define a gap year -- only for the individual in question. Some try out for a Professional sport, some work, some prepare for the Olympics, some write, some pursue an intellectual or educational pursuit not planned in College, some go off to the Sorbonne, Oxford and the like before returning to their home university.

Let's not be too concrete and restrictive. A lot of concrete between the ears here.

This seem to prove the pretentiousness point. A year spent in Jr. K instead of K is like preparing for the Olympics or going on safari??!! Let's not be too delusional...

Forget the analogies. Some pps either don't understand them or purposely respond explaining how K is not like college athletics or college. Thanks for those distinctions.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:And just at the level of work choice "gap" means break -- so even if you have the minimalist understanding of gap year (a year off of school between HS and college), calling a JrK year a gap year makes no sense. Where's the gap?

Pls, you take a turn at being a lexicographer.

[Anonymous]

I agree "redshirt" is derogatory. I've met parents with summer birthday children who were held back just refer to them generally as "holdbacks." That's probably a more accurate and less loaded term, although perhaps a little more cumbersome and less flashy than referring to them as "redshirts."

To me, this discussion over terminology sort of mirrors the debate over "Big 3." That term also is loaded, unfair, perhaps inaccurate. But it's a handy term for discussions since people know exactly what you mean.

[Anonymous]

The motives behind, hold back, redshirt, or whatever sugarcoating you wish appear the same for many -- an attempt by some to gain a competitive advantage in the classroom or the gridiron -- before K or 9th grade or College.

No use hiding behind semantic smoke.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I agree "redshirt" is derogatory. I've met parents with summer birthday children who were held back just refer to them generally as "holdbacks." That's probably a more accurate and less loaded term, although perhaps a little more cumbersome and less flashy than referring to them as "redshirts."

To me, this discussion over terminology sort of mirrors the debate over "Big 3." That term also is loaded, unfair, perhaps inaccurate. But it's a handy term for discussions since people know exactly what you mean.

Yes, and probably named by an anti-redshirter for just the reasons you describe. So any non-anti-redshirters want to offer suggestions to name those kids, usually boys with summer birthdays and a few other exceptions, who enter kindergarten at age just-turned-6 (rather than 4-turning-5) but excludes and kid help back due to parents' neuroses?

[Anonymous]

Yes, and probably named by an anti-redshirter for just the reasons you describe. So any non-anti-redshirters want to offer suggestions to name those kids, usually boys with summer birthdays and a few other exceptions, who enter kindergarten at age just-turned-6 (rather than 4-turning-5) but excludes and kid help back due to parents' neuroses?

No, why dredge up yet another ambiguous name. A simple description is more precise and will suffice.

[Anonymous]

"holdbacks"

[Anonymous]

Holdbacks for competitive advantage. Sounds ok.

[Anonymous]

"Pushforwards" for competitive advantage (to bring the best out of the "redtrousers")