Why is redshirting so rare if it's so advantageous?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Teachers look at kids and say, hey, that kid is mature and smart. They don't say, hey, that kid is 6 months older than my class average, they must just be average for their age.

This is the truth, and it's why people hold their kids back. If you don't like it, don't do it. But realize this is exactly what's happening from K-12.

I never said anything about impressing teachers. Teachers are human just like everyone else, and therefore, do not always judge objectively. If a young student is doing poorly, it's probably true that none of their teachers will say, "That kid is much younger than my class average. They're not lazy or dumb, just younger." But that kid should be able to gain self-closure in knowing that this is the simple truth after some soul-searching. If an old student is doing poorly, they'll have no such comforting thing to tell themselves. It's also true that teachers won't say "Hey that kid is 6 months older than my class average, they must just be average for their age", but that old student who's excelling is probably going to have a hard time feeling good about themselves knowing that they're excelling, not because they're smarter, but simply because they are older.

There's nothing "simple" about age being the sole determinant of success. You have such a bizarre perspective, thankfully I don't know anyone else who thinks this way. Kids excelling don't have a hard time feeling good about themselves. What planet are you actually from?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Teachers look at kids and say, hey, that kid is mature and smart. They don't say, hey, that kid is 6 months older than my class average, they must just be average for their age.

This is the truth, and it's why people hold their kids back. If you don't like it, don't do it. But realize this is exactly what's happening from K-12.

I never said anything about impressing teachers. Teachers are human just like everyone else, and therefore, do not always judge objectively. If a young student is doing poorly, it's probably true that none of their teachers will say, "That kid is much younger than my class average. They're not lazy or dumb, just younger." But that kid should be able to gain self-closure in knowing that this is the simple truth after some soul-searching. If an old student is doing poorly, they'll have no such comforting thing to tell themselves. It's also true that teachers won't say "Hey that kid is 6 months older than my class average, they must just be average for their age", but that old student who's excelling is probably going to have a hard time feeling good about themselves knowing that they're excelling, not because they're smarter, but simply because they are older.

I think if that's how my child looked at their success or lack thereof, I'd be calling a therapist stat. That's not normal.

So the actual truth isn't important to you? It's more important to you what people think the truth is?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We are in DC and my kid was born August 30. Most of his class has now turned 17 and he is only 2 months into being 16. I absolutely regret not keeping him back so that he'd be within a few months of his classmates. Instead, he's almost an entire year younger.

I have two kids with August birthdays. Not holding back was not much of a problem until middle school. Since then, being the youngest has presented challenges. I would probably hold back if I could do it over again. I also agree with the others who said that teachers don't make an effort to distinguish between kids who were held back or are the oldest in the grade and the youngest. Too often, the less mature ones are treated as lacking and it becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote: Why should only the youngest in the year group get to choose the age of their peer group?

What if a the parents of a January born kid in a district with an August cut off decides that they want them to be the very oldest in the room and decide to redshirt.

Let’s let everyone have the right to choose and not a select few.

They could do that already. You just need to have your kid in school by the compulsory age of attendance.

What? If a kids starts schools before the compulsory age of attendance (5) then they would be on the younger side, not the oldest. What I am saying is that you can’t currently start many kid at 6 when they will turn 7 within the school year. Only redshirters begin school at 6.

Because the vast majority of redshirted kids are summer birthdays. They’re 6 for the entire year.

That's not true. The vast majority of redshirted kids are fall birthdays. They're 6 for almost the entire year. Summer kids aren't in danger of starting college at 17, so it wouldn't make any sense to redshirt them.

Depends on where you live. Maryland cutoff is September 1st, so by definition redshirted kids are summer birthdays. My kid was born September 4th, was NOT redshirted, and turned 6 on the second day of kindergarten.

I'm in Virginia with an end of September cut off. My daughter turned 5 the first week of kindergarten. She'll start college at 17.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We are in DC and my kid was born August 30. Most of his class has now turned 17 and he is only 2 months into being 16. I absolutely regret not keeping him back so that he'd be within a few months of his classmates. Instead, he's almost an entire year younger.

I have two kids with August birthdays. Not holding back was not much of a problem until middle school. Since then, being the youngest has presented challenges. I would probably hold back if I could do it over again. I also agree with the others who said that teachers don't make an effort to distinguish between kids who were held back or are the oldest in the grade and the youngest. Too often, the less mature ones are treated as lacking and it becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy.

Why not just tell your kids that they're struggles are due to them being younger, not dumber? Make them see that they have absolutely nothing to feel ashamed of.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We are in DC and my kid was born August 30. Most of his class has now turned 17 and he is only 2 months into being 16. I absolutely regret not keeping him back so that he'd be within a few months of his classmates. Instead, he's almost an entire year younger.

I have two kids with August birthdays. Not holding back was not much of a problem until middle school. Since then, being the youngest has presented challenges. I would probably hold back if I could do it over again. I also agree with the others who said that teachers don't make an effort to distinguish between kids who were held back or are the oldest in the grade and the youngest. Too often, the less mature ones are treated as lacking and it becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy.

Why not just tell your kids that they're struggles are due to them being younger, not dumber? Make them see that they have absolutely nothing to feel ashamed of.

You're implying maturity that 6th graders don't have. They just want to fit in.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We are in DC and my kid was born August 30. Most of his class has now turned 17 and he is only 2 months into being 16. I absolutely regret not keeping him back so that he'd be within a few months of his classmates. Instead, he's almost an entire year younger.

I have two kids with August birthdays. Not holding back was not much of a problem until middle school. Since then, being the youngest has presented challenges. I would probably hold back if I could do it over again. I also agree with the others who said that teachers don't make an effort to distinguish between kids who were held back or are the oldest in the grade and the youngest. Too often, the less mature ones are treated as lacking and it becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy.

Why not just tell your kids that they're struggles are due to them being younger, not dumber? Make them see that they have absolutely nothing to feel ashamed of.

They don't make excuses for anything and I don't encourage them to play the victim. It is what it is. Every kid is different, but it can be hard to be the youngest, especially if you are also the smallest or aren't a top student, or have ADHD, or some other challenge too. Holding kids back due to meeting the cutoff by a week or two would not have conferred much of an advantage, but it might have made things easier during those difficult middle school years. Fortunately, things tend to sort themselves out during high school. Kids just have to ride it out.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We are in DC and my kid was born August 30. Most of his class has now turned 17 and he is only 2 months into being 16. I absolutely regret not keeping him back so that he'd be within a few months of his classmates. Instead, he's almost an entire year younger.

You did nothing wrong. Your son is in the graduating class he should be in. Almost every state in this country, as well as the entire UK, agrees that someone his age should be in the graduating class of 2023. It's the parents of his classmates who went against the rules. Don't fall for the trap of thinking that the rules should be different just because the majority of people in a certain area don't follow them. Now I know that at many colleges, the fall term starts in August, but even if your son goes to such a college, he won't be 17 for more than a couple of weeks. He'll be 18 the vast majority of his first term, even if the college he goes to follows the quarter system instead of the semester system.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Teachers look at kids and say, hey, that kid is mature and smart. They don't say, hey, that kid is 6 months older than my class average, they must just be average for their age.

This is the truth, and it's why people hold their kids back. If you don't like it, don't do it. But realize this is exactly what's happening from K-12.

I never said anything about impressing teachers. Teachers are human just like everyone else, and therefore, do not always judge objectively. If a young student is doing poorly, it's probably true that none of their teachers will say, "That kid is much younger than my class average. They're not lazy or dumb, just younger." But that kid should be able to gain self-closure in knowing that this is the simple truth after some soul-searching. If an old student is doing poorly, they'll have no such comforting thing to tell themselves. It's also true that teachers won't say "Hey that kid is 6 months older than my class average, they must just be average for their age", but that old student who's excelling is probably going to have a hard time feeling good about themselves knowing that they're excelling, not because they're smarter, but simply because they are older.

I think if that's how my child looked at their success or lack thereof, I'd be calling a therapist stat. That's not normal.

So the actual truth isn't important to you? It's more important to you what people think the truth is?

What if the actual truth is that some kids are smarter regardless of birthday?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Teachers look at kids and say, hey, that kid is mature and smart. They don't say, hey, that kid is 6 months older than my class average, they must just be average for their age.

This is the truth, and it's why people hold their kids back. If you don't like it, don't do it. But realize this is exactly what's happening from K-12.

I never said anything about impressing teachers. Teachers are human just like everyone else, and therefore, do not always judge objectively. If a young student is doing poorly, it's probably true that none of their teachers will say, "That kid is much younger than my class average. They're not lazy or dumb, just younger." But that kid should be able to gain self-closure in knowing that this is the simple truth after some soul-searching. If an old student is doing poorly, they'll have no such comforting thing to tell themselves. It's also true that teachers won't say "Hey that kid is 6 months older than my class average, they must just be average for their age", but that old student who's excelling is probably going to have a hard time feeling good about themselves knowing that they're excelling, not because they're smarter, but simply because they are older.

I think if that's how my child looked at their success or lack thereof, I'd be calling a therapist stat. That's not normal.

So the actual truth isn't important to you? It's more important to you what people think the truth is?

Because your “actual truth” is a bunch of nutty invented facts?

Some older kids are smarter, some are dumber, some younger kids are smarter, some are dumber. I don’t know any kid who attributes their success or lack thereof solely to their age. That would be ridiculous, because it is clearly not true. There are 1000 factors in success, the biggest ones being genes, opportunity, environment, and personality. It’s absolutely deranged to think that it is all down to age.

I literally know no one who attributes their success or lack of success to the age when they entered school. Except you, I guess.

[Anonymous]

It’s gotta just be the one person on here, right? The one who talks about the shame of being the oldest and… succeeding? The one who talks about following some “rules”?

There are no hard and fast rules on this and I don’t know anyone who thinks about their age vis a vis their school performance! I hope your child doesn’t. I really also hope you don’t tell your child, when they do poorly, oh it’s just because Johnny messed up the curve because he’s so much older than you.

There must be someone, some family, in your life, anti-redshirting lady, who really annoys you. Who is smug about their kid’s success, even though you feel it’s unearned because the kid is older than yours. I’m sorry if the mom of the older kid is smug- that’s on her. You’re right to be irritated by that. But you’re wrong to kneecap your own kid by telling them it isn’t fair when s/he does poorly. And I can kind of tell you do that… Sigh. You have a good kid! It all comes out in the wash! Take a deep breath. Your kid is amazing and good and just celebrate them without twisting yourself into knots about his “competitors “- think of them as “friends “ who happen to do well.

[Anonymous]

My kid missed the Sept 1st deadline by 10 days. We made her take an admission test to Greenshirt her. She is the youngest in her class but most of her classmates are only a few weeks or months older than her. There is only one redshirted student and he is very average.

[Anonymous]

Why is anyone still indulging psycho "redshirting" hater lady. She didn't "win." She lost. In her warped mind, like everybody is part of a complex scheme to "win." Get help lady, you are mental.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Teachers look at kids and say, hey, that kid is mature and smart. They don't say, hey, that kid is 6 months older than my class average, they must just be average for their age.

This is the truth, and it's why people hold their kids back. If you don't like it, don't do it. But realize this is exactly what's happening from K-12.

I never said anything about impressing teachers. Teachers are human just like everyone else, and therefore, do not always judge objectively. If a young student is doing poorly, it's probably true that none of their teachers will say, "That kid is much younger than my class average. They're not lazy or dumb, just younger." But that kid should be able to gain self-closure in knowing that this is the simple truth after some soul-searching. If an old student is doing poorly, they'll have no such comforting thing to tell themselves. It's also true that teachers won't say "Hey that kid is 6 months older than my class average, they must just be average for their age", but that old student who's excelling is probably going to have a hard time feeling good about themselves knowing that they're excelling, not because they're smarter, but simply because they are older.

I think if that's how my child looked at their success or lack thereof, I'd be calling a therapist stat. That's not normal.

So the actual truth isn't important to you? It's more important to you what people think the truth is?

What if the actual truth is that some kids are smarter regardless of birthday?

You disagree that the longer you've lived, the more knowledge you acquire?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It’s gotta just be the one person on here, right? The one who talks about the shame of being the oldest and… succeeding? The one who talks about following some “rules”?

There are no hard and fast rules on this and I don’t know anyone who thinks about their age vis a vis their school performance! I hope your child doesn’t. I really also hope you don’t tell your child, when they do poorly, oh it’s just because Johnny messed up the curve because he’s so much older than you.

There must be someone, some family, in your life, anti-redshirting lady, who really annoys you. Who is smug about their kid’s success, even though you feel it’s unearned because the kid is older than yours. I’m sorry if the mom of the older kid is smug- that’s on her. You’re right to be irritated by that. But you’re wrong to kneecap your own kid by telling them it isn’t fair when s/he does poorly. And I can kind of tell you do that… Sigh. You have a good kid! It all comes out in the wash! Take a deep breath. Your kid is amazing and good and just celebrate them without twisting yourself into knots about his “competitors “- think of them as “friends “ who happen to do well.

I'm pretty sure she doesn't even have kids. She's just severely demented.