Reply to Teachers: why aren’t you weighing in on the redshirt debates?

Forum Index » General Parenting Discussion

Reply to "Teachers: why aren’t you weighing in on the redshirt debates?"

Subject:

Emoticons





More smilies

Text Color: Font: Close Marks

[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]My DD’s teachers and several other people in education seem to think that being older is better and most kids born in July and August would probably benefit from another year in preschool. [/quote]

So, lets say a kid is with a SAHM or nanny and starts preschool at age 2.  If 3 years, isn't enough, then maybe something else is wrong and someone failed the kid somewhere.  Or, a working parent who is in child care at birth... again, these kids have had 5 years.  What is the benefit of another year?  If they had 5 years, someone failed them along the way if they are not ready.[/quote]

My late August son had frequent daytime accidents well past age 5 - he's since been diagnosed with inattentive ADD, and such accidents are not uncommon with kids like him. He took nearly daily naps until he was 6ish and if he didn't get them he was a wreck. He is extremely shy and has terrible social anxiety. He is also small. It would have been a disastrous start to elementary school if we had sent him according to the county's schedule. And that, my friend, would have been "someone failing him" - namely us, his parents, by forcing him to start a heavily structured, academically focused class when he was not ready.

He is perfectly content now where he is, and every year of his education I think, I can't imagine him being a year ahead.  He is just 2 weeks older than his best friend who was born after the cut off (that is, his friend who is only 2 weeks younger than him was NOT redshirted). He is not the biggest in class nor the smallest, not the farthest ahead academically nor the farthest behind. He has grown a little more confident every year and is able to participate in the classroom better, especially thanks to the years of therapy.

So the "benefit of another year" was indeed just that - time. Time for his body and mind to develop a little more so he fit in better and wasn't overwhelmed or picked on.

[/quote]

Options

	Disable HTML in this message
	Disable BB Code in this message
	Disable smilies in this message

Review message

Search Recent Topics Hottest Topics