Reply to Do private school families start their kids a year later?

Forum Index » Private & Independent Schools

Reply to "Do private school families start their kids a year later?"

Subject:

Emoticons





More smilies

Text Color: Font: Close Marks

[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]If you're treating school as a competition against the other children in the class, you and your child will have a long and frustrating experience.  [/quote]

Comparison is not the same as competition, and there is absolutely comparison. If half to 3/4 of a K class are still working on reading fluently, not being able to read fluently is not seen as troubling. If 1/4 to half of a first grade class is still working on reading fluently, it as well is not seen as a red flag. But if you shift those because the school's expectations are out-of-line with brain development (and parents reinforce this by holding back children who don't meet the "standard"), a child _who is developing perfectly normally_ will look behind, in comparison to the other children who are _also_ developing normally but have been retained a year.

A child's first few years of school often set the tone for the rest of their scholastic career. A child who views himself as "slow" or "behind" and a school that reinforces that belief may never achieve to the levels he could have. That self-perception is, in part, developed through comparison.

While fortunately these age related differences even out over time, they tend to even out in mid-later elementary after a child (and his school) has already decided what sort of student he is. If red shirting were rare, this would be less of an issue. I believe it can also mask actual delays that can signal a learning disability which is especially unfortunate because it can delay getting children help.[/quote]

Thank you.  Agree 100 percent.[/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