[quote=Anonymous]DD will be in 6th grade. Didn't pay too much attention to ages until this past year when kids really started to mature. DD has an April bday and is the youngest in her class. There is one boy with a March bday and two kids with February bdays. The other 20+ kids have bdays from December back to the preceding April. DD is thriving academically but socially and physically she is very much younger than her class. She is a typical 11-year-old but not a typical 6th grader it seems. And that one year looms large with this age group.

I just don't understand the reasoning behind this trend. It must present issues for the teachers because it presents issues to the kids.[/quote]

I'm VERY impressed with your school! How did they figure out in advance the age at which children would begin puberty, and the rate at which they would move through puberty? In my children's classes, there was very little correlation between chronological age and age of puberty. How do you think they did it?

What about a 7 year-old child with trisomy 21 who is ready for K? Or would you discriminate against this child because he or she has trisomy 21?

I would not have a problem with kids with abnormalities but if they used k readiness as a standard would you put a 10 yr. down syndrome student with k students because they are just becoming K ready. My point is that age and readiness is a standard. No just readiness.

It wouldn't to individuals overly concerned about children a year and a half older or younger in classrooms. Would your children be even comfortable with kids with genetic abnormalities (missing limbs, Downs syndrome)?

Anonymous wrote:

I'm at a school where they redshirted 2 boys in preK. Neither has any kind of learning disability, etc. I asked. It's ridiculous looking at them because they are nearly a head taller than their peers. If I had a son I surely wouldn't want him in there with these little men. I just hope they aren't bored and disrupt the other kids.

Typical of posters who are similarly overly concerned about the race, ethnicity, religion, kids with genetic defects (e.g., trisomy 21), SES, and gender of the kids their children attend school with. Simple minds loaded with preconceived notions.

Your post makes no sense, and your reference to trisomy 21 is just random and bizarre.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
My daughter is in the same boat at a similar school. She has a summer birthday, and we decided to put her forward - a very difficult decision. Academically and athletically, she is running circles around the older kids, and I don't think that they will ever catch up with HER. But they can be intimidating. They're big, they've done nursery twice, they know all the tricks, and they are often more sophisticated than her (and not in a good way).

I'm thinking of pulling her out of her private school after this year. Either she will repeat kindergarten at another private, or we will move to a suburb with excellent public schools. She'll still be one of the youngest kids in her class, but at least she won't be a full 1 1/2 year younger than them.

It's frustrating. I don't think that all of these kids seem to be catching up, even with the gift of an extra year. And it hurts the other kids.

They know all the tricks? And yet she runs circles around them and they will never catch up with HER? Competitive much?

What the person was saying is her/his daughter is still younger and more innocent, given she has not lived long enough to learn all the mischief the other ankle biters have learned because they are so much older. Aside from that, she is better at sports and academics. I can relate because the description is one I would assign to my own child. I get it, parent of smart gifted girl. You are not alone.

By the way, don't believe the hype about the good public schools. The kids in those are old as hell, too! I am going through the same issue as you are now. I am now considering homeschooling, after paying so much for private school and being told my child is too young to go beyond Kindergarten.

Thank you. I'm the PP with a daughter similar to yours. It's frustrating. I can only hope it will make our daughters stronger and more resilient to be around kids so much older than them. One thing I'm trying to do is keep my daughter connected with neighborhood and family friends who are her age, as opposed to the children at her school. I also organize playdates with slightly younger kids so she can have the perspective of being the older child for a change.

If you see this post, can you elaborate a bit about public schools? Are parents really figuring out how to enroll their kids a year behind their peers? I didn't know it was possible at public schools.

Best of luck to your daughter. Thank you again, and good luck! Our daughters will end up doing great in this world.

Amen 23:02! I'm glad that someone can see that there are problems associated with having this kind of trend.
School is so much more complicated these days.

DD will be in 6th grade. Didn't pay too much attention to ages until this past year when kids really started to mature. DD has an April bday and is the youngest in her class. There is one boy with a March bday and two kids with February bdays. The other 20+ kids have bdays from December back to the preceding April. DD is thriving academically but socially and physically she is very much younger than her class. She is a typical 11-year-old but not a typical 6th grader it seems. And that one year looms large with this age group.

I just don't understand the reasoning behind this trend. It must present issues for the teachers because it presents issues to the kids.

Anonymous wrote:Oh and by the way, my two year old will be in a mixed age Montessori with a few five year olds, yep you heard it right. And I am not worried about it.

. My kid was in a mixed age classroom as well and the oldest kid was 6. There are different expetations of these kids and when they assess them they assess based off of age. My kids loved the class they got to be the younger kids learning then the older kids demonstrating their knowledge. Not exactly a level playing field for K, not what I would expect. If the schools evaluated based off of age, then no problem.

I'm at a school where they redshirted 2 boys in preK. Neither has any kind of learning disability, etc. I asked. It's ridiculous looking at them because they are nearly a head taller than their peers. If I had a son I surely wouldn't want him in there with these little men. I just hope they aren't bored and disrupt the other kids.

Typical of posters who are similarly overly concerned about the race, ethnicity, religion, kids with genetic defects (e.g., trisomy 21), SES, and gender of the kids their children attend school with. Simple minds loaded with preconceived notions.

Anonymous wrote:I'm at a school where they redshirted 2 boys in preK. Neither has any kind of learning disability, etc. I asked. It's ridiculous looking at them because they are nearly a head taller than their peers. If I had a son I surely wouldn't want him in there with these little men. I just hope they aren't bored and disrupt the other kids.

You asked????? You asked about specific other children and whether or not they have learning disabilities? Seriously? (1) The school cannot and should not share that information, and (2) Its NONE OF YOUR BUSINESS.

This is private information that belongs to the school and the families. You are the one with the problem here. Mind your own business.

Anonymous wrote:I'm at a school where they redshirted 2 boys in preK. Neither has any kind of learning disability, etc. I asked. It's ridiculous looking at them because they are nearly a head taller than their peers. If I had a son I surely wouldn't want him in there with these little men. I just hope they aren't bored and disrupt the other kids.

You asked? Whom did you ask?

Little men? Oh, please. You're ridiculous.

Oh and by the way, my two year old will be in a mixed age Montessori with a few five year olds, yep you heard it right. And I am not worried about it.

Lord, you mothers are really so nervous. This thread is neurotic. This year at my child's school the biggest child was age appropriate and bigger than the red-shirted kids--just due to plain genetics not age or being held back. So relax! Big does not = bully and does not even = oldest necessarily.

I'm at a school where they redshirted 2 boys in preK. Neither has any kind of learning disability, etc. I asked. It's ridiculous looking at them because they are nearly a head taller than their peers. If I had a son I surely wouldn't want him in there with these little men. I just hope they aren't bored and disrupt the other kids.