repeat kindergarten or move on to 1st grade - Page 2

[mamaley]

Originally Posted by philomom

The trend is here is to "red-shirt" summer babies, especially boys. Meaning, keep them out an extra year so they start kindergarten or first grade a year later than average. I can't tell you how many "big" kids my kids have gone to school with. They make my average winter born kids look small.

I am considering having my son repeat K. He is in a Montessori Primary K now, and will go to PS K next year. He was born at the end of June, and I really think he would struggle in first grade. I don't want to set him up for failure and struggle, when he as the option of doing K again and having some more time to grow, especially in this time of "early learning". It sounds like this situation is inconvienent for your family, but trust me, it's a difficult decision to make. If I had it my way, he would go to something like a Pre-first class but they don't offer that.

[aisraeltax]

i havent looked at all the answers here, but i will just say that i was convinced to keep my son behind and im not sure it was a good thing. he already had a late birthday, so kids that were 5 days older than him were in the 1st grade and he was in K. they convinced me (it was MY decision, but they were very persuasive) to keep him back when he had problems reading. now he is HUGE compared to his classmates and i know he's self conscious about it sometimes. no, thats not an academic reason, but its just as important in my mind. also, i think he's a bit bored with school but he's the type of kid that doesn't like to challenge himself academically, so he wont take the honors classes...he's too preoccupied with basketball, friends, etc.
just thought id give you our experience.

[aniT]

Originally Posted by lauren

Remember when k-garten was about painting and naptime and snacktime and playing? The curriculum keeps creeping down, so that now parents like you feel like their child needs to stay back if he isn't doing first grade material by the end of k-garten! To me it sounds like your child is exactly where the "traditional" k-garten student (before the days of pressured academics) should be by this time in k-garten.

30 years ago you would still be held back in K if you didn't know the alphabet by the end of the year. I know people who were held back.

As far as reading by the end of K goes, I don't really think that is so new, I could. I think what IS new however is that it almost seems to be a requirement in some schools, which is really sad.

To the OP. Both of my brother's kids were held back in K. Personally I don't think it was so much the kids as my brother and his wife were too lazy to work with them. My nephew was up here visiting my mother over this past summer. I was taking my daughter to the reading program at the library and wanted to take my nephew. He was VERY VERY much against going. When I pointed out that it wasn't so much reading it was more a magic or puppet show or something and you turned in your reading log, I finally got him to go, but he was very upset when he thought he had to read.

Another day during the week he and my daughter were making pictures. My daughter had just finished 1st grade and my nephew had just finished 2nd, (this is after being in k twice remember.) He was still spelling simple words such as mommy and daddy wrong while my daughter was spelling them right. And he could see this!!

My point to this story is, I don't think holding him back helped him at all!!! I think it did more damage to his self-esteem than any perceived benefiters he might have gotten. He now sees himself as "stupid" and simply does his best to avoid anything academic. I truly believe this will follow him for life. But then again, I also think my brother holds a lot of the blame as well. A better parent should be able to help their child overcome any self-esteem issue that might arise.

That is just my thoughts on the issue,