re: OT Parents, thoughts on holding your kids back a grade?

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Good strategy except for the social aspect of it. A 5th grader getting held back would get made fun of by his old classmates. A 1st, 2nd, or 3rd grader would be less so because those kids don't care. I kinda think 3rd or 4th grade should be last point to hold a kid back strictly because of age.

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You could have a point. I just find it hard when he's doing so well in all of the subjects. Maybe this could be an opportunity to consider the hold back and push for gifted classes to keep his focus and attention on the material he's already "mastered".

This topic comes up every 4th quarter with the wife (no pics). I'm sure this year won't be any different

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A 5th grader getting held back would get made fun of by his old classmates.

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You punch the first one who cracks a joke square in the nose.

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My son... he's still... struggling scholastically.

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Gaston

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Paternity confirmed.

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I held mine back in pre k August birthday Could come up with plenty of pros and no cons

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This. Anyone with a summer birthday should strongly consider.

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I gradated HS at 17 and had no problems

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I turned 18 at the end of Sept my first semester of college. My youngest sister didn't have her 18th birthday until end of December her freshman year. I don't remember having any problems.

I've got 3 Yankee nephews. Their mother has a January birthday, so she made 18 her senior year of high school. She's got her boys taking a "gap" year after 8th grade and before going to high school. It's kind of an independent study thing. It's bullshite as far as I can tell. Her oldest boy is going to be 17 in a few weeks and is only a sophomore in high school. Assuming he doesn't get held back in high school, he'll turn 20 in his 2nd semester of college. Seems retarded to me, but apparently "everybody" does it in the Northeast.

Why would that be a favor? Don’t speak about my son like that

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The frick?

It would suck dick to start your senior year in high school at 16 IMHO

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I graduated at 16 and it was just fine. Actually quite awesome, in fact. It's all up to the individual kid. I was motivated to get the frick out of HS so I took LSU correspondence courses to make that happen.

I have three kids, one 20, one 8 one 6.

All went to an academic magnet school. But we wanted my youngest boy to do prek twice then enroll K at 6 because he has a Sept birthday.

We were told no way would that be allowed. We must put him in K based on his age on Sept 30. We could assess him at the end of the year and see if we thought he needed held back then. Our problem with it being an academic magnet is that if he wasnt in the appropriate grade it would make it hard for him to attend the same school as his brother. We fought and fought because we thought this was an asinine concept.

I came down to money it seems, we were told that K is a federally funded program, and that no funds would be received for a child whose age fell outside the range.

That may have been bullshite. We started him, he did well and so far we dont have any concerns. I was a September baby as well who graduated at 17 and it never bothered me.

Just thought I would throw my experience out there.

I taught Pre-K, Kindergarten and elem school so this is my opinion based upon those experiences. Yes, it is long but I have thought it out.

Unless there is really a compelling reason to hold your child back - don't do it. It is a tactic that you should only use ONCE so choose wisely. Using it so early impacts the rest of the school years after. They no longer have that "wiggle room" if they encounter difficulties in later grades.

Pre-K is mostly socialization and play. It's really just a program to ensure that disadvantaged kids get the proper skills for socialization, behavior and skills to be ready to step up to the real grades. A child from a normal functioning family environment doesn't even need it Pre-K but they benefit form the socialization and learning environment.

By holding your son back you are starting off his schooling with a set back. He will always be behind the peers of his age by one year.

So what do you do if in the future your child has academic issues again? (Either learning issues, medical, etc, whatever). If you put them back again then they are TWO years behind their age peers.

I also know how it affects kids. It embarrasses them when discussing age with other kids. Some kids felt forever stigmatized by it. They always had to explain WHY they were a year older than their classmates.

Your lil boy should be fine and go on with his class. he has likely made friends in his class and holding him back makes him have to find a whole new group of friends once again.

My son's bday is in August. We talked to his potential teachers and others and decided to start him a year later. I am happy with the choice. I graduated HS at 17 myself but why rush them? Only one chance to be a kid.