In a previous post, I mentioned that Johnny's first year of preschool came with a very important goal. The cut off for kindergarten in our state is September 1st and Johnny's birthday is September 2nd. Since he is only one day past the cutoff, he falls into a group of children that could be eligible for "early admission," so we had a decision to make.
Within a few months of starting preschool, our answer was obvious. He will be five years old in two months, and he'll start kindergarten in fall of 2010 at age six.
Redshirting is a term that originally referred to holding a college athlete back from playing in a regular season to allow for an extra year to grow and practice, thus encouraging success. The term is now used to refer to the practice of holding back an age-eligible child from kindergarten for a year, either for physical growth, social or emotional development, or catching up academically.
After much reading, talking to other parents and discussions with Johnny's teachers and pediatrician, we're confident that the decision we have made is the right one for our son. However, we've been questioned about it, so here are the reasons behind our actions.
It's not a childcare problem for us, because I'm mostly at home with the kids anyway. Even if we did start Johnny this fall, I'd still have Maureen at home with me.
All of the schools that we are considering sending him to are full day programs. While my brother and I both attended full day kindergarten, we also had naptime. Kids now have unstructured time in which they can put their heads down if they are tired, but the days of an hour of naptime after lunch are long gone. While I do want him to attend full day kindergarten, I'd rather he do it at age 6 instead of age 5.
Kindergarten is simply harder than it used to be. Many of the activities that Johnny did at preschool this past year were teaching skills that used to be taught in first grade. He would be fine attending the kindergarten I went to all those years ago, but the kindergarten that he will experience is vastly different. According to his preschool teacher, many young kindergartners struggle with the material. In order to address this, most school districts have moved the cutoff date for entry. When I was five, the cutoff was December 31st. It's now September 1st and some states have even moved to a late May cutoff. As a result, the kids are older and more able to handle the material, but there are still a group of kids that are on the young side and may struggle. I suspect that by Christmas, Johnny will be ready for kindergarten. If I was inclined, I could push him this summer to be ready by this fall. But why? So he can start at the "right" age? Once he starts full time school, he'll be there for the next 13 years of his life, not counting college. So what's the rush? What's one more year at home with mom?
Developmentally, Johnny is right where he should be for an almost five-year-old. If he started school this fall, some of his classmates would be 9, 10, 11 months older than him, or some even more than a year older. Why should he be compared to kids that much older?
According to his preschool teacher, as a whole, older students tend to be leaders, while the younger children are the followers. Not that being a follower is something to be ashamed of, and not everyone can be a leader. Some people are just born followers. But in observing Johnny with other kids, one thing is obvious. When he's with older kids, he's a follower. He hangs back and watches to see what they do first, before joining in. When he is one of the older kids, he is the one taking charge, setting the pace, making decisions. We feel that by waiting a year, he will develop according to his natural inclination. There is a big difference between being a follower because that's the way a person is, and being a follower because you're overshadowed by other, more confident people.
While Johnny has never been a shy child and makes friends wherever he goes, he could use an extra year to develop a little more self control and the ability to concentrate, skills that will help him in the more rigorous academic atmosphere when he does start school.
Finally, he does need more time to work on his fine motor skills. I've read many an article that says the focus on academic success in kindergarten had led to a group of children who can read earlier than ever, but that don't know how to use scissors. Johnny was never the kind of kid who wanted to sit and color or do crafts, so I didn't push it. Now, approaching the school age years, he is more interested in those activities, but his fine motor skills need more developing. Blame it on being a first time mom, that it never occurred to me that there are ways of developing those skills that don't involve coloring or crafts, and many of them are activities that Maureen enjoys now.
Someone asked me about the possibility of Johnny being bored if he starts a year later, and I think that's a valid concern. But I also think it's a lot easier to find ways to challenge a child that is advanced academically than it is to navigate the system to find help for a child that is struggling.
The real kicker was the many, many conversations I have had with other moms. While many have told me that they started their child at age 5 and wished they had waited a year, no one has ever told me that they waited a year and then regretted it.
So, there you have it, the reasons behind our decision to "redshirt" our son.
Has anyone else ever been in this position, and how did you handle it?
Within a few months of starting preschool, our answer was obvious. He will be five years old in two months, and he'll start kindergarten in fall of 2010 at age six.
Redshirting is a term that originally referred to holding a college athlete back from playing in a regular season to allow for an extra year to grow and practice, thus encouraging success. The term is now used to refer to the practice of holding back an age-eligible child from kindergarten for a year, either for physical growth, social or emotional development, or catching up academically.
After much reading, talking to other parents and discussions with Johnny's teachers and pediatrician, we're confident that the decision we have made is the right one for our son. However, we've been questioned about it, so here are the reasons behind our actions.
It's not a childcare problem for us, because I'm mostly at home with the kids anyway. Even if we did start Johnny this fall, I'd still have Maureen at home with me.
All of the schools that we are considering sending him to are full day programs. While my brother and I both attended full day kindergarten, we also had naptime. Kids now have unstructured time in which they can put their heads down if they are tired, but the days of an hour of naptime after lunch are long gone. While I do want him to attend full day kindergarten, I'd rather he do it at age 6 instead of age 5.
Kindergarten is simply harder than it used to be. Many of the activities that Johnny did at preschool this past year were teaching skills that used to be taught in first grade. He would be fine attending the kindergarten I went to all those years ago, but the kindergarten that he will experience is vastly different. According to his preschool teacher, many young kindergartners struggle with the material. In order to address this, most school districts have moved the cutoff date for entry. When I was five, the cutoff was December 31st. It's now September 1st and some states have even moved to a late May cutoff. As a result, the kids are older and more able to handle the material, but there are still a group of kids that are on the young side and may struggle. I suspect that by Christmas, Johnny will be ready for kindergarten. If I was inclined, I could push him this summer to be ready by this fall. But why? So he can start at the "right" age? Once he starts full time school, he'll be there for the next 13 years of his life, not counting college. So what's the rush? What's one more year at home with mom?
Developmentally, Johnny is right where he should be for an almost five-year-old. If he started school this fall, some of his classmates would be 9, 10, 11 months older than him, or some even more than a year older. Why should he be compared to kids that much older?
According to his preschool teacher, as a whole, older students tend to be leaders, while the younger children are the followers. Not that being a follower is something to be ashamed of, and not everyone can be a leader. Some people are just born followers. But in observing Johnny with other kids, one thing is obvious. When he's with older kids, he's a follower. He hangs back and watches to see what they do first, before joining in. When he is one of the older kids, he is the one taking charge, setting the pace, making decisions. We feel that by waiting a year, he will develop according to his natural inclination. There is a big difference between being a follower because that's the way a person is, and being a follower because you're overshadowed by other, more confident people.
While Johnny has never been a shy child and makes friends wherever he goes, he could use an extra year to develop a little more self control and the ability to concentrate, skills that will help him in the more rigorous academic atmosphere when he does start school.
Finally, he does need more time to work on his fine motor skills. I've read many an article that says the focus on academic success in kindergarten had led to a group of children who can read earlier than ever, but that don't know how to use scissors. Johnny was never the kind of kid who wanted to sit and color or do crafts, so I didn't push it. Now, approaching the school age years, he is more interested in those activities, but his fine motor skills need more developing. Blame it on being a first time mom, that it never occurred to me that there are ways of developing those skills that don't involve coloring or crafts, and many of them are activities that Maureen enjoys now.
Someone asked me about the possibility of Johnny being bored if he starts a year later, and I think that's a valid concern. But I also think it's a lot easier to find ways to challenge a child that is advanced academically than it is to navigate the system to find help for a child that is struggling.
The real kicker was the many, many conversations I have had with other moms. While many have told me that they started their child at age 5 and wished they had waited a year, no one has ever told me that they waited a year and then regretted it.
So, there you have it, the reasons behind our decision to "redshirt" our son.
Has anyone else ever been in this position, and how did you handle it?
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