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Schools wouldn't switch to starting at 6 because they provide free daycare. Parents expect to start having free care at age 5. Many districts have made the cutoffs earlier, though. When I was a kid, it was January 1. Where I am now, it's September 1. Of course, what they do in kindy now used to be what was done in 1st grade.
I held my son back (Sept 2 BD) for no other reason than he was too timid and nowhere near ready. The preschool teachers recommended it but I already knew it and planned a Pre-K year instead. He was a big kid too, always the biggest in his grade, but not an athlete. And he had no legs up on anything, didn't even drive until he was 19. He is my youngest and he always moved at his own pace, a more cautious pace than my hurry up and go daughter had. He was on par with the group he ended up with and only 3 months older than his best friend. No regrets.
I disagree. The feeling that the youngest child has of trying to keep up academically, socially and physically--and its accompanying low self esteem--can stay with them for a long time. There are too many people from my own childhood who were the youngest in their classes and never let anyone forget about how hard it was for them. (And we're all now well out of high school and college. )
I think a 40-year-old who's still upset that they weren't class president in 5th grade has bigger problems than having been the youngest of their classmates.
I think a 40-year-old who's still upset that they weren't class president in 5th grade has bigger problems than having been the youngest of their classmates.
You miss the point (and it has nothing to do with being 5th grade class president). Because they were the youngest in their classes and treated as if they were immature--which they may well have been--their ensuing lack of self confidence remained with them as they grew up.
^^It's a little hard to understand how you know "too many people" (according to your previous post to this) who were the youngest in their class. Such numbers would be limited to one per class. Then there's the question of what the definition of "class" is. Are you talking about elementary school class with everyone in a contained classroom? Each separate class in middle/high school? Graduating class of high school? I never had such a fascination with knowing when everyone's birthday was and who was the youngest.
Location: We_tside PNW (Columbia Gorge) / CO / SA TX / Thailand
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Sounds like a lot of the HARM done by the: 'age segregated failed USA public schooling system'
Mixed ages + responsible 'LEADERS' as students (rather than followers) = NO pecking order / who is oldest / tallest / dumbest / has the ugliest parents ...
There are BETTER (free) alternatives than USA failed public schools.
Consider your desired vs actual output (and your input (taxes, time, deprogramming, crisis intervention)).
^^It's a little hard to understand how you know "too many people" (according to your previous post to this) who were the youngest in their class.
How is that? Were you there? Four of my classmates from elementary school had November birthdays and were the youngest in their respective classes.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Katarina Witt
Then there's the question of what the definition of "class" is.
A classroom of 30-35 students. We were all in the same grade throughout school.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Katarina Witt
I never had such a fascination with knowing when everyone's birthday was and who was the youngest.
We were all friends; two of them, decades later, are still close friends. They discussed their own experiences--including those in school--as any friends might do.
(And frankly, I never had such a fascination with constantly questioning another poster's personal experience simply because it didn't match mine.)
You miss the point (and it has nothing to do with being 5th grade class president). Because they were the youngest in their classes and treated as if they were immature--which they may well have been--their ensuing lack of self confidence remained with them as they grew up.
Okay, but just because they started as the youngest didn't mean they had to remain the youngest. It's very difficult to repeat a grade in K-12, but when they graduated from high school, they could have taken a gap year before college, or they could have gone to a community college, spent 3 years there, and then by the time they transferred to a university as a junior, they wouldn't have been the youngest anymore. And even if slowing down there college education was difficult for them, they could, and still can, look for jobs where most of their colleagues would be younger than them. So if a 40-year-old feels like a 41 or 42 year has a huge advantage over them in terms of emotional maturity, they should take a job where the majority of people are in their 30's. By their own logic, they would have an epic advantage over a 32-year-old in the workplace.
How is that? Were you there? Four of my classmates from elementary school had November birthdays and were the youngest in their respective classes.
A classroom of 30-35 students. We were all in the same grade throughout school.
We were all friends; two of them, decades later, are still close friends. They discussed their own experiences--including those in school--as any friends might do.
(And frankly, I never had such a fascination with constantly questioning another poster's personal experience simply because it didn't match mine.)
Only one person can be the youngest unless they have the same birthday.
(And frankly, we are discussing an issue so I have questions. Frankly, I never discussed "how I feel about when my birthday is" with anyone in my class).
Only one person can be the youngest unless they have the same birthday.
(And frankly, we are discussing an issue so I have questions. Frankly, I never discussed "how I feel about when my birthday is" with anyone in my class).
To be fair, you probably weren't the youngest in your class. I was (due to skipping) and everyone knew it. I also knew which kids had December birthdays (they were almost the youngest with the cut-off of December 31; my birthday was in January) because it was something we discussed. I don't think it affected me past middle school, but we definitely did discuss being the youngest when we were very young/in elementary school. I actually still remember some of the December birthday kids. I don't remember when other people's birthdays were, though.
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