Redshirting. Have you heard of this? Its a thing that goes beyond sports and has found its way into early education and the academic world. The basis for this new toddler phenomenon largely stems from the research and works of the journalist, author, and speaker, Mr. Malcolm Gladwell. Essentially, what it boils down to is that parents who have children born in late summer, like us, decide to send their kiddos back to another year of Pre-K so that they enter Kindergarten as one of the oldest instead of one of the youngest. Its the biggest topic on my mind right now and a choice that were going to have to live with as we decided to *redshirt* Clover. For several reasons. First and foremost, when attending a Kindergarten discussion session last year at the school Clover will most likely attend, we were shocked to hear that the average class size is at, or above 30 -- more likely to be around 35. This larger class size is offset by introducing teacher assistants in the classroom to help maintain a lower teacher to student ratio. Still, thats a lot of 5-6 y/os running around. Having the ability and maturity to keep a cool, level head amongst the crowd should be of massive benefit to a youngster entering big kids school for the first time. Secondly, it is a cost effective strategy. Right now in the Portland Public School system, a full day of Kindergarten is not free and will set families back $3,600 a year, or $400 a month. Half-day Kindergarten is free but is less time in the classroom than what Clover is currently experiencing. Next year will be the first year that full day Kindergarten is free in Portland. Score. Finally, from a pure emotional response, I have no idea why were caught up in some sort of academic arms race with our kiddos. What exactly is the point of pushing our kiddos through the educational system just so they can come out on the other side still fresh faced and not fully prepared from a biological developmental standpoint to face the working world. Whats the rush? For us, we know that Clover is more than intelligent enough to handle the rigors of academia. However, in a class as large as the ones shell eventually find herself in, it seems as if being more mature may help her find success in oversized classrooms full of chaos. :) The research on this topic is split right down the middle. Like many of lifes biggest choices, there are advantages and disadvantages that come with making either choice. Ive done my due diligence and put in the research hours to discover all the known studied outcomes of this topic. Yet, oddly enough, I will never stop questioning whether were making the right call. In the end, Clover will now walk the halls her entire academic career as the eldest female. The alpha female. I feel after hanging around her everyday for the past 5 years that this is something that she can more than easily handle and will carry the torch with gumption, intelligence, grace, and thoughtfulness. It is a role that she is suited for and I hope by making this choice now, that she eventually thrives in it. As one of two of the largest advocates for my child, I feel like were making the right call. Time will tell. But for now, it is the choice that we have made. I just hope its the right one. Parenting is certainly not for the faint of heart... of course, while I sit here not knowing what to do with this free time, I feel like fainting...
Posted on: Mon, 08 Sep 2014 18:41:59 +0000
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