Keeping children back in school

[rascal]

:confused:
Hi all,
am desperate for info - my oldest child was born in November and is in Yr 2;teacher is talking ?? repeating him next year because of his maturity and she thinks he is struggling! Also informed me that my son would never be an academic!! Bloody hell .. he is a very practical child..like his dad and is a bit of a dreamer.. but no means dumb!! What are others expereinces?? Where do I go for research on this one??
lisa

[Briannabear]

I would definately be getting a second opinion. How could the teacher possibly predict that your child wont be an academic from such a young age? Seems like an awful thing to say. :confused:
And on that topic, if the teacher has already passed judgement on the fact that your child will never be good at school is that going to affect her attitudes to him?

[Funkychicken]

When you say born in November ,in year 2, what year do you mean? I'm not exactly sure of the entry age for school in QLD but in VIC the child needs to have turned 5 by April 30th of their first school year. Years ago, the date was June 30th but it was bought forward to assist those that seemed to be just too young.
In the school system my children are a part of, the entry is based on children turning 5 by Oct of the previous year, bringing it forward another 6 months.
I'm not condoning what your teacher has said at all, but could she have been referring to emotional maturity? Often when young boys struggle, they take it on board in an emotional sense which in turn lowers their self-esteem. If there is an issue here maybe a chat with the principal might help.:)

[rascal]

Sorry, he is 6 going on 7 (November 30th.) Am aware of the younger issues but have read conflicting advice from experts on this..some say they all catch up eventually..others say the outcomes are improved if the child is retained early in their schooling!Lisa

[cwsmum]

My brother was born mid december. It was suggested that he repeat pre-school because he had missed alot of the year due to illness and hospi stays, and also they said he wasn't 'socially ready' for grade 1. The teachers said he would be fine with the work, it was just the social side of things. Mum refused to have him repeat pre-school, she said he could repeat grade 1 or 2 if he needed to. He is now in year 11 and has not had any probs, socially or academically.

I'd speak to the principal, and maybe even another teacher at the school. They can probably do some basic testing to see if he would cope with grade 3.

[KarniF00l]

:wave: Lisa, I'm actually going through the same thing with DS. He turned 5 on April the 18th and he's in prep. His teacher also told me the same thing about his maturity level. He is very bright verbally but when it comes to sticking to tasks and whatnot he rather talk about what he's going to do later on in the day :confused: I've had many of agruements with family as to what to do about his very old fashioned teacher. She suggests keeping him down next year as he is "too young" "the other children in the class are 6 turning 7" and so and so on. Now i know for a fact my son is not slow.. he is very interlectual (sp?) for his age and has no worries with "fitting in". I've come to the conclusion that i'll decide what i want to do (yes, ive been given the decision) with DS when term 4 arrives.
There are 'guidelines' as to what is 'expected' of preps which is quiet funny because i remember when we went to orientation day they said that all children are different and learn at different paces :confused: which totally contradicts what this teacher has said to me.

[the_queen]

There was a little boy once who was told by a teacher: "You'll never amount to anything."

That boy was Albert Einstein.


Speak to the principal, maybe swapping classes would help your son.

[Mrs Little]

Hi Lisa :wave:

I'm a primary teacher in NSW. I would never reccommend to any parent that their child should repeat unless appropriate assessments have been completed on the child. These assessments should indicate the level of academic acheivement for the child and therefore determine if it's necessary for them to repeat.

Also, i find it extremly unprofessional for a teacher to be informing you of this 'repeating'. At all the schools that i've taught at, this 'repeating' was ALWAYS discussed in a formal meeting with the Principal, Teacher and Learning Support Teacher ( possibly even the Counsellor at school) and the parents. The decision to repeat should be made AFTER a LONG process of assessments and discussions with appropriate people.

I would be making an appointment to see the Principal to discuss the matter. I would also be asking them to complete any necessary assessments to determine his academic levels. I would be asking them to meet again once these assessments were completed to discuss the results.

(On a side note)....i would not reccommend that a child repeat due to the social implications. It's so hard on them, and in the end may influence the success rate of repeating as they socially can't cope. If they can't cope emotionally and socially then they wont cope academcially- then you have an even worse situation on your hands. However, if deamed totally necessary to repeat, then it is better to do so earlier.

Hope this helps. Be encouraged to seek further input from the school, in terms of results from assessments, and from other professionals than just the class teacher.

Best of luck,

Mrs Little & Son.

[tommylu]

My DS started school this year,he turned 5 in July this year.His teacher told me that he was gonna have to repeat KINDY because: 1,His age(youngest of the class) and 2 because he was not ready and would not cope in year 1 BUT the worse thing is she told me this about 4 weeks into term 1 !!!! i could not believe she told me this so early into the term.
My DS is not dumb by any means,BUT he is EXTREMLY shy especially around new ppl.
I guess we'll just have to wait and see what happens at the end of the year.

[limlib]

Hello I am a high school teacher and would like to make a general comment. I certainly agree a second opinion is important before making any decision but I think you should carefully consider the teacher's advice.
In my experience no teacher makes a recommendation of repeating without good reason. The first three years of school are crucial for children's future success and you want your child to love going to school to learn. It may not be anything to do with intelligence but rather development of skills - as we know all children develop at different rates. But it is actually a medical fact that boys develop literacy skills after girls but develop their motor skills first. Some kids take longer to pick up the first literacy skills for example and just need longer to master them.
In my experience most kids don't just catch up to the others later.

My friends actually was in the exact same situation you are in and were torn about making the decision. Mainly they were concerned that socially their child would feel bad (without all his friends in the same class) knowing they were in a diffferent class. But that is thinking from an adult perspective. My friends did make the decision to have their boy repeat. Apparently he was upset for the first day and asked about the others going to another class for a couple of weeks but my friends just told him that each year you get a different teacher and class ( they ensured he wasn't with the same teacher). He made new friends and with repeating the skills he mastered them and became one of the best in the class. My friend was really happy as his attitude to learning changed from no real interest to very keen because he was having success.

I am not saying you should automatically take the teacher's advice, of course everyone has to judge what is best for their particular child, just don't dismiss the advice out of hand thinking the teacher is attacking your child's intelligence or emotional development. It really is true that if a child just moves on to the next grade and they are not ready they don't usually just catch up.

I guess this is a debateable issue so it really it comes down to what is best for your individual child.

It really is only half way through the school year so there is still plenty of time to make this decision. Good Luck.

[tera]

I was told that my DS was not ready to go to school and to hold him back a year, which I did because he was a december baby. Boys are slower socially and emotionally I was told. Boy do i feel really bad now.

My DS has just been assessed as gifted and is working at a year 2/3 level depending on the subject area he is in Year 1 now. All through Prep last year his teacher kept telling me he should have gone to year 1 but she was the one who told me not to send him? Go figure

Now I have to advocate for him to be given work at his level


Teresa

[Kirstlea]

There was a little boy once who was told by a teacher: "You'll never amount to anything."

That boy was Albert Einstein.


Speak to the principal, maybe swapping classes would help your son.


I Concur :thumbsup:

I was a teenage girl who was told (by my science teacher)that I was as dumb as a door nail and would never get anywhere in life. I never pursued my dream of being a vet because of him but I am a successful self-employed business woman.

Some teachers can be detrimental to children just like bosses.

If you don't like your boss or you feel that you are not accomplishing much in your job you leave and find a job that gives you satisfaction.

I don't see why we can't do the same for our kids when it comes to their schooling.

Goodluck, hope it all works out for you

[rascal]

Thank you all for your input! It has been helpful. I must agree Kirstelea - I'm sure my teachers figured I would not excel academically...have just finished a post graduate masters in midwifery!
What has concerned me about all of this is these recommendations are not really based on anything apart from one persons judgement. In my game, we provide care that is evidence based, but there seems to be little involved in this way i.e research when it comes to stuff with education. This is why I have struggled with this but am abit more informed now and feel confident to tackle this if it contues to be recommended.
Lisa