Well, we've heard of children being held back in middle school to improve their performance in high school -- especially in sports -- but now the push for an edge is going all the way down to preschool. The New York Times' Elissa Gootman reports that some parents are keeping their kids out of kindergarten intentionally until they are 6 -- some kindergartners are pushing 7. Conversely, there are also 5-year-olds still in preschool. The parents hope to give their children an advantage in school over their younger classmates. Some say it's a reaction to tougher classwork in kindergarten. Certainly, remaining flexible depending on the child's maturity is a smart strategy -- some children just grow up faster than others. Conversely, making the decision based on sheer competition means it's time for some serious soul-searching. Besides, the research isn't conclusive that kids who start later do better -- some do and some don't.
Competition starts early
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Nowadays there is so much peer pressure for PARENTS to keep up with the Joneses in regards to our children's developmental and educational process that all too often kids are sent to preschool or kindergarten before they are truly ready. The problem I see with that approach is that it makes school harder for the child than it needs to be. It's like hiring someone for a job they are under-qualified to perform. They may be able to muddle through and meet the minimum criteria, but it will not be enjoyable (for the employer OR the employee), and it is the rare bean who will rise to the occasion and find success or mastery in this manner. The majority will lose interest and leave feeling defeated.
I would never promote someone to hold a child back or start a child later in an effort to give them an edge over other students, but I whole heartedly believe that if it will give the child an opportunity to ENJOY school and be successful from an early age it would be in the best interest of that child- regardless of the performance of his peers.
Having graduated from high school a mere 20 years ago- the kids graduating high school today seem like babies... biologically they could be my babies. Starting a child in kindergarten later rather than sooner also gives the student an extra year of maturity at the end of high school before moving on to college or into a trade.
I wonder if my opinion is somehow correlated with my being one of the older parents in my kids' peer groups? Along the same lines, I believe I am a much better parent than I would have been if I had started younger.