Why redshirting for kindergarten is a bad idea:

calmom
Thu, 30 Mar 2017 03:22:04 +0000

I regret holding my one back in some ways, because he did not develop a good work ethic. To me, part of that was because he was ahead as a young child - already reading and started writing on his own

My daughter was also reading and writing well and independently long before she started kindergarten. We did consider acceleration during her primary years, but decided against it – my daughter at age 7 had a role in making that decision. My daughter also has a very strong work ethic – she’s a perfectionist who has always been proactive and puts in effort well above what is needed to get by.

My son, on the other hand, is dyslexic and had great difficult learning to read… but as a student his work ethic was poor. His high school teachers characterized him as "brilliant"and “lazy”. He did not do well in college initially, because of his tendency to procrastinate and to get by with minimal effort in courses that did not interest him. He needed a 3-year gap midway through college, with time spent in the work force, to develop the discipline needed to do well in college.

Both my kids have April birthdays and were at 5 at the start of kindergarten, age 18 at the start of college.

Their age in school had nothing to do with their work ethic – that was a product of personality and a type of maturity that has nothing to do with chronological age.