Other people's academic redshirting was what started our big problem with the K teacher this year! My DS started K at 5 with an April birthday and was a normal (though HG), wiggly 5 year old boy. His teacher within 2 days wanted to know if we were sure he was ready for K and wanted him evaluated for fine-motor disabilities. I assured her that he is just 5 and that he'll come along. She insisted that he go see an OT. Sure enough- he's "normal" for fine motor. It just happens that he is the ONLY boy in her entire class (and for the last 5 years she said) who started K not either already or almost 6.
She continues to argue that his coloring is below level, wants me to hold him back for coloring and hand weakness because he has no "stamina". She's even taken DS's coloring pages and finished them for him so he could "have pretty work too." I've reminded her politely, and then not so, that putting numbers in order from 1-15 all year long is not a stamina problem, it's a lack of interest problem. Give the kid some 3 digit math problems and he has laser focus and stamina!
I don't mind people redshirting because they have a reason (social/academic or whatever) but redshirting so your kid can be the biggest? That bugs me. We have a dad in DS's class that actually has said "Well I got beat up in junior high and I didn't want that to happen to him." He has built a bully on purpose... that's sad.
