Compromise


Who is 'too young' for kindergarten? A state law can't make the decision

The Plain Dealer, Cleveland, Ohio, Sunday May 10, 1992

Regarding the article "It's Noisy! It's Active! It's Kindergarten, and kids learn" (April 12) and "Educators debate bill to delay school for summer babies" in the same edition:

When I originally went to sign my son up for kindergarten in June of last year, the district we were living in didn't want him. I was told that because he wouldn't be 5 years old until August, he would be too young to compete with the other children. I was shown a stack of applications and was told that those parents had decided that their children were too young.

My child had a hearing problem at the time, and the speech and hearing teacher only wanted to discuss his age and the supposed fact that statistics show that it's the "young" kindergartners who never graduate from high school. I was also told it would be detrimental to my son's emotional well-being if he had to repeat kindergarten. All of this for a 2 � hour session of kindergarten each day!

As chance would have it, we moved into the Twinsburg school district in July of last year. How I dreaded going through the registration process again!

When my son took his pre-kindergarten test, the instructor said she would have liked to have seen a higher score. But, she explained to me, he was still "young" and he could catch up. She basically wanted me to feel good about the fact that should I choose to send him to kindergarten that year, and if at the end of the school year his teacher recommended detaining him, that it's OK. It's better emotionally on the child to repeat kindergarten than further down the road.

I sent my son to kindergarten last year - he is enrolled in the full-day program. His teacher has used some of the techniques mentioned in the article about developmentally appropriate kindergarten. Whether or not she's actively involved in the state requirements, I've no idea. I know it's because of her and the quality of education in Twinsburg city schools that my son is being allowed to succeed, regardless of his age.

I have a 4-year-old son who'll be 5 on Sept. 8. I will be signing him up for kindergarten at the end of this month. From watching my 5-year-old grow developmentally all year long, I know my 4-year-old belongs in kindergarten, not preschool. My 4-year-old does "homework" with his brother. He can also count to 100. He can also spell. He can read simple words. He can add simple math problems. And he has an added advantage my 5-year-old didn't: He's not shy. He is a very articulate, outgoing child.

Get a grip on education, Ohio! By adopting a bill that would only help some parents make a choice about whether or not to send their child to school, these educators are defeating children who are ready, willing and more than able to learn.



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