What Happens if a boy is held back a grade

[Katydid]

Gopherjudy

 

I will tell you as a family that moves alot that this is a problem which military families face all the time. My son was born in September. He started kindergarten in New York. We then moved to another state where the cut of Was is August. My son was a whole year younger than the kids in his class. We had to hold him back a year. He just did not fit in with these other boys. They were talking girls and he was still playing with match box cars.

 

We run into the problem alot with sports. Little league. Half the class is in one age bracket the other half is in another. The only way to solve the problem is a nationalized standard cut off for school to start.

 

 

[GopherJudy]

Hi Katydid!

 

You must go crazy with all the moving & then having to remember all of the cutoff dates. I think even the city (as in NYC) has different cutoff dates! A friend of mine in elementary school to high school started kindergarten in the city & their cutoff date was Dec. 31st! I remember her birthday was December 18th! We graduated from high school in 1975 we were both born in 1957, my birthday was in May though! Eek! a "few" years ago! Now, if she started school on Long Island she would have had to wait til Sept 1963 to start kindergarten & would have graduated high school in 1976.

 

You're right that the US should have a standard cutoff date to make it easier for those who move around a lot. But another problem is, is that not all schools, I'm talking about elementary, junior & senior high schools, start in September. I have a friend in Florida & her kids started school I believe in the middle of August, they finised in the middle of May I believe! EEK! August is too hot!

 

Most of the problem lies with when the child's birthday is & what the cutoff dates are for each school district.

 

I just hope that you're son is doing well & enjoys scouts.

 

Judy

[ScoutMomAng]

"You're right that the US should have a standard cutoff date to make it easier for those who move around a lot. But another problem is, is that not all schools, I'm talking about elementary, junior & senior high schools, start in September. I have a friend in Florida & her kids started school I believe in the middle of August, they finised in the middle of May I believe! EEK! August is too hot!"

 

The US should have a lot of National Standards when it comes to school and people who have to move a lot.  I too am affiliated with the military and have faced states with better educational schools than others and has caused a lot of turmoil among my children.

 

You are right that not all states schools start the first of September...I am in Florida, currently and we start the FIRST week of AUGUST....this upcoming school year it will be August 5th!!!!!  And they still get out in the middle of May!  Usually with no Easter Break except Good Friday. 

 

August is WAY too hot here in Florida...even in the Panhandle...to be going to school.

But as for the boy advancing, I would think he would be bored doing Tigers again, but that is just me.  Maybe he would enjoy it.  I think the parents should make the ultimate decision.  I look at it this way...say the boy doesnt start Cub scouts until he is 9 years old but he got held back a grade in Kindergarten so he is only in the second grade because his birthday is late.  With his age he is eligible to start in Bears but his classmates would be starting Wolves...where do you put him???  As for when he gets to Webelos...if the boy hasn't finished 4th grade by the time he is 11 does he HAVE to move up to Boy Scouts or could he ultimately hang out and do Webelos I and II in one year only completing the basic requirements to get Webelos and AOL???  Just points to ponder.

 

Ang

 

 

[jenniferden8]

I went through this last year. my son was kept back in first grade. I was told since he had already completed his tiger year the choice was mine. I told them to graduate him to wolf. he spent this year in first grade and got his recruiter badge because the boys in his class were excited by what he did this year and they can do next.

[hendrickms24]

"I went through this last year. My son was kept back in first grade. I was told since he had already completed his tiger year the choice was mine. I told them to graduate him to wolf. He spent this year in first grade and got his recruiter badge because the boys in his class were excited by what he did this year and they can do next."

 

All,

 

I failed First Grade but was allowed to join Scout with the rest of my piers. Cubs started in 3rd Grade back in 1981, but if I was not allowed to join Scouts with the rest of my friends that would have been just another heart breaker! It took me years to get over failing first grade but being able to join scouting really helped myself esteem. If you hold back a scout because they are struggling in school its just a slap in the face to them. These children could have learning disabilities or worse so please don't penalize them for something thats out of their control.

 

thanks

Mark Maranto

Eagle Scout

(This message has been edited by hendrickms24)

[madkins007]

1. Age vs. year- As a rule of thumb, go by year of school. The age bit is only really helpful for home-schooled youth and, oddly enough, the Mormon church, who do things slightly differently. I wish I could cite my source for this, but I can't find it any more (I donated a TON of books to the unit when I shifted jobs again!)

 

The key here is 'FINISHED' such and such a grade. Finish a grade and have to repeat it and you still FINISHED it. School years are pretty universal- most schools start and end within a few weeks of each other.

 

2. Relative importance- The only two times the age or grade REALLY mean anything are for starting Scouts and for earning the AOL badge/bridging over. In between these two times, I can promise you that many councils will not worry about it. Ask your council's Scouter Services desk or DE about it for local policy. (You may or may not be surprised to find that there are very few records kept on Cubs for past years. Start date, current registration info, AOL, and a few others, but not much else. Most of what IS kept is kept to make Eagle easier to verify.) Even in councils where the records are tighter, exceptions can and will be made for many, many reasons.

 

3. Socializing- This is a two-sided sword. If the Scout hangs back with his 'new' group, his old group is still around and sees him in this new, lower position- that has a certain effect on both groups involved. On the other hand, staying with his old group shows his new classmates that he really is a bit older and doing well outside of class.