What’s in a date?

When Should a Kid Start Kindergarten?

This article by Elizabeth Weil for the New York Times magazine, tells a story that I’m sure most people don’t think about. Many cultures, throughout history, cautioned parents not to enter their children to school until they were old enough to perform some kind of test that proved they were able to handle it. We in America, the land of the free, base this instead on a date that means nothing in terms of child development. This country is so obsessed with competition, we don’t think about whether or not we are doing our children real harm by entering them into school before they are emotionally ready. Anyhow, read the article, it’s quite interesting. Having spent the last year in a 1st grade classroom, I can readily attest to how immature children develop problems (be it behaviorally or educationally) in class. Why set your kids up for failure?