Son Repeating First Grade

My advice is DON'T DO IT! I held my son back in second grade. That is the worst mistake I ever made. He already had to start a year later because his birthday is in Jan. It has been very hard for him to accept, he was teased relentlessly for it and all of his "friends" are a grade ahead of him. PLEASE work with your son over the summer or get him the extra one on one help he needs. He will catch up given the support he surely needs. My son had the very same problem with reading. He's now a great student. Hinesight is 20/20. I wish I could go back and change that mistake I made. Listen to your intuition, it's there for a reason don't ignore it. Good Luck!

Public school is ruining your sons self asteem, and not teaching him, like they should. If you want to help your son, teach him at home. I wish I had the program I have my son on now, when he was in kindergarten. I swear they never taught him anything in public school. He is in cyber school now, and he is learning alot. They are such good teachers, they work with the kids and the curriculum (by k-12) is excellent. He has graduated from 9th to 10th. They have all sorts of events to go to, like class trips. My sons school quit having holiday celebrations, class trips and anything fun. We are happy with the Agora cyber charter school he attends now, at home. For more info check out the curriculum web site, at www.k12.com and the schools web at www.agora.org They also have other schools listed on the k-12 site, if you aren't from PA. If you are from PA, the Agora is the best choice. If you are going to do this for next year though, you had better hurry, they are taking enrollment now. You never know how fast they are going to fill up. By the way it won't cost you a thing, and they send you a computer to use, and all kinds of other goodies for your child to learn with. They will also come out to your home and give you a demonstration. Good luck.

had the same problem with my son in kindergarten. They wanted to hold him back because he was shy. I stuck to my guns and had him pushed ahead. The only reason he was shy was he got glasses in november that year and the other children would tease him. If you are feeling that bad about it why not sign him up for a tutoring program over the summer and push him ahead to 2nd grade. With extra one on one help he'll be ready for 2nd grade in the fall.

Don't be afraid of your sons self asteem I felt the same way when my son repeated 1st grade, but after the first week of school he found new kids to play with and after that year was over he had no trouble once he got into the second grade, its better to hold him back then to let him struggle it puts more stress on him and the parents good luck

I can tell you from experience that it was the best thing that happened to me. I repeated second grade, after my parents and the school fought about me repeating first grade. I started school when i was 4 because i was turning 5 before Dec. 1st. Apparently i wasn't ready, and pre-school wasn't as big back then as it is now, so i don't think me or my sibilings even went. But if it needs to be done, it's better to do it earlier than later. The older they get, the harder it will be. THey are young, and it's not as big of a deal now as it would be when he's in 7th grade or something. By then he would be behind and struggling and it would be harder for him to try and catch up. He may not really understand now, but it will benefit him in the long run. And to be honest, i still had trouble in school even though i was held back. I did 100% better in college than i ever did in elementary and high school.... go figure :) Good luck, and i hope everything works out :)

personally I don't think that it's such a big deal to repeat first grade. It's such a young age. He will be ok, especially with such support from his loving parents.

My son and daughter are behind in reading, theit school sent me a letter mid year and advised they may be held back due to the reading. They took saturday courses, for testing and he also is in a smaller reading group, he and his sister did pass the 3rd and 5 th grades. When did they let you know he would be held back? Did they offer him any extra help or any kind of summer program to prevent the repeat? My children are also goi ng to a summer school program that the school recommened them to attend. They attend a charter school though. I need me info about what notices and help they gave you.

It's really okay to repeat first grade, i did when i was that young, but it also turned out that alot of kids repeated either kindergarden or first grade the same time i did, so it wasn't too big of a deal, i made new friends easily enough even though i was pretty shy at the time, don't worry he'll be alright.

Hi B...:)...I understand your problem, my oldest daughter, she's 23 now, they also wanted to put her back in first grade...and we lived in a very rural area also...everybody knew everyone it seemed like..but, I wouldn't let them put her back, I told them that I wanted her to go on to second grade, and she did...because I myself, my mother put be back through first grade...and in my opinion, it does do something to the confidence they have in themselves...I thought I was not as smart as the other children that went on to second grade, because they all knew me...but, like others have said, it may not bother him at all..:) ...your heart will lead you in the right way..:)...and on here you can get such wonderful advice...I just joined and I LOVE IT!!!...all of ya'll are really great!!...have a wonderful day...Bon

He's already 7, so that looks to me like he missed the cut off date by a bit. That puts him a year behind already. Don't hold him back even more. Put him in summer school, and do as much as you can with him to help him read better. If he likes the computer buy him some reading games and play them with him. You can also go to www.starfall.com for some reading help. It's a great website that the schools even endorse. His teacher should have known enough months ago that he wasn't doing well enough, and should have told you. Pass him on to second grade and work hard with him over the summer. Your school should have a summer school program, and even have a bus to get him there and back. That's what I've seen in northern NY anyway.

Well I am young enough to remember how kids that were "too told to be in that grade, and to not have failed" in class. I lived in western NY, wyoming county, and went to Letchworth school. (look it up to see how rural that was!) and once we got in highschool the kid that was older had stature because they could buy cigs while others were too young, and they could drive earlier. BUT in middle and elementary school they got picked on and were reminded that even though they were NEVER any of these but were called stupid, failure, ETC. My best friend had to repeat 5th grade, and trust me when I say dont hold him back. Get him into summer school, and get a tutor. He has established some friendships. It will be like moving to another school when he has to meet a whole set of classmates. Do what you can to NOT hold him back, that is my advice.

B.,

They have this "no child left behind" act... why are they leaving your child behind? If you ask me, they should have seen this coming and worked with him to get him to a level where he could continue with his classmates.
Have they developed an IEP for your son? I believe you have to request that from the school's CSE in order to get it. My son was classified and now has his IEP (individual education plan) and gets more help in the areas he needs help in.
The schools have tons of resources that your son has every right to access to help him succeed in school. Unfortunately most of the schools don't just tell you about these things, it takes a bit of research on your part in order to find out about them. You are your child's best advocate. When my son started having problems I had a meeting with his counselor and teacher. I sent a letter to the school asking the CSE to evaluate him for possible classification. My son has adhd so our situation differs from yours, but he can still have extra help.
I know I am talking in circles here, but just don't let the school system bully you or your child.
Children will be children and it's sad to hear that his friends stopped talking to him over this. My son is a bit pushy and can be quite the brat with other kids so he only has one or two friends at school.
Oh, everything WILL BE okay. There was a point when my son's school was calling me EVERYDAY regarding my son's behavior. I was stressing out so bad. I thought I would never get through it. Someone told me I would be looking back at this one day and laugh about how much I stressed.... I'm not laughing, but things worked out and I am doing much better now.
R.

My son had problems in pre-k and first grade. Both teachers wanted to hold him back. My husband and I refused. (He struggled in reading, like y our son) He is about to graduate second grade now, and he struggled in the first part of it, but halfway through the year he just seemed to "get it". He is now majorly improving. I suggest you pass him on. ( Depending on your school, it is your choice.)Whereabouts are you?-S.