Some Kindergartners May Have To Wait To Attend Memphis Schools
For lots of kids, all across the United States, turning 5 is a coming of age. They are now old enough to go to school! They can attend Kindergarten, and now, they are big kids! No more preschool, naptime, or blankies. It’s the big time.
For future Memphis schools students, their first day of Kindergarten may just have to wait a bit. Legislators are considering a change in the necessary birth date a child must have in order to attend kindergarten at all Tennessee schools, including Memphis schools. Currently, the cutoff is September 30. The proposal would change that date to September 1.
While many children will be disappointed (as will there parents), it is a sound idea. Students attending Memphis schools have high standards to achieve, and starting school too early, in some cases, can actually set them back. They can struggle throughout their Memphis schools careers, and starting a little later, when they are more mature can make all the difference. This is especially true for students hoping to attend Memphis schools which mostly serve the urban area of Memphis, Tennessee. Students from lower socioeconomic backgrounds have been proven to be less prepared for school than their richer counterparts. Their parents may be working two jobs, with little time or energy left to spend getting Junior ready to start a Kindergarten program in Memphis.
Whether or not this is applicable, it is a fact that kids who start out the school year at Memphis schools younger than their peers (For instance, Sally’s birthday is September 28, when she will turn 5. She’ll still be only 4 when school starts. Judy’s birthday was January 28, and she’s been 5 for over 6 months now.) can have a harder time learning to “school” than others who are older and more mature.
Emotional maturity is perhaps the most important thing to consider. A child who isn’t ready to start Kindergarten at Memphis City may have a harder time adjusting to the new life of “school kid”. Crying, separation anxiety, discipline or behavior problems and even toileting and shoe-tying ought to be considered for these future students of Memphis schools.
Of course, there are always exceptions to every rule, and there are four-year-olds out there who are vastly more mature than their five-year-old peers. This can be due to any number of things; gender, birth order, and their parents’ level of completed education all contribute to a child’s social and emotional maturity. Even the age of the parents as well as the influence of extended family can impact a child’s maturity level.
It seems to me that the best solution for rising Kindergartners of Memphis schools would be to set an optional date. Perhaps students could be admitted to Kindergarten if they meet the September 1st birthday requirement, and a screening process could be instituted for those future students of Memphis schools that may be ready to enter Kindergarten in Memphis schools but have a later birthday in the month of September.
Patricia Hawke is a staff writer for Schools K-12, providing free, in-depth reports on all U.S. public and private K-12 schools. For more information please visit Memphis City Schools
Tags: Public Schools in Memphis
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