I saw the thread on holding kids back by Johnson Central. I have a lot to say on this subject, so I decided to start a separate thread on it.
Last year I attended the Trinity - Moeller game here in Cincinnati. I was amazed at how every player had full facial hair. Every player it seemed, was a lot closer to 19 than 18.
Last year my kid started 13 games as an OL as a 15 year old sophomore. He was younger than 7 kids on the freshman team. Even this year as a 16 year old junior, he is still more boy than man.
If I had the knowledge I have now, I would have held him back in middle school. Not only does this have the obvious athletic benefits, but there is a lot of data out there that says 17 and 18 year old males are not ready for college.
So the bottom line is that by holding kids back, you are actually doing them a service, making them a year more mature when facing the challenges that college life presents.
I realized in middle school I made a mistake starting my son early in school. He will be going off to college at 17 years old. I talked to his principal in middle school about holding him back, but all she was worried about the "no child left behind" clause in Ky. All that means if a student doesn't pass the school looses MONEY. She has since made her own bed, lol. I even thought about letting him transfer to another local school who thrives on this kind of situation. After a discussion with him we decided just to go forward and roll the dice.
I graduated at 17...just turned 17 a few months prior. A 17 year old kid is not ready for the real world IMO. Both of my children will graduate at age 18. They are girls and I still feel that is kinda young to be ready to go off on their own in a college life. Some simply are not mature enough to handle it. That is why you see alot of kids coming back home. I personally have no problem holding kids back, if it is for sports or for class room.
I believe the public schools apply pressure to get kids enrolled ASAP for financial reasons. This is a wrong that needs to get corrected.
Holding kids back due to immaturity and social aspects is much different than kids being held back for athletic reasons. Kids may have a little more success at the high school level but it does not help them much in getting a scholarship or playing at a higher level in college.
If my kid is playing D2 ball, I don't have a problem with him giving up one year's maturity. If my kid is playing in a BCS conference, I have huge problems with giving up 12 months of more of physical maturity. You are better off delaying enrollment until January so the competition will be with the following class, and you have the advantage of Spring Football.
As a 17 year old, you are burning ncaa eligibility just waiting for youy body to mature. Delay enrollment by one semester , and you may get to play an extra season.
Holding a kid back or delaying enrollment definitely leads to more athletic opportunities at the middle school level , which leads to development opportunity not otherwise available.
After my son was born, I took off my shoes/socks and did the math necessary to ensure that he will be 18 on the day he graduates from high school. I then enrolled him in school accordingly.
Wasn't that hard, really.
Try that, maybe.
This is a continued point of contention regarding hold backs and it is easy to see the benefits of doing so. Here comes the but...start them later in their early childhood school journey!
To justify a hold back in late elementary or middle school isn't right for the taxpayers of our state. So quit sandbagging your kids intellectual ability and make arrangements like those of us who made the year financial sacrifice for day care, or friends, or family watching your son while in infancy. The accountability should be on the family, not the school system to financially accommodate them!
To justify it in late elementary and middle school is beyond me. It comes at a price to an already stretched school system. I've spoke to numerous folks on bgr who are huge advocates for hold backs and they get real quite when I ask at whose expense. Exercise some foresight and do it on your time table in PreK and K, not the taxpayers in middle school.
Also your kid bored to tears having to repeat the same curriculum when they're academically capable to advance and grow ( fun times for your kid as their friends move forward )! Add however many others to that scenario and try to convince me it isn't a financial drain on the school system.
I crossed this bridge with my own family and we foot the bill, schedule, made arrangements. We do this for our kids because it's our responsibility, not others. Best of luck in your thought process. Hope it doesn't cost others to pay for entitlements due to poor planning on the front end! And if you choose otherwise in mid stream. Have your well adjusted "hold back," make a donation to his school system when financially able down the road ( someone should pay the expense since you did not ) !
If you think your kid needs more time before he is mature enough to attend college. Let him work for a year or two and enable that experience to ignite his passion for college academics and a potentially better life. It's not right to put the financial burden on others.
Please, by all means convince me the taxpayers don't pay for folks entitlement issues and short sightedness. Parents are responsible not the school system.
Pick6 Wrote:If my kid is playing D2 ball, I don't have a problem with him giving up one year's maturity. If my kid is playing in a BCS conference, I have huge problems with giving up 12 months of more of physical maturity. You are better off delaying enrollment until January so the competition will be with the following class, and you have the advantage of Spring Football.
As a 17 year old, you are burning ncaa eligibility just waiting for youy body to mature. Delay enrollment by one semester , and you may get to play an extra season.
Holding a kid back or delaying enrollment definitely leads to more athletic opportunities at the middle school level , which leads to development opportunity not otherwise available.
I understand your point but it is a very very rare case when a kid could go from being D2 to a BCS conference just because of one year difference. Usually kids who are held back for athletic reasons wind up playing the same level they would have if they had not been held back. If a kid is not on the radar by his sophomore or Jr. season they are probably not going D1.
Spirit I understand your argue net and agree with what you say to an extent. However, here is where I make my rebuttal. I am a tax payer, and have been for a number of years, if you could, since you are so passionate about the numbers please find out just what my kid is costing the system for the two years that they will be staying back in the next few years. If I do the math, and I have not far exceeded the amount you come up with from the taxes that I will pay through out my life then I will be very, very surprised. I would argue if you are that concerned about your tax dollars then you should do something to help us all and start some type of action against the free cell phones, the free health care I'm pAying for others to receive in addition to paying for my families, the welfare that so many choose to abuse straight outa high school never having a job, those drawing disability who are more then able to work, etc... If I have my say I would rather pay for an extra year of school with the tax money as opposed to keeping everyone else up. Also, you must be very fortunate just as I am in having a job and being able to pay for child care for an extra year, however I choose not to. But others in our area aren't that fortunate, so rather then blasting them over not setting money aside to pay for an extra year, again I would urge you or anyone else for that matter to please bring us additional jobs! A Toyota plant or anything would be great for our people, because most people in the mountains want to work and are very hard workers, but times like now it's kinda tuff.
I do not post here often, but I had had just about enough of these threads!
The KHSAA rules on age are crystal clear. The decision is for the parents and student to make on what is the best for the student.
It is as simple as that and nothing else matters.
Spirit, there are a lot of statistics out there, and I will go find them again , if necessary that say that 17 and 18 year old males are not ready for college. The freshman dropout rates alone support that conclusion. So, is an extra year in tax payer provided educational institution a worth while investment if it means the male freshman dropout rate is substantially reduced, providing more taxpayers to the general population. I say emphatically, YES!
The problem is that public school districts assert their financial interests over those of the student. I support delayed enrollment. I wish I had asserted myself more when my son was seriously ill in 6h grade and missed 1/3 of the year.
Well just so everyone knows how much money we are actually talking about... On average the state funds about 4000 for base seek... It varies a little by district... In addition to that there are federal programs that usually run about 2000. So the cost we are worrying about is simply about 6k a child... Don't see that as being a problem.
I've never understood why there has ever been a debate over holdbacks.
Either a kid is eligible or hes not.
If he doesnt turn 19 before August 1st of his senior year, and he hasnt been heldback since being in high school, the kid is eligible. Like it, love it, or hate it, this is the rule and everyone has the oppertunity to use it to there advantage if they so choose.
Theres no debate. Either your eligible per the rules of Ky high school football, or your not.
Nobody is debating the eligibility criteria. I'm just pointing out that not a lot of parents take these things into consideration when their kids are 4 years old.
When I was a senior at 17 I often wondered what could have been if I had another year in HS, so when my children came I started them in school at 6 years old so their maturity would better prepare them for college and life.
maximus73 Wrote:When I was a senior at 17 I often wondered what could have been if I had another year in HS, so when my children came I started them in school at 6 years old so their maturity would better prepare them for college and life.
As you should have done....The sad fact is that even in this day and time most college grads are still ill prepared to face what they have to go up against in this society and economy....