I am currently facing a torn issue in my class. I have a student that I feel does not need to move on to first grade. However, the parent is determined that the child will not repeat kindergarten. So who should make the ultimate decision?
The child came to school lacking very important basic skills for building knowledge. He has made lots of progress but stills falls very short of being on level with the rest of my class. He has had intensive tutoring from the school in order to catch him up to where he is at the present moment. He has very little desire to learn and lacks much motivation. He can be a great discipline problem when he is not being kept busy with work.
In my best-educated opinion, I feel that the child will be ready to begin kindergarten next year. He will be on level with the rest of the students and will likely have matured some over the summer. He is not a large child and the size difference will most likely never be noticed. My worst fear for the child is moving on to first grade and being totally lost. I feel that he will act out from frustration. He then will likely spend much time in trouble and be a disruption for the rest of the class. I see no true signs of learning disabilities and do not feel that it would be the child’s best interest to be placed into a special education program. I feel that he is simply immature and was not ready to begin school. He has now developed skills needed to begin a kindergarten program and could be quiet successful in kindergarten next year.
On the other hand, the parent does not see that he is behind and feels that he can complete the work. She feels that the child just does not want to try. However, we have to base grades and decisions on performance at school, regardless of what the children do outside of school.
So what do I do? I have meet with the first grade teachers and they do not fell that the child can successfully complete first grade work. I can retain the child and force the mother to either accept it or appeal to the Board of Education or I can send the child to first grade knowing that he is not ready. In cases such as these, who should have the final say and how much control should the teacher have over the child’s future?
Related Articles
Why It’s Not Bad to Fail First Grade
NEA President Requests No Child Left Behind Reform
I Have to Meet with My Child’s Teacher about Possible Retention