No Child Left Behind, Truly!

Have you ever wanted to do something but was told you couldn't because of your age, and had all qualifications to do so?

No I'm not referring to drinking or driving before you're 18, those laws are there to protect us from BODILY harm. 

Try to imagine you're a 4 year old turning 5, being told you can't go to school, only because of your birthday is at a certain time? 

I mean what can they do about that? Go back in time? Should the paretnts have planned to have them so that they would be born before August, or September. No, because that absurd, right?

Because that would mean holding the child back from knowledge that they willing want to obtain for another year because...they are not born soon enough? Because they are socially immmature you say? 

That's your argument?

What about those that are of age that are socially immature?

What about those that choose to have their child wait to go to school when they are 6 even though the child meets the age requirements?

Or those children that meet the requirements and drop out?

Or those that meet the requirements but aren't academically ready and are held back?

Why can't parents with kids born in the last quarter of the year have the same access to education of those that do meet the 'cut-off" date?

There are plenty of factors to worry about with children and school.

Enrollment rates are dropping, kids are being enrolled into home school programs /private school at an exponential rate because the public schools aren't giving the parents what they feel they need. Fair schooling for all. And as an advocate for public schools, I hate to see that. We already have to worry about shooters, bullies, and moldesters, and them walking home from school. And now, THIS?

School should be just as equal for someone who is struggling with the material, as those who excel with the material, and those who are academically ready to deal with the material.

I feel as though having the option to send your child to public school or daycare at the age of 5 no matter when your birthday would lighten the load on both the public school system and our daycare system.

Parents would have the option to choose what education works for their child. Those who choose to have them wait and go to daycare another year can have avaiable access to daycares that aren't filled to the brim with kids that have last quarter birthdays. And who do those open spots go to? Anybody!

How?

By equal, fair, and concise testing before entrance to kindergarten. It creates that level playing field, and no just because bobby doesn't do well it doesn't permit him from going. It just gives that teacher the knowledge that might have taken her a week, a month, or more so to figure out. That bobby will need extra attention.

Well wouldn't that take away from the attention my child needs that is age and academically ready?

Regardless, if Bobby has a late birthday or not he would've need the help. And the teacher now know that ahead of time. And this could work for any grade, and even those that excel grades above to merit that they are ready to transition to that grade and that level of coursework. 

I can hear the parents now, why would you test a 5 year old? It just kindergarten.
It is more than that and it always has been.
Kindergarten sets the basis for the rest of their schooling life.

They will take tests for 11 years of their lives, so why not start practicing earlier while they are still eager to learn.

I know some feel as though we already test our children too much, but just how are teachers and faculty members suppose to know what they are teaching and how they are teaching, are actually being taken in and learned by the students? They wouldn't.

They can play with phones, IPads, YouTube, computers, tablets, XBox's, PlayStations. In this generation, some children literally have a salary from a job that they have created but the minute you say test, they can't do it?

Children are the future, and they are already learning so fast it seems as though they are already there.

Imagine the possibilities of having that extra year in school for that child. The transition to the next grade would be better, because the teacher would know at the beginning of the year, the kids that are likely to struggle with the material, and the children that are already miles ahead.

They would transition out of high school better having a year to decide weather they would like to go to college, join the workforce, join the military or even create their own business.

Point blank, our children are more than likely smarter than we were and smarter than we will ever be because we doing are job as parents. So as a parent, I say we remove any barriers in out children's way, and stand beside them and hold their hand as they reach for the highest star they can.