[mewzilla]

Around our neck of the wooods, holding kids back is the norm, not the exception. A-type parents seem to think that if their kids are at the top of their class in first grade, the kids will be on track for a prestigious school and a well-paid career.

[jacquej]

And, I have some advice for parents of kids who are "early bloomers" as far as academic skills are concerned. I raised 4 of them.

The temptation is to push them ahead in school, to meet their academic abilities. What many parents do not realize is that these kids do not mature evenly. Frequently they have social skils that lag behind their intellectual skills, or are highly sensitive.

They actually benefit from being a bit older than their classmates, especially boys. Do not push them ahead. Keep them at natural grade level, so that when they reach high school, they are not younger than most of their peer group.

They can always get the academic challenge at home, but it isn't easy to get the social intelligence up to the level of older kids.

We learned this the hard way.

[ladylib]

I would be very suspicious of a school that fails a lot of students.