Pre-k/k f/u

[pegleg715]

All this talk about school got me thinking.
With the ages and where my kids birthdays fall I can put evie and Caz in the same school year if I want. I'm not sure what I want to do there.
On the one hand it's one drop off and pick up. Without staggered times. Which would be helpful with baby 3 when he gets to prek and they're in k. And it would limit school events. One school concert for 2 kids. One school fair for 2 kids. Etc.

On the other hand I'm not sure what kind of rivalry it would create. With them beig different genders I'm not TOO concerned. But I feel like they might benefit from being in their own worlds.

Anyone in the same grade as a sibling growing up?? Thoughts?

Side note: I would request different classrooms until they were a little older, in the same grade not the exact same class

[okiemama]

It's a strange scenario, I don't know what I'd do. In my head things are very divided by grades, like my sister and I are 3.5 years apart, but 3 grades so I say 3. My birthday is around the cutoff so had my mom kept me back I would likely say we were 4 years apart. Kwim? Do you consider them a "year" apart? Like if they graduate together will you feel sad or gipped out of an extra year of childhood? My mom said when I graduated she wished she had kept me back in preschool just to keep me longer. I was 17 when college started.

[lainikins]

I don't have any personal experience, but from working in an elementary school, I do think that separate worlds are important. Different classes might be enough if it is a larger school. If it is a school that only has two or three classes per grade, then there might be a lot of overlapping kids through the years. I could easily see situations of Evie's friend being in Caz's class and Caz telling Evie's that her friend was playing with someone else. While it sounds silly to adults, there is a lot of girl drama around friends playing with other people in elementary school. I think that I would want to keep there worlds separate and be in different grades, but if the school is big enough, then I totally get the temptation of putting them together.

[heatherbee]

As a teacher, especially in young ages, 10 / 11 months difference can be pretty significant in their readiness levels so I would consider that. I would also worry some about if they were always "competing" for grades, friends, sports abilities and such as they got older, if that makes sense. If I was in that situation, I would probably opt for a year apart, unless you feel Caz is really ready at the same time as Evie.

[junkytrunk]

I would personally put them in different years. Other kids might ask if they are twins and they'd have to explain how they aren't. Also, Evie is the oldest and I think she should get her own chance and own classes and friends. She might not feel like her own person, even though she is a year older. Plus, then when it comes to college, you won't have to pay 2 tuitions at once.

[bantyrooster]

I would keep them seperate. In our area schools have the same programs and fairs for the whole school not just a grade. I honestly don't have a really good reason besides then they have there own "thing" and as Evie gets older people will know she is older. I know lots of people 10-15 months apart and they are all in different grades than sibs. Again maybe it is just a regional thing.

[rollerrink]

I'm certainly not in your situation, nor was I growing up, but my opinion would be to put them in different grades. If I were 3rd grade Evie and my little brother was in my same grade, and he was better than me at his multiplication facts (for instance), I might resent him a little. In my 3rd grade mind, I know I'm almost a year older, so I think I should be doing just as well if not better than him. If they were in separate grades, they wouldn't really keep tabs on each other as closely because they'd be learning different skills. Also, the same grade but different teachers may be a lot of work for you. In my grade level, we map out our lesson plans together and assign identical homework packets so that the 5 of us are pretty much equal. This isn't true for all grades, though. Evie may have a teacher who assigns minimal homework, while Caz's teacher assigns a lot. Evie's teacher may assign 4 different at-home projects, while Caz's teacher has 1 project for the year. If I were you in a situation like that, I'd be constantly comparing their teachers, wishing one was more like the other back and forth. Plus, it'd be hard to explain to one child why their sibling was able to finish their homework so quickly yet they still have 3 worksheets to go. In different grades, everyone would know to expect different work loads.

[pegleg715]

Jan 18, 2015 17:46:30 GMT -5 rollerrink said:

I'm certainly not in your situation, nor was I growing up, but my opinion would be to put them in different grades. If I were 3rd grade Evie and my little brother was in my same grade, and he was better than me at his multiplication facts (for instance), I might resent him a little. In my 3rd grade mind, I know I'm almost a year older, so I think I should be doing just as well if not better than him. If they were in separate grades, they wouldn't really keep tabs on each other as closely because they'd be learning different skills. Also, the same grade but different teachers may be a lot of work for you. In my grade level, we map out our lesson plans together and assign identical homework packets so that the 5 of us are pretty much equal. This isn't true for all grades, though. Evie may have a teacher who assigns minimal homework, while Caz's teacher assigns a lot. Evie's teacher may assign 4 different at-home projects, while Caz's teacher has 1 project for the year. If I were you in a situation like that, I'd be constantly comparing their teachers, wishing one was more like the other back and forth. Plus, it'd be hard to explain to one child why their sibling was able to finish their homework so quickly yet they still have 3 worksheets to go. In different grades, everyone would know to expect different work loads.

This is a really good point!
Thank you!

[starfishy]

I would opt for separate for many of the reasons others have listed, competition, friendships, learning styles etc.
For anecdotal evidence I have a friend whose brother had to be held back in K (they were also very close in age) so they were in the same class. They hated it. They were so miserable that they went to separate schools! In HS they went to the same school but were rarely in the same classes. I remember asking my friend about it and she said she hated it because nothing was ever "hers."

[jodielyn10]

Jan 18, 2015 17:11:11 GMT -5 pegleg715 said:

All this talk about school got me thinking.
With the ages and where my kids birthdays fall I can put evie and Caz in the same school year if I want. I'm not sure what I want to do there.
On the one hand it's one drop off and pick up. Without staggered times. Which would be helpful with baby 3 when he gets to prek and they're in k. And it would limit school events. One school concert for 2 kids. One school fair for 2 kids. Etc.

On the other hand I'm not sure what kind of rivalry it would create. With them beig different genders I'm not TOO concerned. But I feel like they might benefit from being in their own worlds.

Anyone in the same grade as a sibling growing up?? Thoughts?

Side note: I would request different classrooms until they were a little older, in the same grade not the exact same class

I haven't read the replys yet, but another thing to consider...all the costs would be at the same time too.  Not sure if paying for college the same year for both rather than staggering.  Eventually you'll have 3 in college at the same time, but staggaring when they start might be something to consider.

[stegasaurus]

I think I will be the odd ball out and say that if Caz is ready, I'd go ahead and put them in the same grade.

My brother and I are almost two years apart, but my last year of elementary school we were in the same class. It was weird for about a day, but we were pretty close and it was actually pretty awesome.

People might assume they are twins, but that's not really a big deal. Being so close in age, they will probably be friends with a lot of the same kids. You can always request that they have different teachers. Since most classrooms have their own assignments and activities, they'd probably only see each other at recess and lunch if that's how they ended up and it might not even feel like they were in the same grade. But they might enjoy having each other to help out with homework and projects. And they might even be like my brother and I and enjoy being together.

[bliz1712]

I like the idea of keeping them separate. Not sure if it would create jealousy or issue amongst them, but I could see that it being highly likely that it would. Also, the tuition issue for college issue would be nice.

So let me make sure I understand completely. When E turns 5 you will send her to K in Aug/Sep. C will only be 4 right? Will they even let you if he is not 5? Our district will not unless you are 5 by 9/1. Or will you wait until E is 6 and C is 5, and then both be in K? I've heard that boys are more often less mature, so it's best to not send them early if you have the option. Not saying that's always the case, but I've heard that a lot. I personally don't think I'd wait to send E if you are considering it. I think by 5 she would be more than ready. So basically I would keep them separate, but that's MO.

[pegleg715]

Jan 19, 2015 9:35:37 GMT -5 bliz1712 said:

I like the idea of keeping them separate. Not sure if it would create jealousy or issue amongst them, but I could see that it being highly likely that it would. Also, the tuition issue for college issue would be nice.

So let me make sure I understand completely. When E turns 5 you will send her to K in Aug/Sep. C will only be 4 right? Will they even let you if he is not 5? Our district will not unless you are 5 by 9/1. Or will you wait until E is 6 and C is 5, and then both be in K? I've heard that boys are more often less mature, so it's best to not send them early if you have the option. Not saying that's always the case, but I've heard that a lot. I personally don't think I'd wait to send E if you are considering it. I think by 5 she would be more than ready. So basically I would keep them separate, but that's MO.

Our cut off is aug 1. So with evie being 8-8 and Caz 7-26 they'll be same grade unless I test evie in early. Or hold Caz back a year.

[bliz1712]

We had that issue with V. Cutoff was 9/1 her Bday is 9/4. We opted to send her the next year, but maybe Evie will be ready. I would see how much hassle the testing is or what they test. Then maybe you can evaluate her to some degree on your own and see if she is ready. I think V would have been ready, my H and her Mom just didn't get in gear to get it done. Good thing you have a little time to figure it out

[aylafsu1881]

That is a tough situation and I agree with others. I would probably wait and have them in separate grades. To me it makes more senses from a financial standpoint. Staggering when they enter college would be much nicer than having them both go at once. Also like heatherbee mentioned those 10 months could make a big difference in readiness and development. However, if you end up having them in the same grade I think they will survive and make it work!

[huskiefanuw]

Personally I would not put them in the same grade. In elementary school I was advanced and my sister who is 15 months older than me and 1 grade ahead was struggling. They wanted to move me up a grade and my Mom decide not to after talking to a couple of her teacher friends, she taught 2nd grade for many years, and all of her teacher friends at older grades said that it created issues especially in middle school.