# Anyone ever actually get 'left back' in school? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [August 31, 2004, 6:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-ever-actually-get-left-back-in-school/262385 "2004-08-31T06:38:01Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![StGermain](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stgermain/32/2868_2.png) [@StGermain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StGermain)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2004, 9:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-ever-actually-get-left-back-in-school/262385/41 "2004-10-18T21:38:35Z")
**Annie-Xmas** - That’s terribly sad. I’m so sorry your mother was such a bitch. No child should have to grow up like that. StG ---
**Author:** ![MelCthefirst](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/eada6e/32.png) [@MelCthefirst](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MelCthefirst)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2004, 10:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-ever-actually-get-left-back-in-school/262385/42 "2004-10-18T22:27:08Z")
> [@Annie-Xmas](#): > > My mother purposely held me back a year, then registered me for kindergarten when I was almost six. When the principal told her I should be put in first grade, her response was “NO! She’s too stupid for first grade.” The school kept insisting that I should be put a grade above, and my mother would not let them. She insisted that my two years younger sister (her favorite child) be one year behind me. Much kudos to you for becoming a fully functioning adult after that start! ---
**Author:** ![Cardinal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cardinal/32/4000_2.png) [@Cardinal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cardinal)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2004, 12:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-ever-actually-get-left-back-in-school/262385/43 "2004-10-19T12:17:58Z")
> [@Tikki](#): > > I tried to read and understand it but finally had to go to the teacher and tell her I couldn’t read grown-up writing yet. She looked at the pages I pointed out and said, “Oh, that part is for parents and teachers.” Then she opened the book to where I was supposed to start reading. Boy, was I relieved to see it was more like what I was used to! I had a buddy who told this story: His 1st grade (?) teacher called his mother and said that he didn’t seem to be progressing in reading. She’d given him a book to read on his own, and over a week later, he’d only gotten to page 2. They had a meeting about it. He proceeded to recite pages one and two. No one had told him that he shouldn’t start at the beginning every day. ---
**Author:** ![Cardinal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cardinal/32/4000_2.png) [@Cardinal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cardinal)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2004, 12:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-ever-actually-get-left-back-in-school/262385/44 "2004-10-19T12:26:46Z")
My second little brother was almost held back for 1st grade, I think. He kept skipping a couple letters in the alphabet and was the kind of kid who probably just had trouble sitting still long enough to learn to read well. My grandmother refused to hear of it, and being an elementary teacher of about 40 years experience, got the Lippincott kindergarten books and shoved him through all of them in the summer. He came out reading at grade level, and my third little brother was swept along in the wake, arriving at kindergarten already reading some. So the older one had to complete a remedial course, but I think it really sank in and was good for him. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2004, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-ever-actually-get-left-back-in-school/262385/45 "2004-10-19T18:51:13Z")
I wasn’t exactly left back but I did end up in Freshman English when I was a Sophomore because I flunked English the year before. I flunked because, in anticipiation of moving out of state, I refused to do this class project. In Brewster High, students were supposed to have this binder and fill it with book reports and crap for each English class every year until they graduate. I had the binder but stopped writing reports when I realized I wouldn’t need the binder after we move. Unfortunately, Dad didn’t bring Mom and me down until after school was out for the summer. I somehow managed to get through that first summer without them knowing I didn’t pass English but the next summer I spent in school. ---
**Author:** ![danceswithcats](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9e8a1a/32.png) [@danceswithcats](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/danceswithcats)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2004, 7:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-ever-actually-get-left-back-in-school/262385/46 "2004-10-19T19:00:12Z")
Littlecats did poorly in reading and was clearly struggling, despite special assistance. Her Mom didn’t want to be the bad parent, so I decided to be the mean Dad and supported another year of 1st grade. My reasoning is that everything else goes to hell if reading isn’t sound, and the social price is much less at a tender age than in middle school. ---
**Author:** ![NinjaChick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/71c47a/32.png) [@NinjaChick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NinjaChick)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2004, 11:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-ever-actually-get-left-back-in-school/262385/47 "2004-10-19T23:25:58Z")
My parents almost had me repeat kindergarten. I was having some social problems, like I had in preschool, and I never seemed to be paying attention. They did some testing. Stopped testing me for reading once I ‘passed fourth grade’, and the same for math (and I have _no_ idea what happened there; I hit fourth grade for real and started nearly failing math). Luckily, my parents had me continue on to first grade. Same thing nearly happened in second grade; again, I continued normally. ---
**Author:** ![hermann](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b487fb/32.png) [@hermann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hermann)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2004, 3:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-ever-actually-get-left-back-in-school/262385/48 "2004-10-20T03:02:51Z")
My son got held back a year, but I think my ex did it just so she could get one more year of child support. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-ever-actually-get-left-back-in-school/262385.md?page=2)