This letter is in support of holding children back. My son is now a successful business man and a graduate from a very selective school. He was the youngest in his class when he entered first grade. He struggled in school every year. When he was in fifth grade, my husband and I decided that he should repeat fifth grade.
Our son was not at all happy about our decision. We just told the school he was to be retained and made it clear that this was our decision. Nevertheless, when he started high school, he told us that he was happy that we had held him back. From the 6th grade on, he was in the top 10 percent of his class and felt good about himself and what he was doing in school.
He did not have any problems adjusting to either middle school or high school. I taught for many years in kindergarten through second grade and saw many other children who gained so much from being retained. – Successful Retention
Answer: We have received many stories like yours about how well retention worked for individual students. And we certainly agree that retention can be the right decision for many students. There is one caution: after fifth grade retention is rarely successful. It is simply too traumatic for most older students. In fact, students who have been retained equate it to being as traumatic as losing a parent or going blind. Furthermore, retained students are less likely to graduate from high school. Your letter does show that there are always exceptions.