Bio
Holly Korbey is a writer and mother of three sons. She was the founder and editor of the blog Parents for Educating Texas and her essays and stories on parenting and education have appeared in The New York Times, NPR Mind/Shift, The Nervous Breakdown, FearLess Revolution, Babble, and “How to Fit a Car Seat on a Camel”, among others. After spending 13 years in New York City, in 2007 she moved with her husband and children to Dallas, Texas, where she encountered the strange kindergarten redshirting phenomenon she wrote about in this personal essay. The response to the article was overwhelming, including invitations to be on TV’s “Fox and Friends”, a talk with Newsweek and The Daily Beast, an interview with Morley Safer on “60 Minutes” and hundreds of moms who continue to email, wondering if they should hold their sons back from kindergarten. She now lives in Nashville, Tennessee, with her family.
Published Work:
Teachers, Students and Digital Games – What’s the Right Mix? — for NPR Mind/Shift
Can Repetitive Exercises Actually Feed the Creative Process? — for NPR Mind/Shift
College or No? Stuck Between Future Promises and Present Realities — for NPR Mind/Shift
Talking to Other Parents About Guns — The New York Times Motherlode
Babes in Fairyland — The Nervous Breakdown
Should Preschoolers Have Homework? — The New York Times Motherlode
Hip-Hop High Cracks the School-to-Prison Pipeline — FearLess Revolution
Not Holding Back: Why I didn’t redshirt my kindergarten-age son — Babble
Seven Bags, Two Kids, and the Baby Cheeses – How to Fit a Car Seat on a Camel
Resignation Letter of a Ringtone Designer – McSweeney’s
Nice piece at Motherlode today. Homework, Part II to come next week on Motherlode…and then I finally get to stop writing about it! I can’t wait to read your next piece. Best, and well done,
Jess Lahey
Hey Jess! Thank you so much, I really liked yours, too. My father was a junior high history teacher for 40 years, and I think his thoughts on homework were similar to yours. Looking forward to the next installment!
Holly Korbey,
You escaped Dallas for Nashville. Educating and Texas are not words that come to my mind in the same hour, notwithstanding the reputation of Greenhill Academy. I know nothing of you or your work. Your comments on 60 Mins are spot on, for which you (and your offspring) will catch endless grief. Children of the culprits will express the displeasure of the parents (for you) via their interaction with your children. Get ready. No good deed….But surely you know this.
Nonetheless, kudos to you for standing up and being heard. 60 Mins, sadly, failed to ask what most journalists ask…WHY? What is in our culture that triggers this behavior. More on that later. And 60 Mins only hinted at the damage this parenting does to the children they hope to protect – which cascades.
Cheers,
John Lewis