Monkeys & Roosters: alert!

This piece on BBC Radio Four revisits the facts of the age bias in schools.

Most over-achievers, especially sporting, are born between September & January. Few have late summer birthdays. This makes sense because, at the age of eleven, let alone five, the difference
in development between children born even six months apart is considerable. So they tend to be recognised, get picked for the teams and so on.

In feng shui or more particularly ba zi, the Animal of the month is often considered to represent social circle and the workplace. August is the Monkey month, September the Rooster. To generalise, the
Monkey has two distinguishing features: a certain playfulness and a reluctance to become over-involved.

The Rooster, on the other hand is known for nit-picky precision and strong learning abilities. Both of these Animals are Metal which means that Fire has a strong stimulating effect on them.

The news that emerges from this report is that a September-born child who starts school early in the previous (summer) term, is not disadvantaged. Again there are a wealth of linear explanations. But one way to look at it might be that both the happy-go-lucky Monkey (born August) and the more focused Rooster (September) are stimulated by the fire of summer which stretches across May to July, the months of the English Summer Term.

You pays your money and you takes your choice.