When I was in elementary school, my overachieving mother made the suggestion that I study all of third grade’s class material during the summer after second grade, take the final exams, and jump right to fourth grade for the upcoming school year. As an eight-year-old infatuated with the idea of being able to hang out with the cool older kids, I gladly acted on her suggestion. I spent my entire summer learning multiplications and memorizing Iranian history (I lived in Iran during this time) with restricted ability to hang out with friends and doing what normal 8-year-olds do. That fall, as I sat in class with the fourth graders instead of the third graders, I felt extremely smart and accomplished.
Now, you may ask yourself, why would your mother make you do such a thing? That’s practically like skipping a year of your childhood. Why rush growing up? Often times, I ask myself the same questions. As a 17-year-old college student, I often wonder what my life would have been like if I had not skipped third grade back when I lived in Iran. In America, it tends to be common for parents to send their kids to school one year late, whether it be for athletic advantage reasons or more emotional preparedness to face real life. Most kids in America enter high school at fifteen, receive their driver’s license at sixteen, and graduate high school whilst being legal adults. My case, however, was the complete opposite. I turned fourteen at the end of my freshman year of high school, celebrated my sweet sixteen during junior year, and I have yet to become a legal adult while having completed almost two-quarters of college.
Being the youngest one of all my close friends and everyone I’m surrounded by has definitely had its ups and downs. Getting to watch the looks on people’s faces when I tell them my real age, having to push myself academically and socially to fit in with those around me, having the privilege to move out and experience college a year earlier than most others and yes, getting to hang out with the cool older kids. I admit, getting to be an adult when you’re not really one is super fun, but last week,when I got a huge chip in my front tooth and the dentist told me I needed a parent signature before she fixed it, I furiously realized how little agency I have and how much it sucks to feel like a grown up but not be recognized as one by society.
Despite still having to get my papers signed by my parents, not being able to go clubbing with friends, and being restricted from doing some of what normal 18-year-olds do, skipping a grade made a phenomenal difference in my life. I grew up quickly and became more responsible. In today’s world, every age comes with its own set of expectations, and although this is merely an artificial societal structure, it is highly influential and encourages us to act in certain ways. In my case, being forced to play the role of someone just one year older made me think I really was. If I could go back in time and do it all over again, I would definitely still skip a grade. Doing so has provided me with emotional growth, enabled me to become more educated in a shorter time, and saved me a year of my life, as I am able to graduate college while being 21 or younger. I can’t recommend for everyone to make their kids skip a grade, but maybe sometimes pushing your children out of their comfort zone, even at a really young age, can end up being extremely beneficial in the long run.
