[pefloresjr]

Haven't been held back, but both my father-in-law (Stanford BS '57, MS '59, basketball player and NASA scientist) and I were skipped a grade in grade school. We both agreed that if there one "do over" in life we could have, it would be to take that decision back. Tough being the youngest boy in a class.

Interesting. I skipped 4th grade, and while I agree that being the youngest boy in the class has down sides for me it was definitely on the whole a positive experience. I guess YMMV.

I was the youngest in my class, too! But I skipped kindergarten and I guess I was used to always being the youngest. That is, until I got to the Farm and was only the third-youngest freshman in my dorm. And it was a four-year dorm, so there were only about 25 of us freshmen.

When I was in fourth grade, my Mom remarried and we moved to a new school.  They did a bunch of testing that my old school never did and told us that they wanted to move me to sixth grade.  I was already the second smallest boy in my grade and had a sister and new step-brother in fifth grade.  My Mom never even finished high school, but she instinctively knew that jumping up two grades would not be good for me.  She told them to give me extra work and keep me where I was.  I am very thankful she did.  

Cheers,
Pete F.

[pefloresjr]

Haven't been held back, but both my father-in-law (Stanford BS '57, MS '59, basketball player and NASA scientist) and I were skipped a grade in grade school. We both agreed that if there one "do over" in life we could have, it would be to take that decision back. Tough being the youngest boy in a class.

Interesting. I skipped 4th grade, and while I agree that being the youngest boy in the class has down sides for me it was definitely on the whole a positive experience. I guess YMMV.

I was the youngest in my class, too! But I skipped kindergarten and I guess I was used to always being the youngest. That is, until I got to the Farm and was only the third-youngest freshman in my dorm. And it was a four-year dorm, so there were only about 25 of us freshmen.

When I was in fourth grade, my Mom remarried and we moved to a new school.  They did a bunch of testing that my old school never did and told us that they wanted to move me to sixth grade.  I was already the second smallest boy in my grade and had a sister and new step-brother in fifth grade.  My Mom never even finished high school, but she instinctively knew that jumping up two grades would not be good for me.  She told them to give me extra work and keep me where I was.  I am very thankful she did.  

Cheers,
Pete F.