Zahra Abdali (9) smiles, chatting with first grade friends as she sculpts her Play-Doh into the shape of a heart. While she sculpts, Abdali’s first grade teacher, Mrs. Cooper, comes up and grabs her desk. “Follow me, Zahra,” Mrs. Cooper says. Confused, Abdali grabs her things and follows Mrs. Cooper into the second grade classroom. Mrs. Cooper places Abdali’s desk down and introduces her to her new teacher, Mr. Smith. Abdali anxiously waves hi to her new teacher and sits down observing other students. Some of the kids whisper to each other while others just stare at her. Abdali quietly sits there, missing her old friends. A minute ago she was having fun, playing with her friends and laughing with them. Now, she’s in a room with students a year or two older than her with no one to talk to as she has now joined the second graders. 

“[I skipped a grade because] it was mainly because my reading and math levels were higher compared to the percentile my peers were at … So it just didn’t make sense for me to do first grade,” Abdali said.

Abdali skipped the first grade, and with skipping a grade came a lot of big challenges and changes.

“[Some challenges I faced were] mostly getting over all the friends I had in first grade and knowing there wasn’t any chances of me socializing with my first grade class again,” Abdali said. “Having to adjust and meet new people. Another thing that still lasts to this day is knowing that everyone else talks about specific things and I talk about those specific things a year later because I’m a year younger, so my interests form later.”

Although Abdali had to overcome some big difficulties, she feels she was lucky to have teachers guiding her and helping her adjust. 

“[To help me accommodate the change] the teachers did a lot of explaining and one on one with me,” Abdali said. “They introduced me to a lot of the second graders because I did not know that many. They just helped me feel comfortable in the new environment.”

Because Abdali is in a higher grade than she should be at her age, some of the work and learning can be hard. However, Abdali manages to understand and comprehend what she’s learning with confidence.

“I think skipping a grade has positively affected both (learning and studying habitats) because it’s made me more confident that I can do more advanced things. But it’s also helped me when I was in doubt because, you know, if I couldn’t do something anyone else could, I put into my mind that I’m a year younger,” Abdali said. 

Now, looking back at her education journey, Abdali hands off advice to those who are interested in advancing to the next grade. 

“Think through it. It’s a big life decision and simply it’ll affect you,” Abdali said. “I still think about my friends I lost touch with and not 100% relating to the peers in your grade. So in conclusion? Think about it long and hard.”