Did I Peak in Fifth Grade?

Mrs. Jensen is my favorite teacher of all time. Stern yet fun, she was supportive and encouraging of each of the 24 students in my fifth grade class, identified as the ‘gifted and talented’ kids in our grade. To this day, I remember books we read, activities we did, and field trips we took. I remember who I sat with and navigating social dynamics: who was “cool”, who wasn’t, and who had a crush on whom.

That school year was, in a sense, the end of the halcyon days of childhood. Once we all went off to middle school, it was no longer acceptable to play and goof around. Sixth grade, I decided, wasn’t as much fun. The transition from elementary school to junior high was awkward, as it was for many kids.

Looking back, I can’t ignore the obvious question: did I peak in fifth grade?

I think the memories of that school year way back in 1992 and 1993 stand out to me because I truly felt like I could be myself. I was an achiever: a consistent ‘A’ student who strived to succeed academically because I had zero athletic ability (I was a big kid). It was the last school year that we could be kids, before tween and teen awfulness took over and things got complicated.

I was galvanized to read Rich Karlgaard’s book Late Bloomers: The Power of Patience in a World Obsessed with Early Achievement. Fellow copywriter Laura Belgray recently wrote a great piece about delayed gratification in business. As a self-professed late bloomer, these are the things I needed to hear: it takes time for us to own who we really are, and learning this can pay off big time in your career.

I didn’t so much “peak” in fifth grade as discovered who I am; the person my soul truly identifies with. The core values that I live and do business by today—vulnerability, transparency, and fun—were my core values way back then. It only took me 25 years to realize that.

(The image for this post is the yearbook page of my fifth grade class at Post Elementary in Houston. In the group are entrepreneurs, political leaders, mothers and fathers, musicians, spiritual leaders, teachers, and corporate executives, and I’m so proud of us.)