I was held back in kindergarten. Sat through it twice. For years, my parents told me that they decided to have me repeat the grade so that I would have a year to grow. You see, I was a tiny kid. In fact, I was a tiny kid until the ninth grade. Smaller than almost everyone else in my grade, even though I was a year older. So this was a very believable explanation for my repetition of kindergarten. Unfortunately, as believable as it was, it was also a lie.

In the early part of 2005, I finally learned the truth. I was sitting at dinner with my family and some friends. The subject came up, as it has been known to do, and someone asked why I was held back. I started talking about being smaller than everyone else and my parents wanting to give me a chance to be the same size as my classmates. I glanced over at my dad, who was looking at me kinda funny. I paused. He just stared at me for a second and said, “No… You couldn’t read.” He went on to explain what happened.

I switched schools after my first attempt at kindergarten. There was a test. Sort of an aptitude thing. I remember sitting in an office and drawing a stick figure. Apparently, the test somehow gauged my reading level. It was not good. The school wouldn’t let me go to first grade. I had to repeat kindergarten there or go somewhere else.

Allow me to clarify. I couldn’t proceed to Grade One because I couldn’t read at a first grade reading level. Know how well you have to read to enter the first grade? I’ll tell you: not at all. I was held back because I couldn’t not read. I didn’t not read as well as everybody else my age. Everybody else who couldn’t read could apparently get much more accomplished in their time spent not reading.