The Clash had a song in which it was sung
"The men at the factory are old and cunning,
You don't owe nothing, boy get running
It's the best years of your life they want to steal"
I sometimes see whole grade acceleration in this same light, as we're pushing kids to get to the drudgery of the adult world far sooner than they need to.
Few gifted children will be getting jobs on assembly lines. The white collar jobs that most will get may not involve more drudgery than being in school.
High schools are warehouses for teenagers. When I went to school, you would be docked a letter grade for skipping a single class. Attendance was taken even for study hall. In my current job in the investment business, I do need to be watching the markets at certain times of the day. But otherwise, if I need to step out to run an errand, I just do it. High school graduation is a day of emancipation, and I am pleased that two of my three children will be emancipated a year early.
Money is freedom. My wife and I spend a lot on our children, providing them everything we think they need and some of the things they want. But those are still our decisions. When my children start earning their own money, they will get to decide what their needs and wants are. Good for them.
