My elementary school wanted me to skip second grade, but my mom declined, so instead they seated me next to the slowest kid in the class. The idea was that when I was done with my work, I would help her finish hers. Looking back, it seems to me this was intended primarily as a time saver/short cut for the teacher--it saved her from having to give either me or the slow kid the attention we really needed. The slower girl and I were never friends, and I remember resenting the arrangement.