They told me I was smart in 1st grade

In 1st grade, they made me a Red Cardinal. The Cardinals read faster than the Blue Jays so they put us together. We got to sit on the reading carpet at the front of the room but the Blue Jays sat in the back.

In 4th grade, they picked me for the Academically Talented program. They read our names in class one day, and we stood up proudly one by one, smiling at each another because we knew we would skip class to play games for a few hours a week.

And so it went, talent programs became honors classes and AP courses and eventually, I graduated in the top 5% of my Senior class. They gave me money for school, I got a good college education and today I have a good job.

But sometimes I wonder…

What if that day, they made me a Blue Jay instead of a Cardinal?