Our Hauppauge community is enriched by the perspectives and experiences of our students. As the school year progresses and students are consumed by assignments, examinations, and projects, they may find themselves wishing to relive fond memories of previous school years. To further represent our school community in this manner, I interviewed several students and asked them which grade they would like to return to.

Maddy – Freshman Year

I would probably return to freshman year. Socially, I had a lot of friends in both my classes and my extracurricular activities. Being around them made the year incredibly enjoyable. Additionally, I felt that I had the most motivation to perform well in my classes this year

Sal – Fifth Grade

I enjoyed that year because my teacher catered to my interests in science. We also had several class pets that year which inspired me to work with animals later in my life. Fifth grade gave me my first motivation for a future career, which I am grateful for as I continue to take more advanced science classes.

Emily – Kindergarten

I’d go back to pre-k or Kindergarten. I miss having nap time during the school day, the easier material, and the computer activities. There was also a class cat. I loved the Kindergarten circus, the chicks, and my teacher as well. Overall, these years were extremely enjoyable.

Julie – Seventh Grade

Everything just went right that year for me, whether it was academically, socially, or athletically. This was the first year that I was able to participate in school sports, and I had the opportunity to run for the high school track team, which opened me up to countless new friendships and experiences.

Chanelle – Fifth Grade

I would return to fifth grade. This was one of the final years that I was still considered to be a little kid and treated as such, but I had the most freedom out of the other elementary grades. Our activities this year were fun and I am grateful for the experiences I had with my friends before entering a more stressful school environment.

My Opinion

I would go back to fifth Grade. In the final year of elementary school, we had the most exciting field trips and school activities, while maintaining a carefree and relaxing school environment. The coursework was incredibly simple and my grades were not determined by my academic performance, which eliminates the greatest stressor of school environments. I had close bonds with my classmates and enjoyed this year of simplicity and calm, which would not last much longer after elementary school completed

The Statistics

Of the five students I interviewed and my personal opinion, 66.7% wished to return to a grade in elementary school or younger, as these years featured limited emphasis on academic proficiency, rather than prioritizing socialization with peers and individual discovery. 16.7% wanted to return to middle school and 16.7% wanted to stay in a high school grade, both of these responses concerning the positive social aspects associated with these years.

Humans often tend to romanticize the fleeting experiences of previous years, consumed by the nostalgia of a perceived “better time”. The interviewees were asked to reflect on past school years, and though it is valuable and natural to miss fond memories we cannot return to, it is equally important to embrace the present moment and the unique life events we are currently experiencing, as these years too will soon be viewed with the same nostalgic lens.