So yesterday I mentioned that my headcanon has been changing regarding the education of the Cullen ākidsā ā the more I think about it, the more I think itās unlikely that they always attended high school everywhere they went. When EdwardĀ ādiedā he probably was in his senior year of high school. (While even now one can legally leave school at 16 in Illinois, given his familyās position in society his parents most likely would have expected him to go to college. So I think itās pretty safe to assume he was planning to complete high school.) I think either he finished up after he got his thirst under control or (more likely IMO) he just studied at home on his own.Ā Looking at the timeline, even if he did try to go back he wouldnāt have had time to finish the year before Esme joined the family. I imagine he would have spent a lot of time with her at first, as he later did with Rosalie and then Emmett, since his mind-reading would be so useful in dealing with newborns. Anyway, while I expect Edward went to school in the mid-1920s I donāt think he would have seen any reason to go back to high school at that point. In fact, the more I think about it, the more I wonder if he graduated from college in 1926, struggled with the knowledge that heād never really be able to have a career or make any kind of mark in the world, angsted about how Carlisle and Esme didnāt really need him, decided he was an intrusion in their happy honeymoon world and theyād be happier without him hanging about, considered striking out on his own, and only then (while he was deeply settled into his angsty funk and trying to think of things that would make it better that heād be alone) started thinking about changing his diet.
Anyway, getting back on topic (!) he gets back from his stint as a vigilante in 1931. They move to NY, Rosalie joins the family in 1933, at which point they presumably move again, she finds Emmett in 1935, and they move to Hoquiam, WA in 1936. Then thereās a few years where they can go to school or work before Pearl Harbor happens, but again, I just donāt see them choosing high school over college ā more to the point, I donāt think there would have been any need for it then. Not only were towns and schools way less intrusive than they are now, extended family were much more likely to live together back then. They could have easily passed Edward off as Esmeās brother and Rosalie and Emmett as Carlisleās sister and brother-in-law. The Great Depression was still going on so Edward and Emmett may have chosen to attend college rather than take jobs away from someone who really needed them, though I have to wonder how comfortable Emmett would have been cooped up in a classroom while he was still so young as a vampire. Itās also possible that they lived way outside of town and no one there knew Emmett existed.
Then we have the 40sā in my headcanon, the ākidsā ship themselves off to Europe to become resistance fighters and saboteurs. I doubt theyād choose to go to high school immediately after thatā in fact, I wouldnāt be surprised if Emmett and Rosalie went off to live by themselves for a time afterwards, and Edward spent time at home and did some correspondence courses or something. Theyād need some time to decompress, I think. Alice and Jasper arrive, of course, in 1950. We donāt know where the Cullens are then ā as far as I know, we donāt know where they are in the years between Hoquiam in the 30s and arriving in Forks in 2003. (Which is really irritating, but this is long enough without me getting started on that!) Itās safe to assume there were quite a few unexpected moves for āaccidentsā and overly curious or suspicious townsfolk, but sixty years is plenty of time to earn multiple college degrees, work, travel, live apart for periods of time, etc.Ā
All that to say, they lived most of their time as adults. I donāt believe any of them would have chosen to go to high school until it absolutely made the best sense for the family. Iāll be honest, I think the whole āthe younger we start, the longer we can stayā thing is crap. Sure, you can make yourself look younger through clothes, posture, hairstyles, and general demeanor, and I donāt doubt the ākidsā could make it appear as though they aged some. The problem is that Carlisle and Esme canāt afford to start out looking younger than they are. If anything, Carlisle would want to look older than he really is! Realistically, theyāre going to have to move every 6-8 years simply because Carlisleās colleagues will notice heās not aging. Maybe they could push it to ten, but I doubt it ā especially nowadays when photographs are so prevalent. Itās one thing for a person to think you look exactly the same and another for them to be able to look at a photo from ten years ago and prove it. So really thereās no reason for anyone to have to attend high school at all! Ha!
Okay, okay, we know they attend high school sometimes. Given the timeline, changes in society, unexpected moves, and the times they live separately or attend college I would guess they first tried high school in the 70s, or perhaps late 60s, and they graduate about once per decade. That means Forks High was approximately their fifth high school graduation, which is way less than I thought. That also means this picture could be of Edward in his first time attending high school since the fall of 1918.
Poor boy. No wonder he has his head down on his desk.
