My Little Red Diary Part 4: I received my report card today
A multitude of emotions and thoughts go into making excuses to explain your report card before you get home. Your heart literally sinks to the pit of your stomach, as your eyes zoom in on that fire-breathing, bright red failing grade. You felt like you had just received a death sentence, because you knew your parents were going to kill you once they saw it. On the other hand, you breathed a sigh of relief when you barely passed a class with a “C” instead of that bright red D, E, or F.
As a writer, what on earth could you possibly find interesting enough to grab your reader’s attention when writing about your report card? Let’s take a look at some of the emotions you probably felt and incorporate them into various storyboards:
1. What were my qualifications?
2. What kind of anxiety did I feel before looking at my report card?
3. What kind of comments did my teachers write on my report card?
4. How will my parents or guardians react?
5. Who is my favorite teacher and why?
6. Did my least favorite teacher give me an unfavorable grade?
7. Will I get grounded or will I still be able to go out with my friends?
8. Will I need a tutor?
9. How will these grades affect my decision to go to college?
10. Does a bad grade affect someone’s decision to drop out of school?
Whatever the results are on your report card, how does that affect your study habits? Are you willing to seek help before your GPA drops horribly? Are you dealing with an adult situation that interferes with your dedication to study? Do your parents need to be more proactive with your schoolwork and your teachers?
Teachers were once students, and many of them will understand if you honestly put in the effort to pass your classes, despite the daily distractions. Sometimes unexpected and strange occurrences get embedded in your memory bank while you are in class. Incredibly, social and personal problems can affect a student’s ability to concentrate.
So who would be interested in a story about high school report cards? Consider creating shipments, based on the questions above, that fit some of these markets:
o Teen magazines
o Parenting magazines
o Magazines o Educational Newsletters
or blog
o Magazines and family summaries
o Online magazines
o Health Magazines
o Poetry markets
o Short story markets
Amid many safety concerns in schools today, what kind of impact would this have on a student’s grade or ability to stay focused? After school, are there too many virtual babysitters teaching our children a pattern of behavior that is not conducive to success in school or beyond? How will poor grades, if left unaddressed, affect our schools, jobs, churches, commerce, economy, daily safety, and future? Simple exploratory questions will spark your mind to compose unlimited stories. Can you believe how that simple entry in my journal, the day I received my report card, could create some amazing possibilities? Now, give it a try and see what you can write on this topic.