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Bad Report Card Blues

What’s the craziest thing you’ve ever done to hide a bad report card from your parents?

Say the dog ate it? Claim it “accidentally” flew out of the school bus window?

How about telling your mom that you were kidnapped after school by a man with a gun, who forced you into a car and drove you to the outskirts of town, but somehow you managed to escape through a car window, but in the ensuing chaos (namely the fact that you were running for your life) you forgot your backpack—-which housed your report card–in the kidnapper’s car.

Ever use that one?

Why not? It’s the story an 11-year-old Alabama boy concocted so he wouldn’t have to show his parents his bad grades.

Unfortunately for the creative kid, the elaborate hoax didn’t pan out exactly the way he had wanted.

According to news reports, the boy, who ran to his grandparents’ house after allegedly escaping (with his band instrument no less) from his gun-toting captor, was forced to fess up about his storytelling once police arrived.

Police say they were a bit suspicious about the “kidnapping” when the boy revealed that he had time to gab his band instrument from his assailant’s car, but not his backpack.

Long story short, the kid finally confessed that he had made up the entire kidnapping tale, and his grandfather called police to apologize.

Police decided not to charge the boy with a crime, but warned him that it would behoove him to tell the truth in the future.

Ah, the innocence of youth.

Clearly, the boy didn’t consider that the school could easily print out another report card, regardless of how the first one was “lost.” What’s more, he could have simply thrown out his report card and spared himself the punishment associated with getting police involved and making headlines around the nation.

Related Articles:

Do You Punish Your Kids for Bad Grades?

How NOT to Help Your Kid Get Into College

How Long is Too Long for Kindergarten?

How Much Do You Help With Homework?

Spanking in School

Are You a Teacher’s Worst Nightmare?

This entry was posted in Education in the News by Michele Cheplic. Bookmark the permalink.

About Michele Cheplic

Michele Cheplic was born and raised in Hilo, Hawaii, but now lives in Wisconsin. Michele graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison with a degree in Journalism. She spent the next ten years as a television anchor and reporter at various stations throughout the country (from the CBS affiliate in Honolulu to the NBC affiliate in Green Bay). She has won numerous honors including an Emmy Award and multiple Edward R. Murrow awards honoring outstanding achievements in broadcast journalism. In addition, she has received awards from the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association for her reports on air travel and the Wisconsin Education Association Council for her stories on education. Michele has since left television to concentrate on being a mom and freelance writer.