Writing & Perseverance in the DNA

My daughter, Sophie, who is a 7th-grader in middle school, had a bit of a challenge last year in the 6th grade - her first year in a new school.
She joined the new "Newspaper Club," which was run by mostly eight-graders and could not wait to be a part of their writing team.
Unfortunately, however, after submitting article idea after article idea, only to get one approved, one day, and then yanked from the paper, another, to not receiving a response at all, it became all too clear to Sophie that she did not fit in to their idea of a solid group.
As her mother, I could see it for the discrimination on a mild form that it was.  The did not want a sixth-grader in the group.  
Sophie, however, felt the rejection in terms of her writing so terrifically that she wondered if she would ever be a successful  -- or, worse, good -- writer at all.
These are the childhood experiences that shape our confidence and give us a sense of purpose in our evolving lives.  And so, after careful consideration, I eventually, sensitively, contacted the school principal to ask about the group and if this might not be a "teachable moment" on how to manage a newspaper in a manner that the writers know how to proceed when their pitches are not spot on, or their writing is not making the mark.
Not a whole lot happened as a result of my reaching out, I am sorry to say.  I can only assume that the administration was too busy to handle the challenge efficiently and properly.
I told Sophie that there are more than one publications out in the world and that she should take her writing elsewhere.
I'm proud to say that she did -- and announce her latest PUBLISHED article -- as in real, newspaper published in the monthly, Ann Arbor Family.
Take a read: "Tips for the Modern Day Middle Schooler: Keep the Drama on the Stage"
And remember, when at first you don't succeed, try, try, again -- somewhere else!