🎭 Then and Now: A Tale of Two Students
(A Short Dialogue Story)
🕰️Scene 1: THEN – 1985, James’ Bedroom
(An alarm clock buzzes loudly. James groans and slaps it off.)
James: (stretching) "Ugh… six-thirty already? That bell could wake the whole neighborhood."
(He puts on his jeans, a T-shirt, and grabs a backpack overflowing with books.)
🚶♂️Scene 2: Bus Stop
Maria: (holding a folder of notes) "Morning, James! Did you finish reading “To Kill a Mockingbird?"
James: "Almost. I read three chapters last night by flashlight—didn’t wanna wake my brother."
Maria: (laughs) "Classic. Hey, did the library help with the science notes?"
James: "Yeah, I found a solid diagram in that giant red textbook. Took me an hour just to find it in the card
catalog."
Maria: "Same here. No search bar, just patience."
🏫 Scene 3: 1985 School Hallway
(A loudspeaker crackles.)
Teacher: "Good morning students. Reminder—science projects are due Friday. Make sure to check the bulletin
board."
James: (to Maria) "We still meeting at Peter’s house for our volcano project?"
Maria: "Yep. I’ve got the poster board and sketch. You bringing the vinegar?" James:
James: "Yup—plus baking soda and toy dinos."
Maria: "Perfect. And don’t forget scissors and glue”
James: I wish we could just type all this. My hand still hurts from labeling those diagrams." Maria: "Yeah, no
PowerPoint for us—just markers, scissors, and good old elbow grease”
James: "Honestly, it makes it more fun. Feels like we’re building something from scratch." (They head down the
hallway toward their next class, chatting and laughing.)
🏞️Scene 4: After School at the Park
Friend 1: "James! Come join the game!"
James: (kicks the ball) "You bet. I need a break from writing three pages by hand tonight."
Friend 2: "You mean... actual writing?!"
James: "Yeah. Pens and paper, my friends. It’s the analog life."
(They laugh and kick the ball across the grass.)
☎️Scene 5: 1985 Home, Evening
Mom: "Dinner in ten!"
James: "Got it! Just calling Maria quick—need help with one section."
(He dials the rotary phone carefully.)
Little Brother (whispers): "I’m listening…"
James: (covers receiver) "Go away!"
Maria (on phone): "Is he eavesdropping again?"
James: "Always."
🎭 Then and Now: A Tale of Two Students
(A Short Dialogue Story)
📱 Scene 1: NOW – 2025, Jayden’s Bedroom
(Phone vibrates. Jayden scrolls while still in bed.)
Jayden: "Let’s see... 12 messages, 3 class notifications, and a reminder from my AI assistant. Math quiz today?
Ugh."
(He gets up while a smart speaker plays upbeat music.)
Smart Speaker: "Good morning, Jayden. You have 2 assignments due and 1 biology slide incomplete."
Jayden: "Thanks, boss. I’ll pretend I’m not behind."
🚶♂️Scene 2: Walking to School
Friend (via voice message): "Bro, did you finish the Google Slides?"
Jayden (texting back): "Not yet. Might ask ChatGPT to help reword the last part."
Friend (voice reply): "Smart. Meet me in the café for Wi-Fi."
🏫 Scene 3: 2025 Classroom
Teacher: "Alright everyone, check Google Classroom for today’s lab instructions. Submit your results in the
shared doc."
Jayden (typing on tablet): "This stylus is smoother than writing in my notebook ever was."
Classmate: "Same. Remember the biology quiz? It’s on Quizizz."
🍟 Scene 4: Lunchroom
Jayden: (scrolling TikTok) "This trend is all over my feed. Want to try it after school?"
Friend (watching YouTube): "Sure, if I’m not caught up in Fortnite with my cousins in L.A."
Jayden: "Crazy how we’re all together... and still on our phones."
Friend: "We’re multitasking, man."
🎮 Scene 5: Evening – Home
Mom (text message): "Dinner’s ready. Come out of the cave."
Jayden (replying): "One sec, just finishing homework. AI’s helping summarize the article."
(He pauses his game and listens to a podcast while writing.)
Jayden: "Okay phone, Do Not Disturb mode—unless Ryan texts."
Phone: "Enabled."
CHARACTERS (THEN 1985)
SCENE 1 & 2 SCENE 4
JAMES: __________________ FRIEND 1: __________________
MARIA: __________________ FRIEND 2: __________________
SCENE 3 SCENE 5
TEACHER: __________________ MOM: __________________
JAMES: __________________ JAMES: __________________
MARIA: __________________ LITTLE BRO: __________________
Note: You can add characters in between the scenes.
CHARACTERS (NOW 2025)
SCENE 1 SCENE 4
JAYDEN: __________________ JAYDEN: __________________
SMART SPEAKER: __________________ FRIEND: __________________
SCENE 2 SCENE 5
FIREND: __________________ MOM: __________________
JAYDEN: __________________ JAYDEN: __________________
SCENE 3
TEACHER: __________________
JAYDEN: __________________
Note: You can add characters in between the scenes.
