Three Short Stories

Abstract

The following three short stories are part of a collection of stories written about the experiences of five African American male students enrolled in a Midwest alternative school. This alternative school was established to house students who have been described as incorrigible, disruptive, social misfits, and academically incompetent. The collective stories included in this text are about students who have lived difficult lives. This text reveals the “experiences of a sociologically constructed category of people in the context of larger social-cultural and historical forces.” ¹ It is about students who have been forgotten; written off; and placed in foster care, detention centers, alternative schools, and, for some, juvenile prison. This approach provides insight into the lives of an increasing number of African American male students placed in alternative school environments.