>“I ain’t cheating,” Mike protested, “you guys always on me ‘bout this.”

I could see that he had a sense of pride about his grades, even if he wasn’t keen on letting other students know about it. He gained self-worth from doing well in class.

“I’m not saying you’re cheating,” I responded, “I think you’re actually smart, and I think you’re throwing it all away because you’ve resigned yourself to be what people expect of you. But there are other options.”

“Look, it ain’t none of your damn business. Can I jus’ put my head down til it’s time to go or can I jus’ go now?”

“Just answer me one question,” I said, “What do you plan to do when you get out of scho...

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