This critical ethnography explored the experiences of student and staff participants at an alternative urban high school through the theoretical and ideological lens of resistance. The study sought to answer the question, "Why did students in Restorative Justice classes resist engaging in meaningful dialogue or were academically disengaged altogether? The emergent grounded theory was analyzed through the lens of Bronfenbrenner's Bioecological Systems Theory and Spencer's Phenomenological Variant of Ecological Systems Theory. Findings include: (1) resistance,?when viewed through the lens of resilience provides a valuable theoretical lens for understanding the relationship between students at risk, schools and the broader society, and examining the behaviors (corrective problem solving strategies) youth at risk employ to resolve the stress and dissonance in their lives; (2) the cumulative effects of one's personal, cultural, and historical experiences/events not only consciously and unconsciously shape one's life, but can have a detrimental and enduring impact on all aspects of development.