Some illuminate a life through an incident rather than tell a story for its own sake. Many are open-ended, sending the reader back to the beginning for clues as to what may happen after the last full stop. Some people who love long novels find short stories difficult and unappealing for these reasons. Students will have to work quite hard to 'make meaning with' some short stories. Different readings are to be expected, to be accepted and to be encouraged.
All fiction is based on conflict - discuss the title and identify the conflict.
First person narrators are fallible - don't accept their views uncritically. Read the opening paragraph. Short Stories for Young Adults Teachers should keep records of short stories which they like and which have proved successful with their classes. It is important to note the source, as it can take a long time to find a story by examining the Table of Contents of all accessible anthologies. Collections of short stories are plentiful, compiled and organised in different ways.