ABSTRACT
Student-teacher interaction is an encounter of perceptions, values, and attitudes. A teacher's awareness of these elements, and understanding of where and how teacher and students may differ, can help that teacher develop positive relationships with each child. This chapter focuses on significant teacher-student interactions. The teacher has done a fine job of learning about the students as individuals, but they are also a part of a historic and cultural tradition, even if they are unaware of it. Teachers who feel overwhelmed by the vast differences between themselves and a diverse student body are apt to categorize students by ethnicity, cultural practices, and socio-economic status so as to create easily identified groups. The writer blames the students' substandard classroom behavior and performance on "apathy, laziness, and hopelessness," or the "poverty mentality." The teacher seemed genuinely concerned about the welfare of the student and attempted solutions through normal channels.
