The Teacher as Warm Demander

Consider this comment that a beginning teacher in an urban school recently made to us:

They are calling one another names and being really catty, and it wears me out. I mean, as soon as they walk in the door, someone is pushing … or calling someone a name. So it's 8:00 in the morning, and I am already flustered.

Many teachers in high-poverty schools struggle to establish a positive classroom environment. These teachers know a great deal about their students, feel affection for them, and empathize with their struggles. Unfortunately, the way these teachers act on their caring is often not comprehensive enough to make a difference. The teachers work hard to design interesting lessons, but if students are disengaged, the quality of the lessons will be irrelevant and misbehavior will reveal students' underlying resistance.