I always had mixed reactions when told, "Dr. Thompson, students listen to you because they respect you." I never got over the implicit criticism of most of my fellow teachers. I had the same feelings when listening to Claudio Sanchez' NPR report on dropping out. A mother told Sanchez that her son had trouble in middle school but it had little to do with problems at home. It was the fault of insensitive teachers, she said, "he would tell me ... 'Momma, those teachers, they expect me to respect them, and they don't respect me at all.' " Schools must be sensitive of the culture of "respect,"
