The purpose of this study was to explore low-income, African-American first-grade students' understandings of teacher closeness and influence. Several questions guided our inquiry: How do these children understand their relationships with their teachers, specifically with regard to teacher closeness and influence? To what extent are their understandings of these concepts malleable? How might their feelings of closeness and influence relate to their motivation to engage in mathematics activities? Qualitative data for this project includes a sample of 27 interviews (16 boys, 11 girls). Findings are organized into a working model and describe the ways in which children's conceptions of closeness and influence were embedded in their understandings and perceptions of equity in the classroom. (Contains 3 tables and 2 figures.)