"We often say to one another that "students won't care what you know until they know that you care," and this may be true. But our students' knowledge that they are cared for depends on what we do far more than on what we say," writes Eric Toshalis. In this impassioned article, he urges educators to rethink what it means to care for students. He argues that the distance teachers put between themselves and their students in a bid to establish discipline and consistency leads to dispassionate classrooms. Toshalis also examines the importance of acknowledging the politics of the student-teacher dynamic whereby the teacher (as an official of the education system) holds all the power. Finally, the author explores why teachers shouldn't expect students to trust them--at least not right away--and why anger is a powerful tool for gauging and helping to establish relationships.