I believe that children learn best with and from people that they trust. They trust people who believe in them and like them, even when they struggle and falter. They trust people that they can count on to be reasonably consistent in their attitudes, demeanor, and expectations. Children also learn best when they can understand why things work the way they do; in order to come to deep, conceptual understandings, they need structure to guide their thinking, time to play with information and make mistakes, and prompt feedback.