This is so perceptive Steve. I realized sometime ago that this was the most important thing I could do for my students: get to know them, and tell them something positive about themselves that they haven't heard before. It especially helps young people, because they are trying to get some grasp of where they want to take their lives. Sometimes I even write emails to them at the end of the term. I think this is especially true of my minority students, who are more likely to be seen in terms of stereotypes at my mostly white school. But it is something that helps everyone.