This study described and interpreted the patterns of awareness that teachers expressed about their relationships with students, and the significance they understood these relationships to have on the students' personal development. An ethnomethodological research approach was used. The primary methods of data collection included interviews with twelve teachers and participant observation with three of the teachers as they interacted with students and reflected on the meaning of their interactions. Three exploratory questions guided this study: (1) What dimensions constitute critical awareness in teachers regarding their relationships with students in the learning environment? (2) What are the assumptions that teachers make about the significance of their relationships in regard to the student's development as a person? (3) Given the focus of this dissertation, how adequately do the perspectives and the research procedures of ethnomethodology respond to this inquiry