When asked how her granddad made Sunday School so enjoyable and meaningful to her, Sister Katherine emphasized his distinct personal qualities and her love for him:

In chapter 4, I described the particular historical and sociocultural contexts of First Baptist Church. Sister Katherine's comments, however, remind us of the importance of the personal contexts in which socialization occurs. The impact of a Sunday School lesson, a story, or a reprimand can vary widely depending on the distinct personalities, life histories, and relationships of the participants. For example, the impact of a Sunday School teacher's reprimand on a given child may well be influenced by the fact that the Sunday School teacher knows the child's immediate and extended family, has taught her sibling or cousin, and has been taught by her grandmother. In this chapter, I will elaborate the description of individual teachers begun in chapter 3, and their styles of interacting with the children.

An emphasis on positive interpersonal relationships is a characteristic of many African-American communities (e.g., Mitchell, 1986) and extends to modern, African-centered pedagogy (see Lomotey, 1990). Many successful African-American teachers work to establish close personal ties with students, emphasizing both cognitive and affective development (see Lee & Slaughter-Defoe, 1995).