This qualitative study focused on teacher's beliefs about students' motivation for reading and how teachers act on those beliefs in classrooms. After conducting five focus groups of teachers, researchers analyzed and interpreted transcripts to identify major themes. While instructional processes mediated the building of relationships between teacher and student, relationship building emerged as a major motivational theme. A model of teacher-student interpersonal relationships reflecting the role of bonding between teacher and students is presented. Work on student identity emerged as an important outcome for teachers. Researchers recommend revision of a widely utilized engagement model of reading development and explore the implications of teacher-student bonds for future research.