A central concern for teacher educators is preparing future teachers who are not just equity-oriented but are able to teach equitably. Focusing on core practices of effective teaching is a step in this direction, but not enough. The relational and cultural nature of learning requires a disposition towards inclusion and practices that disrupt status hierarchies often organizing the exclusions of learning spaces. We present a case in which perceived violence pushed the limits of a version of responsive teaching that valorizes learning side-by-side with a child partner. This case makes an important contribution to broader conversations around the equitable enactment of high leverage core teaching practices, like responding to thinking instructionally, considered important for teacher and student learning.