Stories of veteran teachers have much to contribute to our understanding of how to approach the current problem of teacher attrition. We examined the stories of one teacher, Betty Peck, who had more than 50 years' experience teaching, with the goal to explore what dispositions she considered most important to her resilience as a teacher. We found that Betty described her inclinations to be theatrical, creative, and courageous. At a time when reductive conceptions of teaching and learning abound, Betty's colorful stories remind us of the personal and ultimately idiosyncratic nature of teaching. It is our hope that Betty's stories encourage novice teachers to cultivate their own authentic dispositions in order to build careers that are rich and authentic enough to sustain them over a lifetime of teaching.