There is an ongoing debate in the social work profession about the value of faculty with practice experience. Many doctoral students begin teaching with significant practice experience but limited preparation for teaching. Schön’s reflective practice paradigm describes how new instructors can trust their existing social work skills and values, as well as cultivate the ability to reflect on their developing teaching practice. Drawing on the authors’ own experiences as new doctoral-level instructors, and referring to the literature on teaching effectiveness, this paper suggests that practice experience and clinical skills can be an invaluable resource for new instructors in social work.