A study of the experiences of a literacy teacher in the prison classroom chronicled the daily routine events and experiences that make up the life world of a teacher in the prison classroom. The introduction of this study emerged through the technique called opportunistic surveillance. The researcher, a prison teacher, engaged in behavior-monitoring procedures to search the environment for opportunities not activated by a problem and examined why another teacher, Garnet, made the choice to enter the prison system as a teacher. The researcher determined Garnet was in middle adulthood and had reached the turning point in her career that propelled her to seek renewal rather than complacency. She exhibited satisfaction and flexibility with her work, yet sought creative ways to teach that would benefit her students. Garnet flourished as a teacher and her students made progress. To create a knowledgeable audience, the researcher tried to define the teacher's world through its chief components--teacher, organizational factors, instructional support factors, and students--and used them as themes as she engaged in the constant comparisons strategy. The process involved a complex, somewhat chaotic pattern of interviewing, reading the literature, writing, member checking, and peer review. (Contains 30 references.) (YLB)