Forty years ago, Peter Hanson decided to attend the 38th Indian Montessori Training Course. In this article he describes himself as a college-educated generalist who liked kids but was working for little more than minimum wage as a delivery boy. Becoming a teacher in an alternative school seemed like a good move, and a step up without "selling out." The tuition for the course in India was only about $240 for the entire 10-month course. A similar course in America at the time cost ten times as much. With the money he saved, Hanson thought he could travel around the world. This article describes Hanson's epic journey from his studies in Ahmedabad, a city of several million people, to 1996, when he started working as an elementary teacher at J. J. Hill Montessori Magnet, a St. Paul public school. Here Hanson presents his reflections on what he believes a teacher must be and do, and advises younger teachers to (1) Appreciate the children for the wonderful, enthusiastic learners they are; and (2) Help the children be the best they can be.