Novice prison teachers experience confusion and disorientation--culture shock--when they go to teach in prison because teaching and prison cultures collide. The stages of acculturation associated with culture shock are predictable and so are the identities and experiences of teachers who are positioned by the cultural dynamics of prison teaching. Acculturation theory enables us to appreciate the social-psychological dimensions of prison teachers' experience, facilitates the design of pre-service programs for novice prison teachers, and encourages veteran prison teachers to reflect on their experiences.