In this article, the author shares his thoughts about who he is as a teacher and what his goals as a teacher turn out to be. The author describes his role as researcher, teacher, and educator. He begins with his take on mathematics teaching and learning, because the question of which mathematics educators teach and how they teach it is really important. The author realizes that a core aspect of his teaching is its human and moral dimension. His teaching is really about helping those he works with to become open-minded and inquisitive thinkers who are willing to--even hungry to--ask questions, gather evidence, and sort through ideas in a reasoned way. The author stresses that teaching can and should be about sense-making and it is a profoundly moral act. He asserts that teachers have the potential to affect some part of their students' self-worth, of their futures, and of the ways in which they engage in the society. This is a heady responsibility--but it is, from the author's point of view, the real reward for being a teacher.