The articles in this special issue make clear that the field of early education is characterized by a breadth and depth of knowledge unimaginable 200 years ago, even to someone as exceptional as Elizabeth Peabody. This radical feminist used early 19th-century ideas of the "woman's sphere" to suggest that a career in early childhood education was "the ideal solution to the problem of what educated American women should do with their lives," and she credited Froebel's "genius" in identifying a way in which women could "assume a useful role in society". While some of the field's old ideas and traditions may no longer be in the children's or the field's best interests, others ought not be so easily dismissed. This article presents a commentary on the articles included in the special issue--although they help to make the author's case--and more her ongoing reflections on how early childhood teacher educators might better conduct their business. Some of these recommendations represent iterations of old competencies. Others represent challenges to traditional interpretations of their responsibilities that may strike some as disloyal, yet may prove instrumental to their continued efforts to successfully prepare future teachers for their work with increasingly diverse classrooms of young children. These recommendations also represent another aim which is getting a seat at the "big table" where decisions are made about what constitutes ethical and effective teaching and teacher education.