Rather than delineating a list of practices that are important for ensuring that mathematics prepares students for a more democratic citizenship, the author has outlined in this article three tensions in teaching that she argues are important in developing an equity stance in mathematics education. This focus on a "stance" suggests that the kinds of practices that teachers choose to embody will be different depending upon the contexts in which they work and the particular points in history in which they participate. That is, there is no single best practice for reaching African Americans, Latina/os, American Indians, English language learners, or other subordinated populations. The identities of students and the politics of education will continue to reshape and remake mathematics education as people move forward in a global society. The sooner preservice and practicing teachers learn that how they position themselves with respect to their students and the field is as important (if not more so) than the bodies of knowledge they "learn" in a teacher education program (Britzman, 2003; Brown & McNamara, 2005), the better they will become at dealing with the complexities that arise in teaching when transformation of society, not mere "student achievement," is the goal. The three tensions the author has highlighted in this article begin the process of privileging equity over equality, education over schooling, and power/identity over mere access and achievement.