This article argues that ELA teacher candidates and inservice ELA teachers need historical perspectives in their coursework and their practice. Using the life and career of Lou LaBrant, the author examines the value of placing current practice in the context of practice throughout the history of the field of teaching ELA. Patterns examined in LaBrant's life and work include the historical tension between bureaucracy and teacher empowerment, back-to-basics movements, the roles of research and progressivism in the field of literacy, and the relationship between educational and social challenges. Further, the article examines avenues for teacher educators to become more connected with the history of the field. (Contains 1 note.)