Faced with an acute shortage of teachers in the United States, New York City has initiated an alternative teacher induction program called the Teaching Fellows (NYCTF). This study, focusing on the verbal and written narratives of 38 participants, examines the various foci of these new teachers through their first year of teaching. The participants develop their understanding of themselves as teachers, and of the teaching craft, through a clear cycle where initial ideals and knowledge are silenced in favor of their relationships with their students. The Fellows ask for assistance to better articulate the stages of development in becoming teachers.