No one has clearer ideas about what is lacking in a teacher education program than a recent graduate of that program grappling with his or her first year of teaching. Researchers analyzed interviews with first-year, middle school math teachers, their principals and formal mentors to get their views on how their preservice training could have better prepared them for their first jobs. Three major themes emerged: Their training could have better prepared them for the diverse student body they would encounter; their student teaching experience was poorly aligned with their first job, and; they lacked sufficient math content knowledge in general or grade-level knowledge of math content in particular.