This article concerns the relationship between classroom assessments that are aligned with "competencies-based" teaching in Teacher Education programs on the one hand, and on the other hand, the challenge of offering authentic "philosophy of education," "education theory," or "education foundations" courses for student--teachers who are enrolled in a professional degree and on the way towards certification. Briefly, administrative and accreditation concerns with developing and demonstrating core "competencies" when teaching is considered strictly as a "profession" do not align with more ancient understandings of teaching as a "way of life"--especially when that life is led in some relation to philosophy, or "the pursuit of wisdom." This article examines the disjunction between these two conceptualizations of teaching; it encourages readers to think about how this disjunction problematizes their pedagogy as "philosophers of education."