This article provides a vicarious experience in the classrooms of two teachers who successfully facilitated engagement in urban schools. With practices grounded in culturally responsive classroom management, the teachers created classroom environments in which students were motivated to participate, met high behavioral expectations, and remained cognitively engaged. As one teacher commented, "they're not afraid of a challenge," and this article provides insight into the successes and challenges of creating this kind of rigorous academic community in urban high school English classrooms. Teacher educators can use the snapshots in this article as a vehicle for pre-service teachers to "see" and learn from effective teachers in urban high schools.