In this article, the authors selected two urban teachers to study, one from 3rd grade and one from 5th (hereafter referred to as Ms. Third and Ms. Fifth), whose students, in spite of the school's failing grade, did well on the exam. Both were nominated as exemplary teachers by their principal and other teachers and had been selected as teacher of the year. Despite their shared exemplary status, they differed in obvious ways. Ms. Third, a white female in her fifth year of teaching, never had a desk or a piece of paper out of place in her classroom. Ms. Fifth, an African American woman in her 26th year of teaching, taught in a class that was crowded, with piles of papers and student projects cluttering every corner. Months of classroom observations and interviews with the teachers, their students, and others revealed that, despite their obvious differences, the two teachers believed in several common principles of practice. This article elaborates on just one of those principles--the use of a variety of strategies to help students make sense of and understand new skills and concepts. Referred to in the research literature as "representing," this principle was a cornerstone of both these teachers' efforts. By providing and seeking representations, the teachers collaborated with their students to promote mastery of new ideas.