My first year as a tenure-track professor has been nothing short of a jaw-dropping experience. From navigating the social and political environment with colleagues and administrators, to building meaningful relationships with pre-service teachers, the COVID-19 pandemic and all its attendant challenges prompted me to examine common institutional practices more closely. The result of this examination was a recognition of a shift in my perspective from "are we doing enough?" to "we are doing all we can." A subsequent interrogation of the isolating structures that create barriers to the development and growth of both emerging scholars and pre-service teachers revealed spaces in which teacher education as a discipline and a profession can develop. I suggest that the use of mindful scaffolding to transform evaluation and retention expectations and field experience requirements, whether in face-to-face or remote settings, can yield benefits for both faculty and pre-service teachers, alike.