One of the most publicly celebrated figures in mathematics teaching during the last century was Jaime Escalante (dramatized in the film "Stand and Deliver"). The Escalante story aptly fulfills three prevailing myths about effective teachers: the Teacher is self-made, the Teacher is the expert, and everything depends on the Teacher. These myths are so predominant in our culture that we can also see their representation in recent legislative actions such as No Child Left Behind and the American Competitiveness Initiative. This demonstrates the strength that the myth has in reflecting, influencing, and legalizing our perceptions of good mathematics teaching.