This study examined whether minority group teachers working in urban settings were recommending teaching as a career to minority group young people. One hundred forty teachers in three urban school districts (Cincinnati, Ohio; Long Beach, California; and Seattle, Washington) were asked if and to whom they recommended teaching careers. They were also asked to reflect on why they chose to go into teaching and the characteristics required of a teacher. Findings included the following: (1) students of color are being discouraged from entering the profession, and that is a major impediment to minority students selecting teaching as a career; (2) affective attributes rather than cognitive attributes were seen as desirable in a teacher, such as enjoyment of children, patience, commitment, strength, and flexibility; (3) discouragement from teaching was based on views of career options that in many ways could not be substantiated in reality (the education required for teachers exceeds that of other professions such as doctors, lawyers, or engineers; education for a teaching degree is more than what is necessary for classroom teaching; and the average college graduate earns more than a teacher); and (4) most participants cited the encouragement of a significant person in their own life that led them into teaching. (JB)