Teacher educators worry about how the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted what and how teacher candidates are able to learn in P-12 field experiences; yet it is possible to view this period as one of opportunity rather than limitation. This commentary argues for a conception of field experience as practice rather than context. When applied across programs, this conception could help situate "field experience" across the teacher education curriculum, regardless of the physical spaces in which novices are working and studying. The author advocates a focus on essential instructional routines, especially those that engage P-12 students with rigor and can be used flexibly to teach important content, within a 3-stage developmental framework to engage novices in learning those instructional routines with increasing sophistication.