This commentary on the Council for Exceptional Children-Council on Education of the Deaf's (CEC-CED's) Joint Knowledge and Skills Statement, which sets forth qualifications needed by those who teach deaf and hard of hearing students, discusses key issues impacting the education of students who are deaf or hard-of-hearing: cultural flexibility, "over-servicing," and communication adaptability. In addressing cultural flexibility, the paper describes the bicultural characteristics of people with deafness and the different behavior of students who are deaf that is sometimes considered immature by the hearing community. The discussion on over-servicing touches on the isolation of students with deafness because of the number of professionals and services which require them to leave the classroom. The importance of developing strong self-advocacy, coping and assertiveness skills in students with hearing impairments is also emphasized. Finally, the problem of student-to-student communication is reviewed and the need for ongoing interactions with peers and role models who are deaf or hard-of-hearing is highlighted. Questions are posed for each of the three issues on how to prepare teachers to meet the challenges of educating hearing-impaired students. (CR)