When it comes to "student-centered" teaching, who knows what teachers are talking about? Specifically, the multiple perspectives offered in today's diverse classrooms have rendered such terms slippery and subjective. In a student-centered classroom, to "be" the one who knows what the students are talking about, the writing teacher must first face towards his/her students, to determine who "they" really are, to listen to their voices and experiences, to then lead them into a place where their perspectives make up the center. A center that everyone can agree upon is probably not self-evident. What makes California's classrooms so diverse are the students' identities--ethnicity, class, gender, and sexual orientation--and the students' abilities. Using California State Polytechnic University Pomona, this paper investigates the student population in the streets around the university. The paper explains that freshmen must take the English Placement Test (EPT) unless they qualify for exemption with an SAT Verbal score of 550 or above; the EPT is used to situate students by ability, which is one form of diversity. Noting that at the beginning of fall quarter 2001, Cal Poly Pomona remediated 51.39% of its first-time freshman population, the paper states that as a result these students were required to take either one or two basic writing courses, depending on their exact score. It finds that the game of "Who knows what we're talking about?" is about a diverse student population whose multiple perspectives are wonderfully layered and individual, and who, when validated, are willing to invite their teachers onto their streets. (Contains 5 figures. Cites 11 works.) (NKA)