This article likens education to playing a game. Whereas students think of education as a finite game--as something to beat--educators see the educational process as an infinite game, and hope to instill in students a desire to pursue knowledge for its own sake, to value their time in the process, and to be prepared for life's surprises. In David Letterman's fashion, the article contains a top 10 list of surprises about teaching: (10) Students don't always know what they're supposed to do--what it is to "be a student"; (9) Students think current teachers will be like previous teachers; (8) Boredom is more contagious than enthusiasm; (7) Students think teachers work at school and students work at home; (6) Students are not expecting a Sage on the Stage; (5) Students think mastery of a subject is roughly equivalent to memorizing the textbook; (4) Learning is a social experience; (3) Students think classroom teachers are the most significant factor in student learning, and rank it ahead of their own student habits in importance; (2) Students think of education as an obstacle course rather than a way of living; and (1) What we do as teachers affects far more than our students. (VWC)