This article was written as an auto ethnography, which allowed for a complex and personal exploration of professional standards, teachers' professional identities, neoliberal reforms, and approaches to literacy and creativity. This article reflects on a practicum which involved teaching Romeo and Juliet to two year nine classes at an all boys' school. This provided rich opportunities for comparisons, experimentation, and learning from mistakes. Using auto ethnography as a pre-service teacher promoted reflective practice, which is pivotal for graduate teaching and for determining personal views on a range of controversial and polarising topics facing educators today.