Many teachers are searching for that "silver bullet": the teaching method that always works. Many answers, often contradictory, are offered by educators far and wide, as evidenced by the 768,000 websites identified by a Google search for "best practices teaching." The quest for best practices has led many to seek ways to teach that defy even the most challenging situations and obstinate students. It has also led to some raucous disagreements among classroom teachers in faculty rooms, among academics in their journals and conference rooms, and among people in communities who have opinions about education. At one point the author felt that some practices were inherently better than others. His personal journey through the profession, however, has brought him in contact with much that has changed his thinking about what makes a teaching practice work and what methods work best. In this article, the author argues that because different teachers have different training, experience, and approaches to teaching, a practice that one regards as effective may be insufficient to others.