That professor! What he says is great—but that idea just won't work in the classroom!” These statements may be common among some teacher education students. Such comments are now heard much less frequently, however, around the University of Houston. The mathematics education faculty is experimenting with a competency- based program, as part of a collegewide endeavor, that requires prospective teachers to actually use in their classrooms what they hear and read about teaching. Initial experiences with this program suggest several advantages both for teachers in training and for teacher educators. This article describes some features and benefits of one type of approach to competency-based mathematics education.