In the famous tale of the sorcerer' apprentice the power-knowledge axis is clear: the untrained and unsupervised apprentice recklessly creates mayhem until the sorcerer redeems the situation and chastens him for arrogantly acting beyond his means. The same power-knowledge axis typifies assumptions of the relationships between teachers in the training discourse. Jerry's story tells a different tale, one of professional disquiet, reflection and vision that belongs to the apprentice and that causes upset not in the working arena but in the views and attitudes of veteran teachers. The apprentice's account, rooted in human dynamics and variables, helps us to reconsider and reframe the debate about teacher education and the cultural politics of the special educational needs classroom. Jerry's journey from the States to Britain presented him with little culture shock in terms of the teacher training experience.