This article explores how teachers make sense of the role of race in their practice in an ongoing way, in and through complexity of their everyday life both inside and outside of school. The author found that the teacher uses her touchstone to frame her interpretations and guide her pedagogical choices in the context of her classroom. The author concludes that racial touchstones are drawn from teachers' impactful personal experiences and are constructed in and through the dynamic contexts of their classrooms and schools. She recommends that efforts to support teachers in developing meaningful and authentic personal experiences of difference must be done with great care and must be sustained over time.