Scholars working from various perspectives are beginning to define teaching as a decision-making process. Research shows that teachers are reflective and connect knowledge to situations through observation, understanding, analysis, interpretation, and decision-making. This paper provides empirical evidence to show the relationship of decision-making to the nature of teaching. The paper also presents a conceptual framework to help scholars and practitioners integrate various perspectives on teacher decision-making. Evidence is drawn from a teacher survey conducted by the Tucson (Arizona) Education Association. Teachers identified 25 responsibilities that needed to be integrated into their everyday schedules. Following an analysis of purposes and processes of teachers' actions, a responsibility matrix is constructed and discussed. Three features emerge: (1) teaching as an intensely active profession, (2) teachers' conflicting and ambiguous relationships with students (as managers, counselors, and craftspersons), and (3) teachers' isolation from administrators and each other. Various models attempting to capture the overall character of teaching processes are presented and discussed. The paper concludes by exploring alternatives for action in teacher decision-making processes. Effective teachers recognize "no best way" to teach in any given situation and seek innovative solutions to unanticipated problems. Included are 20 references. (MLH)