The purpose of this paper was to examine the effect of a teaching associateship experience in terms of teacher adaptability. Four preservice teachers taught 15-minute lessons to a primary grade student. The student presented opportunities for teacher adaptability by asking questions during the lessons. These lessons were videotaped so that the teacher's reactions to the questions could be critically assessed according to a 10-point scale of adaptability developed by David E. Hunt. Two preservice teachers, who had not yet been teaching associates, averaged 5 points out of 10. Two preservice teachers who had already been teaching associates for 14 weeks also averaged 5 points out of 10. This corresponds to a level of adaptability at which a teacher realizes the obstacle and makes some attempt to accommodate the student's needs through a modification in instruction. Results suggest that without increased adaptability as a focus, the 14-week teaching associateship does little to promote it, and a conscious effort must be made to improve adaptability. (Contains 14 references.) (Author/LL)