In process-oriented composition studies, few concepts are more universally accepted than that of the decentered classroom. Ken Macrorie, Peter Elbow and Don Murray, in their publications of the late 1960s and early 1970s, began a movement to place students, with their writing and their ideas, at the center of writing instruction. While most teachers share the aims of centering attention on the students, questions about translating these aims into practice remain. What roles are available to the teacher of a student-centered writing class? A doctoral research project explored this question by observing three women writing teachers' pedagogies. While one teacher takes on a sideline position in her classroom and thus fits the traditional model of a teacher of a decentered classroom, the other two teachers, despite goals similar to the first teacher, take on more directive, active, and "talkative" roles. These two teachers have had to struggle to accept their directive, active styles. While one spent years forcing herself to teach from the sidelines, the other continues to express some misgivings about her role, worrying that her classroom is not student centered because she is so directive and talkative. These differences, however, might not be indicative of a rejection of process theory and the goals of a student-centered approach. Rather, these approaches can be seen as logical extensions of the teachers' personalities and identities and their reflections on student needs. (TB)