This study examined the teaching practices of Maria, a special education teacher who worked with students who had multiple disabilities, were nonverbal, and used augmentative and alternative communication. The study focused on the complex, interdependent, and dynamic nature of teacher knowledge, beliefs, and practices, illuminating the connection between the affective and cognitive dimensions of the teacher. It looked at what Maria knew and believed that led her to teach her students as she did. Data were collected via classroom observations over 5 months, semi-structured interviews with Maria and members of her classroom team, and analysis of pertinent documents. Results indicated that Maria's beliefs about her students, her role and responsibilities as their teacher, and the nature of knowledge interacted to define her teaching practices and, in turn, shape her evolving knowledge, particularly her pedagogical content knowledge or wisdom of practice. The results highlighted an affective dimension of teaching defined as caring, which was witnessed in Maria's interactions with her students and team members. Maria defined and made sense of her teaching and determined what counted as being important for her students based on both the cognitive and affective dimensions of teaching. (Contains 57 references.) (SM)