This paper was the keynote address at the June 6, 2012 Occidental College completion ceremony for new teachers completing their teacher credential program. This occasion was momentous because it was the final new teacher graduation that Occidental College would hold, due to the previously announced closure of the teacher preparation program by the college president and trustees. Dr. Lynn Melby Gordon spoke on the following topics, (1) good teaching matters, (2) teachers matter, and (3) good teacher education matters. The author reviewed research findings from teacher effectiveness research, profiled some notable Occidental College education professors and other teachers, and discussed Occidental College's long and distinguished history of producing outstanding teachers.