As part of a wider research project, early career primary teachers were asked to rank various teacher responsibilities and characteristics in terms of importance. The participants showed a high level of attachment to the concept of 'the future', and struggled to perceive education as disassociated from preparedness. The future was firmly at the centre of their teaching practice. A year after conducting this research, the future was suddenly interrupted. With the arrival of COVID-19 came the cancellation of phonics screening tests and national curriculum assessments (SATs), and a realisation that the future in teaching is perhaps less predictable than previously assumed. In this article, the author listens again to the voices of the participants in order to illuminate a future orientation within the teaching community that she believes, in the light of recent events, cannot hold.