This article illustrates how narratives provided by Ian, a beginning science and mathematics teacher, and by some of his urban high school students contribute to Ian's process of identifying. Through the use of narrative inquiry, I demonstrate how the narratives use converse descriptions to portray Ian's identity in terms of the type of teacher that he does not want to be. Analyzed with support from other forms of data, the narratives show congruence between Ian's designated identity and his actual identity (Sfard & Prusak, 2005). Throughout the article, I emphasize the importance of beginning teachers' process of identifying and its significance for teacher preparation and induction, especially for preparing preservice teachers to work with diverse student populations. (Contains 3 notes.)