In this article, the author shares her experience teaching in international schools where she has worked in dynamic and collaborative cultures. The international school culture that she knew was one that valued collaboration, transparency, and equitability. The independent school culture is also one that values faculty's knowledge and passion in closed-door classrooms. She argues that independent schools pride themselves on providing a top-notch education, but the dirty secret is that they often produce smart, interesting, capable students because they admit smart, interesting, capable students. It is not enough to be a passionate, knowledgeable teacher. There are very knowledgeable and passionate teachers who are not actually effective at helping students learn. The author contends that teachers need to constantly think about the quality of education they are providing overall, not just what they are each doing in their classrooms. She discusses how independent schools can improve through encouraging a culture of collaboration.