Book excerpt: Being a K-12 teacher is challenging. Some would argue that teaching is even harder for critically conscious educators. The work of critically conscious K-12 educators is more challenging because they are keenly aware of how systems of power and oppression operate throughout the school. They understand how racism, sexism, classism, ableism, etc., impact the lives of students through curriculum and pedagogy. These teachers know that these same forces impact them as professionals, so managing this challenge becomes two-fold. Not only do they have to they have to find ways to protect their students, but they also have to find ways to protect themselves. Strategies among these educators vary, but there are themes that they have in common. This study, then, is necessary to better understand how critically conscious educators do their work. By understanding strategies that these educators implement, contemporary and future educators will have a reference point they can turn to during their own pursuits in implementing critical pedagogies. Educators who participated in this study work to solve the seemingly impossible puzzle of creating a truly democratic educational system for all students. They pour their whole being into pedagogies they believe in, and this is part of their story.