The purpose of this study were to explore early childhood student teachers's practicum experiences and the meaning of their experiences. Narrative inquiry was used as a research methodology. The study used conversations, journal writing, and e-mail messages as data. Five themes emerged from these student teachers' stories: 1) "fears vs expectation" showed that student teachers lived in two different psychological worlds. 2) "trust vs distrust" was brought into focus by their relationships with their cooperating teachers. 3) "qualities vs quantities" was a constant time struggle affecting relations with the children. 4) "theory vs practice" occurred when the theories learned often seemed impractical in practice. 5) "the role of student teachers" created tensions for their identity. Through listening to these student teachers' stories, I argue the importance of acknowledging a teacher's personal practical knowledge on the professional knowledge landscape and the meaning of having knowledge communities for student teachers in order to provide a better teacher education program.