Abstract
Drawing on the stories told by a sample of four career-changing scientists, this paper proposes three principles that might be used to guide the selection and design of strategies to improve transition experiences for student teachers. These principles are: balance cultural reproduction and production, ensure equitable power distribution, and plan to harness positive emotional energy. I argue that mentors and teacher educators might apply (and refine further) the strategy of discussion forum to improve the transitional experiences of career-changing scientists.