The purpose of this study was to chronicle the manner in which a cohort of pre-service teachers, during their one-year residency, used an English learner (EL) project to better understand secondary ELs, thus informing their emerging teaching practices and promoting reflexivity in their praxis and ideologies. This one-year study documented the journey of six pre-service teachers working in an urban high school in Arizona. The research questions guiding this study were: (1) What factors influence pre-service teachers' understandings of secondary English learners? and (2) How do these factors inform pre-service teachers' practices? The results of the study can potentially support teacher educators, teachers, and schools with respect to secondary ELs and teacher development, preparation, and attitudes.This article involves first a review of the literature associated with secondary EL teachers, second a discussion of the theoretical lenses used to examine pre-service teachers, third a demonstration of the methodology guiding this study, and fourth the findings which illustrates the four themes that emerged. Finally, the study is synthesized and is accompanied with recommendations for future research.