Analysis of views from a select group of Kenyan science teachers regarding the effect of student learning experiences on their teaching after implementing a contextualized science unit revealed that the teachers' (a) literal interpretation and adherence to the official curriculum conflicted with the students' desires to understand scientific phenomena embedded within their local environment; (b) inability or ability to sustain students' motivations for understanding science through the local environment, which depended on initial teacher preparation; and (c) implementation of the contextualized science reduced the gulf that often hindered free student-teacher dialogue due to the teachers' endeavors to maintain science and science teacher statuses.