In this article we present two case studies of first-year, secondary science teachers who participated in an urban teacher residency. We adopt a situated analysis approach, framed by rhizomatics, a non-linear theory of social activity, to investigate the ways they attempted to enact practices consistent with the inquiry-based, social justice focus of their pre-professional program. Our investigation was guided by the question, "How do two science teachers construct their instructional practices in their first year of teaching?" We argue that the practices that emerged for both teachers were shaped by negotiations between the teacher, her students, and other contextual factors. As such, teaching practices are not a direct product of teacher learning, but are rather co-constituted by multiple elements, and therefore are fundamentally hybrid. Such insights add to the extant body of research on the relationship between teacher learning and practice and can assist in developing teacher preparation programs that can support the non-linear, multiplicitous, and relational nature of teaching.