This study examined the classroom discipline orientations of pre-service elementary teachers both before and after the student teaching experience. Prior to beginning and immediately after completing their full-time student teaching experience, pre-service teachers (N = 220) from three southeastern universities in the USA completed a discipline belief instrument which identified their preferred model of classroom discipline. The results showed that the student teaching experience significantly increased beginning teachers' preferences toward a more assertive discipline model (Rules and Consequences) and decreased their preferences toward the humanistic discipline model (Relationship-Listening). These results demonstrate that the student teaching experience may be creating a dissonance in prior knowledge and beliefs, and experiences of pre-service teachers in classrooms. The results of the study suggest that teacher education programs can help pre-service teachers transition more smoothly into classroom teaching by providing a school-university partnership as well as more lessons and advice on handling specific classroom management situations. (Contains 2 figures and 2 tables.)