Elementary teachers' attitudes towards science and their confidence to teach it have for some time been identified as important in determining both the quality and quantity of science taught to children. Attitudes and confidence are influenced greatly by the teachers' own experiences as learners of science and as teachers of science. This paper reports on a longitudinal case study of three elementary teachers during their transition from preservice to inservice teaching. The study identifies experiences that were helpful in overcoming initial lack of confidence in studying science and experiences that were perceived by participants to be helpful in preparation for teaching science in the elementary school. The paper identifies ways in which the beginning teachers perceived and addressed constraints to science teaching in the elementary school and how they changed and adapted the knowledge and skills developed at university to practical situations. The use by researchers of a specialist science teacher's perspective for evaluating elementary science classes is discussed. (Contains 47 references.) (Author/NB)