Thinking skills are instruments for meaningful learning and academic achievement and in relation, they are indispensable components of 21st century competencies. However, current Turkish policies do not define what thinking is and some inconsistencies regarding forms of thinking exist in different documents. Also, while teachers might not feel competent with teaching thinking skills, teacher education programs do not offer much to practice thinking skills. The analysis of coursebooks and curriculum also presents limited opportunities for thinking as well as Turkish sociocultural practices may reflect thinking as a negative or problematic concept. Regarding these problems, this study aims to explore pre-service teachers' experiences when they say, "I am thinking" via a phenomenological methodology. Participants (N=42) were recruited via convenience sampling methodology. Data were collected via focus group interviews (N=7) that included 5 to 7 participants. In each interview, participants described (1) thinking, (2) talked about the reactions to their thinking, and (3) named the proverbs that pertain to thinking. Data were analyzed via phenomenological reduction and horizons and structural themes were developed after bracketing was employed. Findings revealed that definitions of thinking highlight individualistic and universal characteristics, and functions of thinking pertain to skills. 80% of reactions to thinking were negative.Also, half of the proverbs highlighted negative connotations. This study suggest that thinking might not be initiated and shared safely as educational practices and cultural reminisces might not promote such intellectual actions. In this sense, curriculum and materials need revisions regarding sociocultural characteristics of Turkish society and pedagogies of thinking. [This paper was published in: "EJERCongress 2022 Conference Proceedings," Ani Publishing, 2022, pp. 252-263.]