This paper, a teacher's informal account of her own professional growth and teaching experiences over a 10-year period, focuses particularly on her experiences as a participant in a non-credit seminar on children's thinking and on the impact this seminar had on her teaching. The seminar included wide-ranging questions of philosophy, teaching problems and frustrations, teaching techniques, the learning process, the individual student, and other concerns. Included are discussions of her experiences and ideas concerning open and traditional classrooms, behaviorist techniques, and Piagetian principles. The paper describes her development of a science education program embodying Piagetian and open education techniques. Included are discussions of class structure and organization, goals, teacher-student interaction, and alternative methods of evaluation (including the use of children teaching children as a tool in evaluating what children have learned). The appendices to the paper include an annotated bibliography on Piaget in the classroom, a letter to parents requesting materials, a list of goals for the program, and a student evaluation form. (BD)