In this chapter, a college teacher describes the use of personal projects in a class on mathematics teaching for preservice teacher-education students. The personal project required students to learn something new or to do something they had never done before, and to document their learning through a journal or other reflective record. In addition, students were asked to discover the role of mathematics in their project, although math was not to be considered in choosing a project. The assignment carried no threat of evaluation; all students were given an "A." Students chose a wide variety of projects, although many involved artistic expression or handicrafts. Journal excerpts present student reactions at various stages of the project. Initial reactions ranged from elation at being allowed the choice of what to learn, to fear of the open-ended nature of the assignment, to feelings that the assignment would not be valuable in terms of mathematics education. Common occurrences during the early phases of the project included students changing their minds about their projects and the experience of gathering materials. During mid-phases, students often experienced frustration, impatience, and anxiety. By project completion, students had discovered that mathematics was involved in their project, had begun to "see math everywhere," and had gained increased confidence in their own math abilities. For preservice teachers, thinking about their own learning invariably led to new ways of thinking about teaching and to real commitment to lifelong learning. Contains 36 references. (SV)