The practicum experience for early childhood education pre-service teachers is the stage where they can have hands-on experience handling learners and applying all the pedagogical knowledge and skills they have learned. This qualitative study, most specifically, the transcendental phenomenology research design, was utilized to explore the experiences of five early childhood education pre-service teachers at Bukidnon State University, Malaybalay City, Bukidnon, Philippines during the new normal. The evaluative criteria for trustworthiness, such as dependability, confirmability, transferability, and credibility, were established using careful adherence to protocols and processes. Findings reveal two emerging themes: self-determination and trepidation of the pandemic. The participants described their self-determination as an exercise of their autonomy, competence, relatedness, and social engagement. On the other hand, they characterize the trepidation of the pandemic with fear, anxiety, uncertainty, loss of motivation, sudden change of learning environment, challenging behaviors online, struggles, and lack of resources. The study further concludes that the pre-service teachers’ desire to learn kept them motivated to keep teaching. Seminars to improve teachers’ adaptability and resilience are suggested for university administrators and teaching staff, as well as the use of technology-based training to handle online teaching. Future studies can take into account an inquiry into successful coping techniques to find techniques utilized by students to manage and navigate a pandemic while achieving their academic goals.