Teaching and learning calculus has been the subject of mathematics education research for many years. Although the literature is mainly concerned with students’ difficulties with calculus, research on mathematicians’ day to day activities is still scarce. Using Schoenfeld’s Resources, Orientations and Goals (ROGs) framework, this study examined four instructors’ ROGs in teaching calculus to low-achieving students. The findings revealed the in depth pedagogical experiences of mathematicians and their deliberation in helping students. The study suggested that building research based models and frameworks results in richer studies that would be more beneficial to both students and instructors.