What does the National Football League have in common with a small K-6 school in Iowa City, Iowa? Two things: one is San Diego Chargers wide receiver Tim Dwight, who grew up in Iowa City, where he attended Mark Twain Elementary; the other is Twain third grade teacher Julie Busch, Tim's former teacher and--thanks to Tim's thoughtful recommendation--the 2003 NFL Teacher of the Year. This article profiles the award-winner, and describes her work with third graders in the areas of grammar/management combinations and reading comprehension/character education. Busch also works with the Conflict Manager program at Twain, serving as the coordinator or co-coordinator since the program's inception in 1990.