You teach what?” That is the phrase I often heard when I would tell my fellow coaches what I taught. Being a high school basketball coach and first grade teacher was not something they were expecting to hear. They expected me to tell them that I taught physical education or social studies, not that I taught six-year olds how to read. The reaction that followed was often mixed. Some of the coaches would give me the “that is pretty neat, I respect that” look, while others would give me the “are you kidding me, that is weird” look. I had learned long ago when I decided to go into teaching at the elementary level that the reactions would be mixed, from everyone including my peers, to parents, and even to the students.