How can teachers merge research and daily practice? Where can they find the time, information, and resources? In exploring this issue, it is important to clarify the definition of "research". "Research" might mean (1) using best practices that are already research-based or (2) doing research on one's own students. For purposes of discussion in this article, the term "research" is concerned with the latter definition, that is, studying the effects and effectiveness of various strategies, techniques, and approaches on the learning that occurs in the classrooms. This refined definition of research is intended to acknowledge the fact that teachers use pedagogical methods grounded in scholarship and to differentiate this from the practices associated with thinking and acting as teacher-researchers. The goal of teachers, as professionals, should be to move the spheres of research and practice closer together by asking questions, using data to answer them, and then reinforcing their understanding by accessing (and perhaps co-constructing) current scholarship. This article provides an example of an unexpected opportunity that resulted in a deliberate application of research to practice. The author's engaging account demonstrates the possibilities for research that exist in everyday classroom challenges. (Contains 2 figures.)