Ope

Over this past summer, I was informed that "ope" is the Minnesota word for "excuse me." It was after I heard a radio segment on it that I realized I use "ope" all the time and hear it just as much. I asked some cousins in Oklahoma and California if they had ever heard the word used in that context before, and they said no! This is a word that could be considered Minnesota slang or jargon. Learn more here:  Article on Ope

Ambiguous sign

While flipping through Social Media a little while ago, I noticed a post my brother-in-law Craig shared. It took me a few seconds to click with what was going on, and that is because of ambiguity. Like the driver of the truck in the picture, I thought of the color green right away. After a moment, I realized it was green as in environmentally friendly parking, like a Tesla for example. Which way did you take the sign the first time you saw it?

Nonverbal example in class today

Today we started Chapter 6, my favorite chapter, all about nonverbal communication. Nonverbal communication is powerful; even when we are sleeping or dead, we are still communicating nonverbally. In class today, I gave students "the look" and "the hand" as shared by a student in class. Both of these combined helped to motivate at least a couple students to get to work. Without words, I used my face and body to send messages. This is nonverbal communication.