Perception and Stereotypes on the Bobby Bones Show

Most mornings, the car ride to daycare and the elementary school is filled with The Bobby Bones show. My son loves it, and I enjoy it, too. One morning, Amy shared a story she was embarrassed by. She was in her car, I think it was, and she saw a homeless man and young, professional looking woman. Suddenly, the woman was running back to wear the homeless man was, looking for him. Right away, Amy assumed that the man  must have stolen something from Amy, so when she went to help, she learned that the lady actually had a small card with an area homeless shelter's information. She didn't want the man to stay out in the cold. She made judgments based on stereotypes, but learned that she had perceived the situation wrongly.

SNL skit full of stereotypes

I'm a fan of Mumford and Sons, so because of that, I wanted to watch this past weekends Saturday Night Life episode. One of the skits was a commercial that really pushed on the stereotypes of gender roles and what masculine culture is.  The moment it finished, I knew I had to share it in a blog post this week. What do you think of it and its message?

SNL - Big Boys GE

Nonverbal Communication

I know we aren't to Chapter 6  yet, but I couldn't help but share this video. In it, you'll see some very interesting Nonverbal Communication through facial expression, eye contact, body language, and body posture. This isn't posted for any political reason; it's just a strong example of nonverbal communication. As one of my 10th graders said, after she shared this with some of her classmates, the guy in the end "pulls a Jim from The Office perfectly.

Battling Self-fulfilling Prophecy

I haven't felt 100% at all this week, and this morning was worse than the others. A little voice in the back of my head said I wasn't going to make it through the day. I just have the all-over yucky feeling I always seem to get right before I get sick. I've been working hard all day to not fall victim to self-fulfilling prophecy and let that little voice win. I've been keeping my head up and working hard to not believe what that that little voice is trying to make be believe.

"Hair-ly" Understood

This past Wednesday I was fortunate to meet up with some of my favorite Moms. My church hosts a Moms group Wednesday mornings, and since we didn't have school, I was able to go. Two of the women there Wednesday have naturally curly hair, very curly. Another mom there is currently going to cosmetology school. For about 15 minutes, these three ladies were tossing around names, techniques, and places related to the cutting and treatment of extremely curly hair. I had NO idea what they were really saying! This is a good example of semantic noise for me. I asked a few questions that helped with clarity, but I was definitely relieved when the conversation switched to topics I was more comfortable with.

Cultures change...but some stay the same

I identify with a lot of cultures. Up until I had my daughter, I identified strongly with the running culture. I used that as the culture I shared in this class. It's not that I don't still enjoy running; I'll get back to it, but creating time to run with two kiddos just isn't happening for me so far. Walking into my classroom, one could easily see many of the other cultures I identify with. For example, I have KoMet stuff on and around my desk. I have Stitch figures as well showing that I am part of the Disney fandom. I have Harry Potter and Fantastic Beasts posters on my wall and my door showing that I am a Potterhead. There are books and quotes to show that I am not only a teacher, but an English teacher that appreciates quotes and literature. I have pictures of Duluth all around my desk, too, so I see myself as a big fan of Lake Life and the city of Duluth, which gives me two other cultures. What other cultures do you see me representing?

So Much Noise

Today as I was trying to check Chapter 1 Notes Guides and book covers, there was a lot of interpersonal noise happening in the room. Physical noise was getting in the way of my being able to hear the students directly in front of me. All the disruptions and interruptions were affecting my ability to think, so I was experiencing psychological noise, too! Fortunately, students were able to get settled and quite by test-taking time. Phew!