Teachers. Everywhere.

I've spent the last couple of days at the TIES Conference in Minneapolis. This was an international conference with teachers from all over the United States and Canada.  It was awesome! But it was also obvious that there was a culture of teachers, everywhere.  The clothing, the bags, the acronyms: all these things gave away to an obvious culture. While walking through the vendors, they were able to not only identify us as teachers, but they were also able to often identify the level and subject matters we taught just by looking at us. I saw this as not only identifying a culture, but maybe a little bit of stereotyping, too.

Dirty laundry and ethnocentrism

I am a big fan of the show The Amazing Race, and due to life getting in the way, my hubby and I have fallen a few episodes behind (no spoilers please!).  Last night we were curled up on the couch watching an episode, and I found myself guilty of ethnocentrism.  One of the challenges had to do with doing laundry in India.  Individuals would bring large white bags full of scarves to a beach where they would put the dirty scarves in large kettles, stir them up with soap, rinse them in the nearby river, and then lay the scarves out to dry on the sand. I couldn't help but wonder how this was actually cleaning the scarves. I found myself asking questions aloud and even judging their techniques based on how I'm used to doing laundry. BAM! Ethnocentrism.  I even paused the tv to email myself a reminder to blog about it later. 

One of my favorite things about The Amazing Race is seeing how other cultures live, eat, and do things differently, and sometimes ethnocentrism gets in the way of learning. 

Source: http://i736.photobucket.com/albums/xx9/xangatheamazingracecaps3/The%20Amazing%20Race%2027/Episode%209/TAR2709-1142.jpg

Source: CBS.com

 

 

Source: CBS.com

 

 

Source: https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/236x/85/c5/f8/85c5f8fd2255b5408184c8249024133f.jpg

 

Words that echo through time...

Before Kindergarten, I attended an in-home daycare run by a family friend of my dad's.  My "daycare mom" had a short name, Pat.  I don't have a lot of memories of my time there aside from cold cereal for breakfasts, episodes of Scooby-Doo and The Price is Right, and playing outside in a driveway on small bikes and Big Wheels with other children.  I also remember some words, vividly.

I was a confident child with a high self-esteem.  I would often dress in pink and announce that I was pretty, or pretty like a princess.  Every time I would announce this in the presence of my "daycare mom," she would follow with an insult.  It would go like this:

Me: I'm pretty!
Her: Yeah, pretty ugly. *chuckle*
Me: No, I'm pretty! Pretty like a princess!
Her: Yeah, pretty. Pretty ugly, just like I said.

Those words were damaging, because I eventually believed them.  I struggled with low self-esteem and poor self-perception for years, from pre-kindergarten into my junior and even senior year of high school.  Even as an adult, I can still hear her in my head some days, but I've worked hard over time to change that perception using mostly affirmations and corrections when I get hard on myself.



Jody, the guy with a girl's name



I don't know about you, but I really entertained by Jody's presentation today. Not only that, but I was able to make a lot of connections to what we are learning and will learn in Interpersonal Communication. I've heard the Power Talk presentation done by five or so different speakers, and I have to admit that Jody brought a whole new perspective! Here are a few of the concepts I can connect:

1) Culture. Right away, we, as a group, noticed that Jody represented a different culture when he said, "Y'all."  He addressed it and identified who he was (clarified the difference), which made us all a little more comfortable. 

2)  Physical nose.  I noticed quite a few examples of physical noise beyond the obvious during the presentation today.  One big one was the technology not working.  The squeaky band stand was one, too, but he covered that awkwardness well.  The bells during the speech was one, too.  That one represented out culture at the high school, because we all knew why it rang, but Jody didn't.

3)  Psychological noise. That one was for me.  I got a little internally distracted every time Jody said "y'all and "crud" for some reason.  It was distracting. The blue screen when the technology switched off got me distracted, too. 

4)  Listening. We'll spend all of chapter 4 talking about the concept of listening, like listening vs. hearing and how to be an active listener. That will all come back.

5) Perspective.  Jody mentioned this a few times.  We'll get into that in Chapter 3. I even found a new video to show for that this past weekend.

I hear ya! Er, I see you? I think you know what I mean...

Something we'll learn about in an upcoming chapter is active listening.  I realized today in church that I was showing all the signs of an active listener from eye contact, head nods, and verbal responses.  I looked around at one point and realized there were quite a few people looking in other directions, holding non-responsive facial expressions, and even playing with their phones.  I kept my eyes on the pastor and his face when he looked at those individuals, and realized he kept coming back to me, maybe because he knew I was paying attention still.

This got me thinking about my own classrooms. There are times when I am teaching a new concept that I can start to see students glaze over or get distracted by something else, not actively listening any longer, but there's always a couple in each class who keep the active listening signals going; I often look to those faces for reassurance just as my pastor was doing to me.

Seeing that full-circle really struck me. 

So much noise!

A big part of Chapter 1 talks about the concept of noise.  There are four kinds of noise it addresses, and already today I've been greatly distracted by two of them.

The first is physical noise. Starting about halfway through my day yesterday, the vent in the back of my room started squeaking.  It was described as a cricket, a sprinkler, and even a squeaky chair/desk.  For someone in my room for a short while, it might not have been very noticeable, but after listening to it for a full day, I was pretty certain I could hear it even after I left. Some students shared it made them unable to concentrate while reading yesterday; one student went so far as to cover her ears. That's a pretty clear example of it being physical noise, for her especially.

source: http://healtheatingfood.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/Loud-noise-health-effects.jpg



Another kind of noise I am experiencing is psychological. In other words, my mind is distracted. Last night, my oven stopped working. That's not good with Thanksgiving around the corner, and two meals yet this week dependent on using the oven.  Plus, I LOVE baking holiday treats! Because I don't like things unfinished, my mind keeps going back to my family's need for a new stove while we are on a budget for my son's birthday and the holiday season in general.  I spent much of my prep first block doing research on affordable ovens in the area rather than what I had written on my to-do list because I was preoccupied with the need for an oven whenever I tried to get something done on my to-do list. This is a great example of psychological noise!

Source: http://www.essentialappliance.com/Pictures/uncooked_turkey.png



For those of you still trying to figure out the differences between the kinds of noise we discussed, I hope this helped a little bit.   

No, I'm not crying...

It is common knowledge that I've had a tough past 7 days or so.  I'm also feeling a little stressed with packing, grading, lesson planning, and senior activities. With this in mind, I do understand why someone who saw my eyes watering would think that I am on the verge of tears, but I'm not. This example of nonverbal communication is actually related to either allergies or the new contact solution I am trying. My eyes are dry and itchy, which means my eyes keep watering to relieve that discomfort; it isn't due to crying. I got most of that out of my system before returning to school.

Nervous haibts

Like a mentioned in class today, I discovered my mom and I both have the same nervous habit for picking our nails. I noticed it yesterday as we were waiting in my Gramps' room for Macken Funeral Home to come and pick my Gramps up.  It was awkward due to the situation as well as the silence; I don't do very well with complete silence.  I am left wondering if this example of nonverbal communication is something that in inherited or learned from watching, nature vs. nurture. 

http://www.divinecaroline.com/sites/divinecaroline.com/files/styles/slide/public/shutterstock_104835665.jpg?itok=U6OwjULp

Earworm!

My mind has been a little distracted the last couple of days, and not just by my 4th quarter stresses (grading, Baccalaureate, senior trip planning, graduation planning, packing my room...), but by an earworm.

Definition from Wikipedia: An earworm, sometimes known as a brainworm,^[1] is a catchy piece of music that continually repeats through a person's mind after it is no longer playing.

source: http://theskinnyon.typepad.com/.a/6a01348010bbb6970c01543592fdcc970c-800wi

 It isn't abnormal for me to have a song in my head; that's pretty typical. What isn't normal is that it has been the same song since Sunday afternoon. It just plays on repeat in my brain! I find myself humming it, bopping my head to it, and even absent-mindedly writing it's lyrics on students' journal comments rather than the intended note! 

This is a pretty serious case of psychological noise!

Now, in case you were wondering what song it is, or maybe you are looking to have your own earworm, here you go:

 

A little "downtime"

Part of my son's  bedtime routine includes bedtime hugs.  His bed is a loft-style bed, so he often gets to choose if we do hugs on the floor before he climbs the ladder or from his bed after he climbs up. 

Yesterday, I was able to finally return to the gym after over a week and a half off, and I did back-to-back Zumba and kickboxing (I love kickboxing!).  Anyway, last night's class included a lot of squats, which isn't normally a problem, but I hadn't done any in a while, so my body was feeling it a little bit. 

Okay, so back to last night.  My son chose to have hugs on the floor, but due to the squats, it wasn't the most comfortable for me.  He asked why, so I said it was because I did too many squats at Northgate. He asked what a squat was, so my husband and I explained and demonstrated.  This is what happened next:

Murphy: So, you had to get down low to the ground to do squats?
Us: Yes...
Murphy: And Mommy spent a lot of time down low doing squats?
Us: Yes...
Murphy: But, I thought Mommy liked having "down" time.  *smirks*

Do you get it?  Downtime (relaxing time)  down time (time low to the ground, down)

There is some wordplay I hadn't expected from a four-year-old!  His verbal skills amaze me daily.

Neil and Noise

This morning, my first block class, Enriched English 11, was viewing the second half of Dead Poets Society.  It was the scene where Neil was alone in his room after he was told by his parents that he would no longer be able to act; just before this scene, Neil did an excellent job of playing Puck in Midsummer Night's Dream. 

For those not familiar with this movie, it is a really intense part. There isn't any speaking, just quiet and suspenseful music.  Just as the scene was reaching its highest point of intensity, the construction workers outside began to drill in my wall loudly.  It completely ruined the moment and disconnected people from what was happening in the movie.  I was incredibly disappointed in the timing of this physical noise.

Source: http://www.speedlivin.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/Neil-Perry-Dead-Poet-Society.jpg

Room Supervisor

I had a very important job today; I was a room supervisor for the ACT test.  One of the responsibilities of this job was the very closely monitor the students testing in my room from 9am to 1:15 pm. That gave me a lot of time to make some nonverbal observations.  One thing I inferred was that the Math test was the most challenging for the Juniors in my room.  During that test, students were constantly shifting weight, bouncing their legs, running hands through hair, and even dropping pencils.  There was definitely a tenseness to the air in the room.  Students were also incredibly focused during the Reading test.  Their heads were down, and I didn't see any wandering eyes.  Eyes seemed to bounce from the test booklet to the answer sheet and back again; that's it.  When I gave the five minute warning, about half the room jumped. That was the only test the warning startled them.  I observed that the students in the room were pretty spent after the Writing test.  Most of them looked dazed and half asleep.  Those are just a few of the observations of nonverbal communication I made.

Sometimes it's tough...

Sometimes it's tough being a speech coach and past speech teacher. I feel like I am much harder on other public speakers, particularly adults. Although I found the advertisements and other visual aids helpful in illustrating nonverbal communication in Patrick's presentation today, I was incredibly distracted by the fact he continued to pace (step forward and backward) throughout the entire presentation.  I also struggled with the "uhs" and "ums," but after a while, I was able to ignore them. 
I know I'm guilty of moving around and using the occasional filler words too, but I find it so much easier to spot other people's use of them over my own. The same goes for proofreading; I am really good at proofreading other's work, but when it comes to proofreading my own, it's like my mind knows what is supposed to be there rather than what is there.  I guess it's a matter of perception in that case.  

Tuesday Night Noise

Source: https://media.licdn.com/media/p/7/000/1f5/34c/39de0a1.png

Almost every Tuesday evening, once the weather is nicer, I participate in charity 5k races at Terra Loco in Rochester. Terra Loco is a running story by Trader Joe's and Apache Mall, and every Tuesday night when the weather cooperates they host an organized 5k race followed with snacks and raffles.  It's a good time, and each race raises money for a different organization; the races are only $5 each, too. 

A lot of Tuesdays, we make the race a family affair, meaning my husband, son, and I all participate, or just my son and I do it together.  He's got the 1-mile run down, but 3.1 miles is a bit too much for him yet, so I push him the B.O.B. stroller I've been running with him in since he was less than 6 months old. 

One of the challenges of pushing Murphy while running is my inability to hear him well.  Whether it's because of cars passing, people passing. or the one ear bud I allow myself to wear when it is the two of us, there is a lot of physical noise that gets in the way of hearing Murphy well. I usually say "wait until we aren't by the cars" or something to let him know that I can't hear him, but I want to, and will be able to soon; that way he doesn't feel like his message is any less important.

You know you are from Minnesota when...

Today in class we talked about a culture we all have in common: being KoMets.  Another culture we all have in common is being Minnesotan, whether you are a recent Minnesotan or have lived here all you life. Here are a few things I found online that represent Minnesotan culture, although some of these are a little stereotypical.

(Source: http://www.surfminnesota.net/couldbemn2.html)

You measure distance in minutes. 
Down south to you means Iowa. 
People from other states love to hear you say words with O's in them. 
You assume when you say "Twin Cities" people know to where you're referring. 
You know what uff-da means and how to use it properly. 
You own an icehouse, snowmobile, and a 4-wheel drive vehicle. 
Everyone you know has a cabin. 
You consider it a sport to gather your food by drilling through 18 inches of ice and sitting there all day hoping the food will swim by. 
You have refused to buy something because it's too "spendy." 
Your local Dairy Queen is closed from December through February. 
You instinctively walk like a penguin for three months out of the year. 
Someone in a store offers you assistance, and they don't work there. 
You know more than one person that has hit a deer. 
You may not have actually eaten it, but you have heard of Lutefisk. 
You know what Mille Lacs is and how to spell it. 
Nothing gets you madder than seeing a Green Bay sticker on a Minnesota car. 
Your town has an equal number of bars and churches. 
You have had an entire telephone conversation with someone who dialed a wrong number. 
The only reason you go to Wisconsin is to get fireworks, to fish, or to buy beer on Sunday. 
You know how to say Wayzata, Mahtomedi, and Shakopee. 
You drink POP, not SODA. 
You can recite, from memory, more than a half-dozen "Ole and Lena" jokes. 
You've gone trick-or-treating in 3 feet of snow.
You play "Duck, Duck, Gray Duck" and not "Duck, Duck, Goose." 
Planting and harvesting times means your class sizes decrease.
You've ever done a Snow Day Dance. 
You believe Camo matches anything. 

Source: http://www.fasthorseinc.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/5488823250_57d22f0c19_z.jpg

 

Speech Team: A Culture of Its Own

Yesterday, after school, I coached at the Speech Team's Sectional Meet. While I was walking the halls between rounds, I realized how being a part of Speech is really an example of being a part of an individual culture (we'll get into culture next chapter). 

One example of a cultural-specific activity is that of wall talking. Students often find a chunk of wall to practice their speeches to/with.  To an observer, this looks really funny, but to competitors, this is an acceptable and helpful method of practice and preparation. 

Here's an example:

Source: https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/236x/74/1d/da/741dda6891289dcdf9992c67e324f619.jpg

Interview gone wrong...

In class today, we talked about different interview styles. Interviews can be serious or playful, they can be structured or free-flowing, or they can be comfortable or awkward. There's an example of an interview that started with some structure, and then totally derailed. There are a few attempts at getting back on track, but then the speakers get distracted again.  There are some excellent, positive listener cues used throughout the clip, though! 

Something wrong with my...pants?

I was picking up on some interesting nonverbals in my Enriched English 11 class yesterday. While I was talking about the 1920s, I noticed a couple students staring downward towards my pants rather than at my face or hand gestures. I figured it was nothing until I glanced over at them a second time, and they were still doing. I was suddenly flooded over with embarrassment and self-consciousness.  What if I had a spot or spill? Or even worse: what if there was a hole in my pants?!  I had so much intrapersonal communication going on and so much psychological noise, that I had to stop and ask what the distraction was. It turns out that the braided part of the end of my belt was peeking out and unidentifiable. It was both a mystery and distraction to them.

As soon as that mystery was solved, I was able to go on with class without any problem(s).

Source: http://lubbockonline.com/sites/default/files/wp-images/pants1.jpg

Territory Examples

One part of nonverbal communication that we study is territories. There are three kinds of territories: Primary (where it really IS yours), Secondary (where it is temporarily assigned to you), and Public (where it isn't really anyone's, but it feels like yours). This past week I came across three examples of public territories in my life.

Source: http://www.hsgamecenter.com/img/logos/teams/Basketball/5bfff95df67f4f0d8523c56725b6bfeb.png

The first examples was on Saturday.  This past Saturday, the KM Speech team competed at Chatfield's high school. Although I have never attended school there as a student, I kind of feel like this is "my" meet. You see, my husband and my best friend both attended high school there (coincidence only), so I went to many events at that particular school.  Because of that connection, and the many fond memories I have in that building (speech meets, proms, dances, plays, concerts, games..), I feel like I'm going home.

source http://fitnessm621.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/TAEBO.jpg

My second example is from kickboxing class.  I have a certain spot in the room that I always like to be for my "place" in class.  This is another example of public, because although I pay to go to Northgate, I do not pay for this particular spot in class. I really like to be in the front row on the far left facing the instructor.  I have no idea why, but that's where I like to be.  There's another woman who sometimes gets there a few minutes before me. If she beats me to class, she takes "my" spot.  Since I'm not in "my" spot, I feel a little off for the first few minutes of class or so. It's silly, but it's true, and it makes for a great example of territory.

Source; http://kttc.images.worldnow.com/images/9262471_BG1.jpg

Here's my third example.  Last night my husband and I were talking about how grateful for the warmer weather, so we can start running outside more. He was especially grateful since he is training for his next marathon and has some long runs in the near future.  While we were talking, we kept referring to the fact that we hoped "our" trial was cleared off and not too puddle-ridden. We both love running on Cascade Trail since it is along water and near our home.  Neither of us have any ownership to the trail, it's public property, but we both feel like it is ours because we run on it so often, and it is really close to home. This is another great example of public territory.

Conferences

Earlier this week at Parent/Teacher conferences, I put something from Kelli's presentation in action. There were a few parents that night that seemed a little uncomfortable.  To help make them feel more comfortable, I thought I would try doing a little mirroring, like we learned from the presentation last Friday.  I would turn my body, slouch, fold my hands on the table, or lean forward as I saw the different parents doing. The ones I mirrored with seemed to become for comfortable, more talkative, and I ended up having longer, more meaningful conferences with those parents. The parents that were challenging to mirror, seemed comfortable right away, or seemed to be in a bit of a hurry all kept their conferences significantly shorter.  It was an interesting experiment, and I learned that mirroring really does work!

source: http://www.haven.ca/shenblog/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/Mirroring-300x225.jpg

Amazing Race Awkwardness

I am  HUGE fan of Amazing Race.  My husband and I have enjoyed watching almost every season together (I missed the first two or three seasons). While we watch, we build a travel bucket list of places we want to go, see, and/or experience some day. When the teams have to do individual challenges, we decide which one of us would be the best fit for each. It's really fun for us to imagine and dream. We've joked about applying to the show someday, and maybe someday we will...

The season that started last night is unique because about half of the teams are on a "blind date;" the people had never met before that day!  One of the teams had a really hard time clicking.  The guy is a doctor, and the girl is a tiny light blonde with a tinier voice, and she talks A LOT!  The doctor's nonverbal communication was hilarious; he clearly was not enjoying the company of his partner, who was completely playing out the stereotype of a young blonde woman. I actually laughed out loud while observing the doctor's obvious discomfort! I turned to my husband and one point and said, "I really wish she could take her voice down an octave or two." His response: so does he!

Eventually, the team seemed to find their groove and work well together.  They learned that she was much better with directions and was much smarter than she first appeared. This goes to show that you should never judge a person based on first impressions and that not all stereotypes are true.

Optimist by Surprise

Source: http://itoc.cfw.me/images/comics/72/15596f6f7e749faaf2233a7b427d88b01374105689.png

While walking through a parking lot yesterday, I overheard a couple of people while they where either loading or unloading some boxes from a large van.  One said to the other, "hey, long day, huh?"  The other responded in a grumbling voice, "Everyday day is a long day."

I found myself suddenly feeling a little sorry for the person who said that.  I looked around at the sunny sky; I looked down to see my jacket open and lack of scarf.  I realized it had been days since I had a reason to wear my sunglasses, but there they were on my face. Although I had been going for about 11 hours strong without much of a break nor a stop at home, I could agree with that woman's sentiment.  I don't consider myself a complete optimist, but at that moment I was.  I, too, was experiencing a "long day," but I wasn't letting it affect my mood or outlook.  I was looking at the positive. Sometimes, it really is all about perspective.

Merging cultures

We've talked a lot about cultures so far this quarter.  I hope I have stressed that there are many different cultures as well as more than one for everyone. Today's Snow Week dress-up day frustrates me a little bit because it is trying to categorize the student body into one of two cultures, the Athletes and Mathletes. When I was in high school, I would have  had a hard time believing that I could be a part of both; my years on the middle school volleyball team did not make me an athlete by any definition of the word. Today, though, I see myself as both. I honestly believe we are all nerds about something; we all have that one or two things we completely "geek out" over.  For me, I could "geek out" over books, especially Harry Potter ones. I could "geek out" over some specific musicians, certain movies, food, Las Vegas, Disney stuff, wordplay, Speech Team, 90s Trivia...the list goes on and on. I also consider myself an athlete now after quite a few competitive races from 3.1 miles to 4.5 miles to 6.2 miles to 13.1 miles.   The longer distances took training, modified diets, etc.  I definitely see myself as an athlete in that sense, too, due to those experiences.  How about you?  What cultures could you "geek out" over?  What makes you an athlete? Do you think you are or could be both?

Perception of Snape (Spoiler Alert)

As most of you know, I am a pretty big fan of the Harry Potter books and movies.  I would say I am a borderline fanatic at times.  With that in mind, I had my mind slightly blown earlier this week by this amazing YouTube video!  You see, the character Severus Snape is painted out to be a bad guy through most of the books/movies, but as you read/watch, there are little hints that maybe he isn't the character you first perceived him to be. Someone went to a lot of work to really highlight the amazing, layered character that is truly is; the point was to make sure you as a reader/viewer have an accurate perception of who Snape really was.  This video takes all of the hints and flashbacks presented to viewers in the Harry Potter movies and puts them in chronological order so you end up really understanding who Snape was rather than just jumping to conclusions based on the context of the original order of the clips.

It's a longer video, but oh-so-worth-it!

Lunch and Culture

My husband shared a really interesting link with me this morning.  It gives a snapshot of lunches worldwide. I have to admit, some of these lunches look DELICIOUS, but for others, they may look a little "different" or "strange."  That would be a really good example of judging another culture, or at least its food, just because it is different from one's own culture.  It also gives a glimpse at how proteins and carbs vary from one location and culture to the next. I feel the like pictures also show how the USA may not be offering as much in the area of fruits and veggies and fresher, less processed protein options.  Lots of "food" for thought, no? :)

What School Lunches Look Like Worldwide

The Crucible

In Enriched English 11 right now, students are watching The Crucible. For those not familiar, this movie is based on a play by Arthur Miller. The play takes place in a Puritan village in 1692.  Obviously, the use of our language, English, was a little different  over 300 years ago. Because of that, some students are struggling a little with the dialogue in the movie.  This is a great example of Semantic noise!

#likeagirl

I first saw this (extended) commercial late last summer or early last fall, and I have to admit that I loved it.  I remember sharing it on Facebook and even Facebook Messaging it to a few of my nearest and dearest ladies.  I think it says A LOT about gender in American culture.  I've never been a girly-girl.  I grew up in a neighborhood of mostly boys where climbing the tree fastest or hitting the all farthest earned a kid a lot of street cred, literally.  I was much like Scout Finch where I took being called a girl an insult. Looking back, I think it's kind of sad that American culture has deemed gender as an element of strength and talent, especially athletic talent.  I have to admit that now, as an adult, when I am running a competitive race, and I pass a male running (especially if I am pushing my son in our B.O.B. stroller), I smirk on the outside and cheer on the inside.  Why is being passed by a girl a bad thing? And passing a man a good thing?  I think our culture needs to really reevaluate this idea, don't you? Every change has to start somewhere.

Not a Soccer-mom!

This past week I experienced a big change in cultural connections. Most of my adult life, I have considered myself a "truck" girl.  I enjoy driving trucks, riding in trucks, the power of trucks, the usefulness of trucks, all of that. Since trucks aren't really the most appropriate for my family, I've opted for a Dodge Durango; my last two vehicles were Durangos.  Two Fridays ago, though, I was forced to change that.  My more recent Durango met its, well her (I name all my vehicles), untimely end.  We were in a crunch to get a new vehicle fast, and although I've said I would never drive a minivan, I caved.  There was one in my price range with impressively lower gas mileage.  Although it was really hard for me, I swallowed my pride, and I went for it.  I bought a minivan, a Kia Sedona.

In chapter 2 we will talk about culture as well as judging other cultures unfairly.  I judged the minivan-driving crowd a bit to harshly and realized that not everyone who drives a minivan has to fit the soccer-mom stereotype. Driving a minivan isn't so bad, but I'm sure you'll see me back in a Durango or truck with an extended or full cab again...someday.

Source: http://i3.cpcache.com/product/84803882/not_a_soccer_mom_bw_bumper_bumper_sticker.jpg?height=225&width=225