This short article is presented as a stimulus to thinking, and may be of particular interest to people who are new to doing educational research. It tells the story of what happened one day as the author was taking his daughter to school and how this led to insights about an important aspect of school life. The article then turns to some methodological questions triggered by the story. It is suggested that some concepts borrowed from Bourdieu's work are helpful in gaining an understanding of social practices that is reflexive and that avoids overemphasis on structure or agency. (Contains 2 notes.)