Deciding what mood you bring to the class
The first time I got my actor head shots done a friend of mine had some great advice:
What three qualities as an actor do you want these headshots to show?
I think I chose like quirky, trustworthy and vulnerable.
It was a great focus, because I went into the session clear on the moods I wanted the photos to have.
I think about this with students as well: what is the mood I want to bring to the my classroom today?
Mood is completely palpable; especially to young people. We may think we’re hiding our anxiety or annoyance well, but the kids can feel it.
Once you’ve decided what mood you’re taking to your lesson- it’s time to start priming it. I find it hard to just choose a mood in my head and make a ‘note to self’ to start ‘doing’ that mood when I enter the class.
It doesn’t work like that- you have to embody it. So I’ll gently begin living into the mood I chose in the hours leading up to my class.
Recently, I chose the word ‘glee’. I love that word and it cracks up. To take ‘glee’ in something is so fun. So that’s what I did. I took glee in making my breakfast and going about my morning. Glee in meeting people on the way to work.
And when I eventually did end up in front of my students, it wasn’t a great leap to bring my word into the classroom. I’d been edging toward it all morning.
I find it so empowering that we have this level of choice. Knowing how much mood can affect the learning that happens in my class and knowing I have the power to authentically change that is powerful.
