I'm pulling my socks up, why?

At the end of 2018 I made the decision to "pull my socks up". I wanted to refocus on why I teach and this strategy could help me focus each day.

Rather than being at a crossroads, I feel I was looking back over my recent metaphorical road trip thinking I should have skipped the highway and taken the back-roads. I had had the opportunity for 12 months to relieve as head teacher of my faculty.
To look the part I went away from wearing the usual PE clothes, I traded the polo shirt and shorts for a button up shirt and pants. This way the kids would know I was serious in this executive role, right? I also had to act the part, giving the consequences for students not behaving positively for my colleagues. I gained great experience and can confidently say I did a great job.
The turning point, however, came after the PDHPE Teachers' Association Conference at ANZ Stadium. I was overwhelmed by inspiration to improve my teaching practice when I returned to school. However, this post is not about all that I learned. It's about the socks.
Anyone who has witnessed Mr Andy Hair has been inspired to be a better teacher. So I won't describe the workshop I experienced. I will just state that I wanted to be a better teacher by making a bigger impact in future lessons.
I made plans on the long drive home, but there was one change I couldn't wrap my head around. How does someone bring so much energy into a lesson as Andy did? At first I thought he had "that kind of personality". But I saw him a couple of hours after the workshop. He was carrying his equipment, looking down at his phone, shoulders relaxed. He was human. So it was about having that teacher costume to put on when it's time to make an impact. It seemed he perfected how to switch between gears accordingly.

Not only as a teacher, but generally, I have dressed conservatively. So it had been easy to transition to dressing more professionally when I chose to. However, what impact did that have on how engaged in my lessons my students were? As I also acted more professionally, how did that influence my lesson and relationships?
Andy wore Stance socks, colorful and hard not to notice. In fact, he wore them to help students with vision impairment get active by seeing him easily. They were like the socks that sat at the bottom of my sock drawer...
So I nervously put on some fun socks the next school day. Few people noticed or made comment, but those who did were smiling. In fact, after a few days some Year 8 girls who sat outside our staffroom started looking intently at what socks I was wearing each day, excited when they worked out the pattern. So each morning I used the socks as a trigger to put on my positive costume. As I arrived at my staffroom I was greeted with a group of smiles from such a simple gesture. From there the momentum of the day built positively in an environment where it can be so challenging to remain positive.
So 2019, back to my role as PDHPE teacher, I will wear whatever socks can trigger me into a heightened mood. I believe it will be a small trigger that will mentally prepare me for making more wow moments for m students.