I realized that I could offer my students a way to express their emotions without saying a word. So I put together this Mood Meter Explanation poster and asked my student to respond. I did this for about 2 weeks and couldn’t believe the honesty I received. Students would start out blue or red and then get my attention to show me that their mood had changed to green or white by the end of class. I could literally see their moods changing!

After about 2 weeks I stopped asking and let students check in as they wanted to. Most students don’t miss a day and periodically I’ll ask them for a check in when I see it may be helpful for me to get a pulse on the room.

What surprised me the most is how often I was wrong about how my students were feeling and how helpful it was to connect with my students by seeing their emotions displayed on their desks. Game Changer!