Sometime between 2007 and 2010, I was made aware of the concept of status. I was studying for a master’s degree at music college and I was taking a class in ‘Public Presentation’. For that class, we were encouraged by Matthew Sharp, the tutor, to read the book Impro: Improvisation and the Theatre by Keith Johnstone.
I started thinking about status again recently. I am in a relatively new teaching job: a one-year contract, a maternity cover, part-time and I have no extra responsibilities other than teaching my lessons. It suits me well at this moment in time because I'm free to design, write or just be me on the other days.
In the workplace, I've gone from what Mr Johnstone might consider a more 'high status' role as head of a large department, manager of over 20 staff, organiser of large-scale events etc. to low status. I turn up, teach my classes and then leave. In the land of adult transactional interactions, I don't benefit anyone particularly (other than my pupils) and so largely I go unnoticed; my status relatively lowly and unimportant within the staff hierarchy. I know this to be true because of an interaction at work a few days ago.