A truly authentic teacher is probably one of the best gifts an upcoming student could have. I do not think anyone could find a student in the world who would actually want an unauthentic teacher over an authentic teacher. Who would not want to be taught by a genuine person?
However, this point comes into danger when a teacher does not recognize personal boundaries. Teachers (myself hopefully soon to be included) need to be aware the world of today we now live in is different than the world of yesterday. With the different forms of communication available today teachers really need to be vigilant to how other people could be interpreting their actions. I believe this raises a key question. How can we know our limits when expressing authenticity?
One simple observation is location. If a teacher is extending their realm of authenticity outside the classroom I believe caution is to be observed. This is not to say that teachers need to shut themselves away from their students outside of school. It is just a reality that we live in that people can get suspicious of adults being social in any way with children. Especially if its a small group. Even if a teacher has the absolute best intentions in the world with a specific child, caution still needs to be exerted.
One other check point with authenticity should be if a teacher's actions make anyone feel uncomfortable in any way. This could be feelings of left out, special treatment, awkwardness, and many more.
When being authentic a person just needs to be concerned with how their actions are being perceived. However, if a person is truly authentic they are already aware of how their actions can effect people so it should not be a problem.
Friday, September 25, 2009
Thursday, September 17, 2009
Compassion
A compassionate teacher is the reason I'm pursuing a teaching degree at Luther College. My choir director invested in me, and it truly made a difference in my life. I truly believe that I would not be at this college if it was not for the impact she made on me during my time in high school.
I was a sophomore in high school when my grandmother was diagnosed with colon cancer. She was a strong lady, but the chemotherapy was so intense it almost was worse than the cancer itself.
During this whole ordeal my choir director was the one teacher that actual took some interest into how I was doing. She first would tell me that her door was always open if I needed somewhere to come too. Even though I was not comfortable taking advantage of that opportunity, probably because of my age, it was a calming feeling knowing that someone outside my family cared.
When my grandmother finally passed away was when my choir director really showed true compassion. She was still telling me that I could come to her at anytime, but I never stopped in. She ended up basically forcing me to come in and talk to her. She apparently had been observing me in just about everything, and she could tell that I was putting up a front. She told me how her mother had passed away when she was in junior high. After hearing her talk about her experiences it was like the gates I was holding shut flung open.
My grandmother dying was the first time I had experienced death, and I needed to talk about it. Thanks to her I was able to open up about the things that were troubling me.
I found out a couple years later that my choir director was also communicating with my parents and my other teachers. What compassion she showed me! She not only cared openly about how I was, but she also took the time to check in on my other aspects of life. If that's not compassion, I don't know what is.
I was a sophomore in high school when my grandmother was diagnosed with colon cancer. She was a strong lady, but the chemotherapy was so intense it almost was worse than the cancer itself.
During this whole ordeal my choir director was the one teacher that actual took some interest into how I was doing. She first would tell me that her door was always open if I needed somewhere to come too. Even though I was not comfortable taking advantage of that opportunity, probably because of my age, it was a calming feeling knowing that someone outside my family cared.
When my grandmother finally passed away was when my choir director really showed true compassion. She was still telling me that I could come to her at anytime, but I never stopped in. She ended up basically forcing me to come in and talk to her. She apparently had been observing me in just about everything, and she could tell that I was putting up a front. She told me how her mother had passed away when she was in junior high. After hearing her talk about her experiences it was like the gates I was holding shut flung open.
My grandmother dying was the first time I had experienced death, and I needed to talk about it. Thanks to her I was able to open up about the things that were troubling me.
I found out a couple years later that my choir director was also communicating with my parents and my other teachers. What compassion she showed me! She not only cared openly about how I was, but she also took the time to check in on my other aspects of life. If that's not compassion, I don't know what is.
Thursday, September 10, 2009
Respect
Being on the receiving end of a respectful experience can be a most uplifting event. A memorable moment during my schooling years was when a teacher showed me considerable respect. I was in my math class my junior year of high school. I was struggling with a problem on the board that my teacher had me do in front of the class. In order to save me some embarrassment my teacher got up and claimed that he had given me a faulty problem, and that it was his mistake. He then altered the problem to make it easier for me to solve.
This was such a small thing, and I really would not have been that embarrassed. Yet, the way he observed that I was struggling along with his quick reaction made me feel so much more comfortable. It was very clear that he really cared about making sure each and every student felt at ease in his classroom.
An even more memorable experience was when a teacher did not show me respect. I was in a global studies class my sophomore year of high school. It was a Friday afternoon in the spring and the class was very rowdy. My teacher had already given multiple requests for silence when he finally issued the "next person to talk is leaving" promise. Maybe thirty seconds later one of my classmates behind me started talking to his buddy. My teacher had finally had enough. Except he thought it was me. He started yelling and demanding I go to the office. I got upset and started defending myself. He got even more angry because I was arguing with him. I ended up just leaving and going to the office.
Thankfully after speaking with the assistant principle, and giving him my account of the event I was not punished. However, my global studies teacher never had the same attitude toward me.
This was such a small thing, and I really would not have been that embarrassed. Yet, the way he observed that I was struggling along with his quick reaction made me feel so much more comfortable. It was very clear that he really cared about making sure each and every student felt at ease in his classroom.
An even more memorable experience was when a teacher did not show me respect. I was in a global studies class my sophomore year of high school. It was a Friday afternoon in the spring and the class was very rowdy. My teacher had already given multiple requests for silence when he finally issued the "next person to talk is leaving" promise. Maybe thirty seconds later one of my classmates behind me started talking to his buddy. My teacher had finally had enough. Except he thought it was me. He started yelling and demanding I go to the office. I got upset and started defending myself. He got even more angry because I was arguing with him. I ended up just leaving and going to the office.
Thankfully after speaking with the assistant principle, and giving him my account of the event I was not punished. However, my global studies teacher never had the same attitude toward me.
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