Authenticity

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.