Dispositional Blog #3: Authenticity

I swear, kids have a sixth sense.  They are, in my experience, the best judges of genuineness.  Perhaps this isn't because they have a heightened sensitivity to malarky, fluff, and "winging it,"...no, I think it's because they're more willing to call you out on it.

Teachers have to maintain a delicate balance when it comes to authenticity.  Those teachers who take themselves and their subjects too seriously alienate students who may be less than passionate about their class.  However, teachers who are "super duper cool" may fail to demonstrate and express the relevance of their subject matter.  Until you find the balance between these two extremes, you're either a jerk or a joke.  An authentic teacher cares about their subject and their students equally; a particularly boring unit or a particularly unruly class can quickly making this equality a near impossibility.

Students can totally tell when a teacher is being "real" with them.  An authentic teacher has a legitimate answer for the questions they should know the answers to, and a legitimate resource to find the answers they don't know.  A huge sign of a "fake" teacher is one who comes off as a "know it all."  If a teacher gives the impression that perfection is the only acceptable option, kids who know they can't be perfect will just quit trying.  In the same way, a teacher who doesn't seem to know much or care much about their subject matter is "fake," too.  Students figure out quickly which teachers they can walk all over, and most will use that to their advantage (i.e. turning papers in late, talking in class, getting off topic).

If students don't take the instructor seriously, learning doesn't happen.  A teacher who makes students feel like they're never going to be good enough may discourage students from taking risks and trying new things.  Frustrated students will just give up.  A teacher who makes students feel like they're "just one of the gang" has established very little professional authority, and thus cannot effectively manage their classroom and student learning.