Authenticity

               How do you express to your students that you are authentic? Is it that you bring your college diploma and tell them about your education from start to finish? I don’t think so. Students can sense things about their teacher well. They can sense if they are inexperienced, uncomfortable, or insecure. I think students can also sense when a  teacher is authentic or not. Students try their teachers for various reasons. It is during these trying moments that students can tell who the teacher really is. If a teacher is a “fake,” meaning they lack all classroom management, knowledge of subject areas, and overall confidence, this will easily become apparent to the students. In order to come across as authentic, a teacher should not have to force it. I think that by the way the teacher leads and teaches a classroom will show the students how real they are. If they show the students right from the start that they have all the necessary skills as an educator by the way they lead, then the students will know that the teacher is authentic.

            If the students see their teacher as “fake,” then all respect and control of the classroom is lost. Students will lose interest in the subject and focus on finding ways to reveal the teacher’s “fakeness.” They will test the teacher’s classroom management skills and knowledge because they want everyone else to see what they see. In high school, I know when my peers came across a “fake” teacher, they would be disruptive on purpose and ask questions that were obscure, and the teacher never knew what to do with those questions. That puts a huge strain on learning. Learning is hindered because the teacher has no control and the students have no interest. It is imperative that teachers are authentic.

Compassion

One time that I specifically remember when a teacher showed compassion to me was in second grade. At that age, I was a quiet child and in general carefree and simply happy. My teacher’s name was Mrs. Cullins. She noticed that one day that I came into class teary-eyed. She approached me and asked me what was wrong. Right there I burst into tears. My family had just put down our dog the night before and I missed Riley very much. Mrs. Cullins hugged me and then brought me a couple tissues and a piece of chocolate. As the day went on, she continued caring for me and comforting me. When the day was coming to a close, and she was giving her final announcements, she walked over to my desk and laid a card on it. She and the whole class had made and signed a card for me. That absolutely made my day and I felt so much better. Mrs. Cullins comforted me in a way that meant so very much. I remember to this day her kindness and compassion. It is this type of teaching that really leaves an impact. Sure, I might not remember the spelling words and math problems that she specifically taught me, but I do remember that lesson in compassion that she taught me.

Respect - Educational Psychology

As an educator, one is always trying to find ways to gain and retain the respect of their students. As a student, one does not always give their respect to that educator so simply. Some teachers are respected by students more than others and they gain that respect in different ways.

From the perspective of a student, I think the teacher has to be knowledgeable about the subject, so that they can answer the questions in great detail.  They also have to keep the material entertaining enough that the students pay attention and exciting enough that students are actually, genuinely interested in the subject.  Teachers really have to understand how the students learn and think from the students’ perspective – namely how the students would want to learn the information the teachers have to teach.  Otherwise, students get bored and lose interest in the subject and in the teacher.

From my experience, teachers instantly lose the respect of their students if they try to outsmart the students. Many times, if pressured by students who are testing their patience, educators get frustrated and try to be clever enough to make the student look bad. Educators need to analyze the purpose of the misbehavior and care enough to end the situation so that everyone is happy. Too many times, I have seen a teacher yell, make smart remarks, and punish students irrationally. As a direct result of the teacher’s lashing out, students lose respect, whether they were the “trouble” student or not. Scaring and intimidating the students will only diminish their desire for learning, not to mention their respect for the teacher. The teacher has to handle conflict in a way that is kind, yet firm, trying to leave all parties happy. In doing this, they will gain much respect from their students.