How Far is Too Far--Authenticity

It is always tough to know when to draw the line between too involved in a student's life and not paying attention to the problems of the student. According to dictionary.reference.com the definition of authenticity is the quality or condition of being authentic, trustworthy, or genuine. Authenticity is another big part of being a good teacher. I say this because if your students don't trust you, they will not benefit from your lessons. Also being authentic can help the children learn better. They will be able to remember the different ways you taught them how to reach an answer because of how authentic and trusting you were being with them.

Now going back to the boundaries of being too into the students' lives. A teacher needs to be careful when being genuine because some people whether they are other students, co-workers, administrators, or parents, can take some of the things you do with your students the wrong way. An example of this was given in class when the coach of a college sports team was photographed attending an after-game party with his arm around a young woman. When the photo of this coach got out people jumped to conclusions of how this older man was taking advantage of this student. Not only do teachers have to worry about the well-being of their students, but they have to keep in mind that everything they do will be scrutinized differently by an outside party.

These are ways that authenticity can be a good yet difficult thing for a teacher to bring into the classrom