Authenticity

What is authenticity and what does it mean to be authentic in the classroom?  The online definiton for authenticity is "the quality or condition of being authentic, trustworthy, or genuine."  Authenticity is also characterized as a noun by the Webster's online dictionary.  As teachers, we need to turn authenticity into a verb and illustrate the qualities of authenticity to our students.  To me, an authentic teacher is honest and believes in him or herself as a teacher.  He/she will be genuine and honest to every student and will believe in the message and lessons he/she is conveying to the class.  An authentic teacher is a reliable person who the students know they can trust and believe in.

Although authenticity is important, teachers have to understand the limits.  The students need to see that the teacher is not all-knowing, all-powerful, always rational, always just, and always on top.  A teacher needs to be honest and genuine with their students, but going over the top can turn students away.  Authenticity does not mean forcing your knowledge or power on students, it means that students can trust a teacher and know they are not alone in a classroom setting.  The teacher can make it much more enjoyable if they are authentic in the correct ways.

Students can easily tell if a teacher is not authentic.  For example, if teachers dodge certain questions like, "Why are we here? or Why do we have to do this assignment? the students can see that the teacher really doesn't care either.  Instead of saying "Because I said so," they should be ready for these questions and have an honest answer ready to explain the importance of the class or assignment to the students.  If your not honest with your students, how are you ever going to get through to your students and teach them something?  As a result of being "fake" or not authentic with students, the students will pick up on it.  Non-authentic teachers can translate right over to the students.  If the students sense a "fake" teacher, then there really isn't any honesty or genuine in the classroom, and no one will enjoy coming to class.  Of course, there are going to be certain days when a teacher would rather be at home sleeping or relaxing, but is important to remember how authenticity can affect the students and their well-being.