Authenticity

Authenticity can be a great asset to have as a teacher simply because its relatible. Having a teacher who is real with you and very genuine, gives you the feeling as a student, that they actually care about your success. On the other hand, when you have a teacher who seems "fake," it almost the opposite affect. When you're not authentic with your students, you're putting on "mask," and not really letting them get to know you, and with that, you really don't get to know them. Obviously there need to be some boundaries and what not. This can be gauged really by age group, class size, and maybe just figuring out where everyone stands. It is usually very easy to tell when a teacher is not being authentic. There is just a very awkward aire when you converse with them. When a teacher is trying to be authentic when they're really not, it can be completely demoralizing for a student. They invest sense in someone and then they turn out to not even be "real." This can be very tough on someone who is not very secure to begin with. Overall, being authentic can be very beneficial and at the same time, very damaging. It all depends on how you control it and use it.