Authenticity

I am hesitant to say that authenticity is the most important disposition in teaching. In reality all of the dispositions are equally important in my opinion. As for authenticity, this disposition can be one of the main factors as to if students trust their teachers. Teachers who are not authentic or 'fake' seem exactly that, 'fake'. Students would tend not to trust such a teacher, for if you can't trust a teacher to be themselves when teaching, how can you trust them to give you factual information that is useful in the real world.

In addition to losing the trust of the students, fake teachers also put their classes in awkward situations. Such a teacher has to essentially pretend to be someone else every day during the school year. Having to put on a mask every day and pretend to be someone else takes a toll on a person. This stress and tension will show both inside the classroom and out. Class will become unbearable, and make both the students and the teacher miserable. Life outside of class then becomes focused on how to deal with the stress of the classroom, and will soon seem as miserable as class.

Those who think that they can fool a class, are just fooling themselves. Students are very perceptive, and notice when people are trying to be someone else. In fact most everyone can tell when someone is just putting on an act for the world. That person seems very forced and unattached to the world. Any emotion showed seems to come from nowhere and be directed exactly where it came from. It can be like watching an amateur production of any play. Every line and movement seems forced, and has no motivation, almost as if every word or action comes from nowhere, and is heading in that same direction.

To seem authentic in the classroom, you have to be authentic, and just be yourself. That doesn't mean telling students every detail of your life. It means going about teaching a lesson with out attempting to be funny, when you just aren't. It means letting go of some preconceptions about "the proper role of a teacher". It is possible for a teacher to keep personal life and work life separate, and still be authentic. In fact it is almost necessary. Not letting issues at home affect how you teach is very important. Every teacher is a human being, and so is every student. Remembering this helps with many different dispositions, but in this case, it helps a teacher to stay true to themselves and be authentic in the classroom.

Compassion

In fifth grade I struggled with math. Specifically, I struggled with the speed tests we had to do. These tests consisted of 100 questions that had to be answered within a given amount of time. By the middle of the year I had only passed the first of the tests, which was addition. I could not pass the subtraction test in time. After dozens of tries my scores plateaued, and I could not pass. Eventually my teacher had me finish the test, just to see how I would do if I didn't have to worry about time. I got one hundred percent on the test so my teacher let me move on to multiplication. I passed the next tests with flying colors and started to excel in math. Though I probably would have begun to excel in math eventually on my own, my teachers compassion helped me to succeed, and reach my potential sooner.

Respect

Respect in the classroom is a two way street. Naturally, students must show respect towards their teachers. Students are expected to listen to, and follow instructions given by their teachers. This is necessary for teachers to be able to have authority over a class, and teach to the best of their abilities. On the other hand, teachers need to show respect towards their students as well. Teachers need to pay attention and listen to the questions and concerns of the students. A student who does not feel respected by the teacher will lose interest and learn less in the class.

Respect, and the lack there of, can have a great impact on the classroom. Classrooms in which there is mutual respect between the teacher and the students, will run much more efficiently and effectively. A greater amount of learning will take place, and that learning will come about more easily than if there was no respect. A classroom without respect can be hard on both the teacher and the students. Teachers whose students do not show respect towards them, can become very frustrated, and discouraged. Teachers in such a situation could start to throw out their normal teaching style and focus on controlling their class, rather than effectively teaching their class. Students whose teachers do not respect them may also become frustrated and discouraged. In the students case this can lead to students misbehaving in class, not doing homework, and not performing well in class. All around a lack of respect leads to an undesirable classroom situation.

Every teacher will find a different way of establishing respect in their classroom. Establishing authority right from the start is one way to start building respect, but is not enough to fully establish respect. Teachers need to be well prepared and confident in their lessons, to keep a sense of authority over a class and keep the classes respect. Keeping class interesting and relating class topics to students' lives will help to keep students interested and engaged in class, which will help to maintain respect from the students. Most of all, to maintain respect, teachers must respect their students, and treat their students like human beings. Just because a teacher is in an authoritative position over a student, does not mean that teacher has to rule with an iron fist and treat students as inferior in every sense. A teacher is there to facilitate the learning of young minds, to help them grow into knowledgeable well rounded adults. Treating students as humans, and realizing that they will all have personal likes and dislikes, will help to keep the respect of students.