Authenticity

One of the biggest principles in authenticity is also one of the biggest principles in living a happy life. It is a simple principle; one that often causes people difficulty. At it's base level, be yourself. An educator who is concerned about putting on a "show" for their students is not doing their job. Their energies are focused on being what they think their students want instead of focusing all of their attention towards being a good teacher.

"Be the change you want to see." I believe that this applies directly in the classroom and relates into authenticity. Students spend numerous hours with you over the course of a week with their teachers. Compounded monthly, and even over the course of years, this amounts to a significant amount of time. On occasions, depending on one's disciplines, a student could see more of their teacher than their immediate family. It follows that students will naturally pick up on your value system, not by direct teaching methods--but by example, and that value system will rub off. Regardless of whether or not students buy into your values, they will begin to see things from your viewpoint, and examine how that fits or does not fit into their world perspectives. If you are not true to yourself, your "example" will be inconsistent, and therefore affect your overall authenticity.

When a teacher is not authentic, that is--being themselves, students see through the transparent facade. (This is qualified in the sense that teachers will not share their "whole selves" with their students. There are certain professional limitations that are not appropriate for teachers to share. However, it is important when learning from someone to know where they are coming from and what their outlook is. Students can therefore determine any biases an educator may have and remain critical to such opinions.)When a teacher strays too far from their base self, students will lose respect for the educator who is not holding up their end of the teacher-student bargain. Students feel cheated or short changed, and are more likely to cheat themselves, not to mention blowing off any information that the teacher may have to offer.