Authentic Teaching-“Be Yourself”

 As teachers and educators, we teach from who we are.  Unlike some professions where you can hide behind a computer screen or a phone, and no one can tell the type of day you may be having.  It’s different as a teacher.  As teachers or home educators we are on stage performing for 6+ hours, sometimes with very few breaks, to a captive audience of very perceptive students.  I don’t know what it is, but our students have this ability to tune into our emotional pulse and can tell when we are sad, happy, irritated, tired, etc.

As a new and beginning teacher years ago one of my biggest challenges was to simply be myself in the classroom.  I looked at all the veteran teachers and thought I had to be like them to gain respect with my students or to be effective in the classroom, but it never worked being someone else.  I felt like a fake and my students saw right through the posing.  It made it difficult to relate heart to heart with my students.

As I gained confidence in who I was as a person and the value I brought to my school and students, something began to change inside of me.  I began to feel more relaxed, I connected more with my kids, and I started to really enjoy my teaching journey.  The fruit of being authentic and “real” with my students spilled into more effective teaching in the classroom and more respect from fellow colleagues. 

As a teacher and home educator you bring a unique gift and perspective into the classroom.  You were not created to be like everyone else.  One of my favorite scriptures says that we are “marvelously and wonderfully made by God (Psalm 139:14).”  When The Great Designer Himself created you, He broke the mold.  You are a designer original.  There is no one on earth exactly like you.  Think about it, we can all be distinguished by our unique fingerprint because no one has the same finger print that we have.  It’s unique to each person. 

What does this have to do with authentic teaching?  Well, since we all have gifts, talents, and personalities specific to us, then no one can teach or do the job like You do it.  We all bring our specific flavor of teaching to our schools and students.  It’s that diversity that makes a school unit stronger; ultimately bringing a positive influence in the lives of the students we serve.

Also, it eliminates the need to compete to be better than another colleague or the striving to be someone you are not.  Your only competition is You because God had a specific purpose for your life when he planted you in the world of education.  The more you realize that purpose, the more fulfilled and effective you will be in impacting the next generation.

You are a marvelously and wonderfully made teacher or home educator, parent, and individual.  So, be authentic.  Be real.  Be yourself.  Then watch the fruit it produces in your professional and personal lives. 

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Antoine McCoy is a Nationally Board Certified Teacher as an Exceptional Needs Specialist working with children with mild to moderate disabilities.  He has taught children in all grade levels (K-12) in Public and Private Schools (general education, inclusion, and self-contained classes) and worked with homeschoolers.