Authenticity

I believe authenticity is extremely important when it comes to teaching. There are very few measurable rewards as a teacher, so you have to really like your job and want to teach. Teaching seems like it will get very tedious and stressful, so if you really do not enjoy it, then it will show. So I feel you have to be authentic in your teaching, for your sake and for the students. I dont think there are boundaries for being authentic; why would there be? Unless I am misunderstanding the question. Can you be too genuine about something?
It seems pretty easy to tell when a teacher is not authentic about teaching. They will not appear like they want to be there, or want to give their all to the class. On the other hand it is not all that difficult to fake authenticity. So I guess it could be difficult to notice if a teacher is not authentic. Its a lot like the question "what does good teaching look like?" It may go hand in hand with that question too. Good teaching requires authenticity; both are hard to describe, but you know when they are present. If a teacher is fake, they will probably appear sappy. The result of this will probably be poor learning and the students will not have the desire to learn or even go to class.
This is a tough topic to put into words, but I feel authenticity is vital in being a successful teacher. There is a fine line between genuine and overdoing it. I cannot say for certain what the consequences of this would be however, because I do not think I ever had an inauthentic teacher, or else they covered it really well. Not sure how I feel about this topic..

-Mike

Compassion

When I think about compassion, I can't picture any of my teachers over the rest. The one person who does come to mind was instead my eighth grade football coach, Eric Bartosh. Being one of the smallest kids in my year, I probably should have realized football was not the right sport for me, but I stuck with it and one reason was because of Coach Bartosh. He motivated me to be the best player I could be regardless of size. My most vivid memory of that season was when we had to do a drill called an "Indian run." During the down time of the drill we had to do push ups and sit ups. When we were doing the push ups, he called out "Redig!" Came right over to me and started doing push ups right in my face. I was exhausted but I pushed to keep up with him. At first I felt like I was just getting called out, but later realized he was motivating me to work as hard as I could. I don't feel as though Coach B was compassionate towards my size in a sympathetic way, but in a "I'm gonna make you the best," way. Because of how he treated me, I have a lot of respect for him. I believe he instilled a lot of motivation in me to always be my best regardless of the challenges I have to face. I am not really sure how this applies to teaching except that I hope I can make an impression on a student's life similar to the one Coach B left with me.

-Mike

Disposition #1: Respect

When I was told to define respect, I thought "simple, repect is...well...I'm not sure" and realized that I never gave much thought to it. The best dictionary.com definition in my opinion is "esteem for or a sense of the worth or excellence of a person, a personal quality or ability, or something considered as a manifestation of a personal quality or ability." To be honest though that doesn't really sound that great either. Respect. We teach our youth to be respectful almost at birth; its just one of those things that you know, yet to put it into words is proving extremely difficult. To me, the best way to describe it is that it is the golden rule: do to others as you wish to have done to yourself.
In regards to respect in the classroom, I agree with the Emerson quote that "the secret of education lies in respecting the pupil." The best and most memorable teachers I had, were the ones that held mutual respect between their students. I feel that respect correlates with likability, not just in the classroom but in all areas of life. Having respect gives the student a greater desire to learn what you teach, because if the student likes the teacher they will want to listen to them and not let them down. Without it however, there will not be a good learning environment. In any way you look at it, say if a teacher is too weak and timid, the students will do only what they want; If a teacher is to dominant and power hungry, the students will rebel against them in any way they can, and that often means simply not listening. Without respect there isn't a strong student teacher connection in which to relate and transfer knowledge. Basically, with respect in the classroom the teacher can teach and the students will learn. Whereas without it, the students will not want to learn and therefore will not learn.
As to the question "what does respect look like?" It is very similar to trying to define it, in that it is quite difficult. To me, it is when the teacher commands the attention of the students and the students willingly give it to him/her. The teacher is understanding of the students and can relate to them. He is not too much of an enforcer, but has the ability to get tasks accomplished timely and efficiently. The students do not fear the teacher, but know that the teacher is in control and look up to him/her.
How does one establish respect in the classroom, I have no answer, yet. They must have the ability to balance likability and establishment of who has power. Too much or either one and you may lose the students' respect.
In actuality I feel as though that was too black and white. That may be what it takes to be an outstanding teacher, but a teacher can still be great yet not have a "hit or miss" philosophy on Respect.

-Mike Redig