My Authentic Teaching Self

Teaching (i.e. the act of facilitating learning) is as much an art as it is a science. Not only should one’s teaching respond to students’ learning needs, it should also reflect one's personality. In other words, who you are does not need to (and should not) change when you get up in front of a class to teach. From this principle arises the concept of the ‘authentic teaching self.’

Authentic by Nick Youngson CC BY-SA 3.0 Alpha Stock Images

It is important for educators to reflect on our authentic teaching selves (a.k.a. authentic teaching voice). This is especially important for novice educators like me. We tend to be more susceptible to attempting to emulate the teaching styles of our own favorite teachers, even if those styles do not match our own personalities.

In her essay ‘Teaching from Scratch,’ Dr. Sarah Deel recounts her journey to finding her authentic teaching voice (Deel, 2004 in Reis, 2004). She describes how, in the beginning of her teaching career, she attempted to emulate the charismatic, comedic style of some of her favorite professors. However, instead of making her more comfortable and effective in the classroom, her efforts had the opposite effect. She realized that attempting to charm her students into engagement was not going to work for her.

Eventually, Deel’s quest to learn how to more effectively engage her students led her to read Parker Palmer's, The Courage to Teach. The book’s main premise is: “good teaching cannot be reduced to technique; good teaching comes from the identity and integrity of the teacher” (Palmer, 1998, p. 10). In comparing ‘good’ versus ‘bad’ teachers, Palmer further asserts:

Bad teachers distance themselves from the subject they are teaching--and in the process, from their students. Good teachers… are able to weave a complex web of connections among themselves, their subjects, and their students so that students can learn to weave a world for themselves. The methods used by these weavers vary greatly: lectures, Socratic dialogues, laboratory experiments, collaborative problem-solving, creative chaos. (p. 11)

In other words, being a good teacher is less about learning and applying ‘tips, tricks and techniques’ and more about identity and integrity (Palmer, 1998).

Deel (2004) came to the following realization upon reading Palmer’s work: “the more you bring yourself to your teaching, the better teacher you will be.” She recognized she could not construct her teaching voice from other people’s personal qualities, regardless of how much she admired them. Through ongoing reflection, Deel came to describe her authentic teaching voice as approachable, detail-oriented, earnest, enthusiastic, and uncool. She goes on to describe how she leverages her personal qualities as assets in service of her students’ learning.

Deel’s account resonates with me for what it conveys about the benefits of figuring out how to be genuine about one's identity and bringing that into the classroom. It also resonates with me on a more personal level. I see myself in many of the person qualities Deel uses to describe herself. I can also see myself falling into the trap of trying to emulate the teaching voice of others I admire. Thus, in reflecting about my own authentic teaching self, I thought to create two lists of traits. First, I list traits that I possess. This list is accompanied by my musings about how I might bring some of these traits in my future teaching. Second, I list qualities of educators I admire but do not myself possess. As I develop my teaching voice, it will be good to keep these traits in mind so I do not unconsciously try to force myself into an admired mold that does not fit me.

Authentic traits to bring into my teaching

• Earnestness

• Empathy

• Accessibility

• Openness

• Flexibility

• Detail-orientedness / thoroughness

Admirable traits, not authentic to me

• Performative charisma

• Humorous wit

• Easy going nature

• Gravitas / stoicism

Earnestness and empathy: I am sincere and carry very little artifice about me. I feel deeply and, thus, find it difficult to joke about or brush off things that matter to me. I find the emotions and circumstances of others deeply affecting. This earnestness brings with it a certain degree of tenacity. If my students are not understanding something, I will do what it takes to find a way to aid in their learning. If students act up in class, I will do my best to relate to them and offer the support they need or otherwise make changes to help mitigate the circumstances. If I do not understand something that I need to understand to create a fruitful learning environment for my students, I will endeavor to learn it and integrate it into my teaching praxis.

Accessibility: For me, being accessible has several meanings. First, it means being approachable. I never want my students to feel daunted about coming to me with issues, whether they are related to class or not. Second, it means being available. I want to make sure I give students convenient opportunities to come to me with their issues. Being accessible also means being relatable. I do not mind if my students know me as a real person instead of a monolith of teacherly professionalism. Lastly, being accessible means that I proactively manifest my willingness to provide individuals with accommodations to support their learning and boost their confidence.

Openness: As a teacher, I wish to always be open to the input of my students, to new ideas regarding my teaching praxis, and to new information and perspectives regarding the subject matter I teach. In short, I wish to remain ever-open to learning and change. This means I must be open to being questioned and critiqued (particularly by my students), as well as to failure and re-envisioning. I also find Langer’s (2000) argument regarding mindful teaching as a compelling reason for integrating openness into my teaching praxis. Mindful teaching inspires mindful learning by presenting facts with attention to perspective and context. It thereby takes care not to inadvertently lock learners into a single, rigid way of thinking about a given topic.

Flexibility: If my highest priority is student learning, then I believe it is important to allow students flexibility regarding how they seek that learning and how their efforts are assessed and graded. I also understand that being a student is hard work and involves juggling many competing priorities. Depending on their circumstances, my class may not be one of their priorities. As such, so long as students are making sincere and appropriate efforts to learn, I have no intention to punish them with poor grades, especially due to missed deadlines. I would much rather students turn-in good work than work that is sloppy because it is rushed.

Detail-orientedness and thoroughness: The difference between proficiency and mastery often lies in the degree to which one understands, attends to, and interrogates the details, nuances, and contingencies related to a given topic. It is also often in examining the details of various concepts or subjects that we discover new avenues for learning and exploration. I wish to teach in a way that encourages my students to be aware of the details of the topics I teach and the questions that arise from them. I am not a proponent of dismissing or glossing over details in order to construct a less complex or messy narrative. Additionally, I place a high value on high quality work, especially in regards to written work and the presentation of scholarly arguments. I have a limited tolerance for incoherence. I would much rather hand an assignment back to a student ungraded and schedule an appointment with that student to help them improve their argument and/or their communication than to struggle through grading an incoherent assignment. In addition to being easier on my sensibilities, I believe it presents a much more valuable learning opportunity for my students.

References

Deel, S. E. (2004). Teaching from scratch. In S. Singer & C. Rutz (Eds.), Reflections on learning as teachers (Prologue). College City Publications/Ashmore Link

Langer, E. J. (2000). Mindful Learning. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 9(6), 220–223. https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-8721.00099

Reis, R. (2004). Finding my teaching voice [eNewsletter]. Tomorrow’s Professor Postings, Stanford University. https://tomprof.stanford.edu/posting/598

Palmer, P. J. (1998). The courage to teach: Exploring the inner landscape of a teacher's life (1st ed.). Jossey-Bass.