Passion

     Passion is a very powerful emotion that can be displayed verbally and nonverbally.  The more passion an individual has, the more expressive they will be to others.  These expressions can be seen through body language, facial expressions, excitement, and devotion. As a teacher, passion is an important characteristic to have because it illustrates the enthusiasm and commitment one has inside and outside of the classroom.  If a teacher is passionate about what they are doing, it will show and rub off on their students' overall learning and achievements.  
     Throughout my school years, it was very easy to identify the teachers who were truly passionate about their job and the teachers who were just there to get a pay check.  The teachers who displayed more passion cared about each students' learning and retention.  Although the classes with the more passionate teachers were harder and more work, I never cared because it was fun to be in the class.  In addition, classroom activities, projects, and assignments were constructive...I knew I was learning many things that would be useful for the rest of my life.  On the other hand, the teachers who were not as passionate would completely change my attitude and interest in a class.  Non-passionate teachers would continually show up late to class, never had an effective lecture, would let students get off task, would not assign homework or never set a due date, and would give practice tests that were the exact same as real tests so every one would get a decent grade and they would appear to be a very effective teacher.  Although classes like this were a breeze, I never learned or retained anything.  In addition, classes that I normally would have loved were the worst classes because the teacher didn't care about the subject, material, or students' overall achievement.
    After looking back at all my years in school, the one teacher that continually displayed passion for teaching and for the subject he was teaching was Mr. Larry Berland.  Mr. Berland was an environmental science teacher at Decorah High School.  Inside and outside of the classroom, Mr. Berland always showed passion for the environment, his students, and teaching.  Everyday, Mr. Berland made sure that he acknowledged and educated everyone he saw about the importance of taking care of and protecting our environment.  His enthusiasm about this subject got others excited about it, as well.  Mr. Berland has forever transformed my attitude about the Earth and the environment. Because of his influence, I went from not caring about the environment, to doing everything I could to help the world in any way possible.  Even though Mr. Berland is now retired, he still displays his never-ending passion while substitute teaching.  Mr. Berland will forever be known in the Decorah Community School District for making a difference in students' attitudes about the environment.
    Although it is sad to say, when I had to think of a teacher who was truly passionate about a subject...I had a hard time.  When I look back at all my teachers, many of them didn't seem happy to be at school and they acted like the students and teaching were a pain.  After realizing this, it made me recognize the importance of showing passion every day.  Especially in younger grades, children can quickly loose interest in anything and everything if the teacher isn't enthusiastic about it.  It is so important for elementary teachers to be passionate, in order to build a strong foundation and a love for school in all children.  If teachers are enthusiastic and make learning fun everyday, students will be more passionate and willing to learn.
    
  

Authenticity

     According to Wikipedia, authenticity, "refers to the truthfulness of origins, attributions, commitments, sincerity, devotion, and intentions."  I define authenticity as an individual being their true, honest, and genuine self in any situation.  Authenticity is a really important characteristic to display every day throughout one's life so other people can get to know another individual for who they really are.  In addition, I feel it is equally important for teachers to display authenticity in their classroom so students realize the importance of this quality.
     When it comes to education, I feel that there is no limit to expressing authenticity unless it is harmful to students, co-workers or parents.  I believe it is very beneficial to students and the overall achievement of a classroom if a teacher is truthful about grading, projects, rubrics, sources, and homework.  I feel if a teacher is truthful about these factors, the students will better understand what is going on and what the expectations for them are inside and outside of class.  In addition, I feel that the more authenticity a teacher has, the more the students will have, as well.  By having this openness, there should not be any confusion or misunderstandings.  However, teachers should not express authenticity to a point that is violating rules or limitations, or harming relationships.  That is why teachers should follow the motto, "If you don't have anything nice to say, don't say it at all."  By following this motto, teachers will express their authenticity in appropriate and helpful ways.
     If teachers are not authentic, students as well as parents and other co-workers will quickly be able to tell through changes in body language, attitudes, expectations, and miscommunications.  If a teacher is not authentic, I feel like they are almost wearing a mask because the person that they are appearing to be is not the same person as who they are inside.  Teachers laking authenticity will appear to be careless about their job and students.  In addition, they will have a poor attitude about their tasks as a teacher and the impact they have on a child's life.  Lastly, teachers that lack authenticity will be a source of miscommunication as they will be telling one student something completely different than they told another.  Because of a teacher's a lack of authenticity, students will feel betrayed or even confused as to who the person really is that is educating them.
    In order to learn if a teacher is seen as "fake" or not authentic with students, administrators need to observe and visit with various individuals.  By observing the classroom, an administrator can view how the teacher reacts and adjusts to their presence, in comparison to how they truly are when not being observed.  Next, administrators need to talk with fellow teachers to see what their feelings are about the teacher and his/her practices.  In addition, someone of higher authority should try and talk to the students.  However, if the students do not say much, it is best to go to the parents.  Visiting with parents will allow administrators to hear about what students share when they get home from school and how they like their teacher.  Children are more apt to share and discuss school related feelings with parents than they are with people of authority from their school.
     Throughout my school years, I experienced a couple teachers with authenticity problems.  These teachers seemed to have a different personality all the time.  Some days they were caring, some days they were crabby, and other days you could tell that they hated their job.  In addition, these teachers would act one way to students in class, and then when you would see them in the hall a few minutes later talking to another teacher, they would be completely different.  Also, these teachers never really stayed true to their rules, intentions, or obligations...you could never rely on them to give you feedback or to get assignments back on time.  Because of these teachers' lack of authenticity, I felt like I was no one and I ended up not learning anything in the class.  After these experiences, I have realized how important it is as a teacher to always be myself and never change my personality based on different circumstances or surroundings.  No matter how I act, children will always notice and follow after my example.

Compassion

     When I think of compassion, the first teacher that came to my mind was Mr. Riley.  Mr. Riley was my ninth grade social studies teacher at Decorah High School.  Social Studies was always a tough subject for me, and every year during a social studies class I would always be so bored or stressed over memorizing historical data and facts.  However in ninth grade, all these attitudes changed. The compassion that Mr. Riley displayed towards his students and the subject he was teaching made me excited to go to class every day.  Each day, I would walk into class and Mr. Riley would have a big smile on his face and say, "Hey Wiggs! How's it goin?" this instant appreciation of my presence in his class brightened up my day.  Throughout class, Mr. Riley would continue to teach with an encouraging tone, making usually boring facts fun to learn.  On nice days, he would take us outside to do activities and he would always encourage class participation, group activities, and collaboration.  These diverse teaching techniques stimulated my learning.  Usually in classes throughout middle and high school, I was always the shy girl who was scared to talk in fear of getting something wrong and having the teacher make fun of me in front of the entire class.  In Mr. Riley's class, I was different, I enjoyed speaking up because no matter if I got the answer right or wrong, Mr. Riley always made me feel good about it!
     A year later, Mr. Riley got the Assistant Principal and Athletic Director position at the high school.  Even though he was higher up in authority and very busy, he still made the effort to show his compassion towards all students and teachers by checking on classrooms and walking around the halls.  Even when Mr. Riley seemed to be in a hurry, he would still acknowledge others.
     Since Mr. Riley was the Athletic Director, I spent a lot of time in his office planning events for football games, pep rally's, and other activities.  It was wonderful to talk to him because he always made sure that the other cheerleaders and I had time to share our ideas and then he would give great constructive criticism on how to make things even better.  Mr. Riley always made sure that before we left, we knew that we could always come and talk to him again if we needed anything.
     During high school, I knew I wanted to be a teacher.  Mr. Riley was a wonderful role model for the kind of teacher I want to be someday: compassionate, motivating, and inspiring.  Today, I continue to see Mr. Riley around the community and at sporting events.  Every time I see him, he always notices me, says, "Hey Wiggs!", and starts up a conversation.  As a teacher, it is vital to show compassion for your students and the subject you teach inside and outside of the classroom, no matter how busy you are.  The compassion a teacher shows will reflect on the students and the attitudes they have towards school and others.

Respect

     Throughout my life, I have and continue to define and practice respect based on the Golden Rule..."do to others what you would have them do to you."  This rule is of such great importance to me that it will greatly be enforced and acted upon in my classroom, no matter how old my students are.  I believe it is very important for children to learn early what respect is, how it should be practiced, and the effects it has on every individual's life.
     There are several steps to establishing respect in a classroom setting.  First, as I teacher, I need to set good examples in various settings because if students view me acting respectful no matter what kind of situation I am in, they will absorb that and follow my example.  Second, I will make respectfulness towards one's self and others a rule in my classroom.  I will post a visual, similar to the one on the left so students can always be reminded of the traits that display respect.  Having this rule will remind students everyday that respect is something they should strive to achieve.  At the beginning of the year, when establishing and describing this rule I would have the students discuss instances involving respect, and possibly even perform a demonstration involving the do's and don'ts of respecting others.  When a situation comes up in a students life, they can relate back to what we discussed in order to make a good choice.  Third, respect is best established in a classroom by acknowledging and praising those who display respect.  I think it would be a great idea to set up a classroom respect point system with a reward (such as an in-class lunch, extra recess, game time, etc).  At the end of each school day, I could give a point based on if I saw respect throughout the classroom that day.  By establishing this system, respecting others will eventually become a way of life instead of something one does just to be nice.
          Taking all these steps towards respect is so important to me because every student; regardless of size, race, intelligence, looks, or dress, deserves the right to be treated equally.  When there is a lack of respect in the classroom, children feel discouraged, scared, uncomfortable, and unwanted.  It is not right for any child to go home at the end of the day, not wanting to come back because of how they were treated.  In many cases, a children's home life is rough enough, and school should be a place for them to feel safe and cared for.  In a respectful classroom, every student would feel equal and would want to converse, achieve, and succeed to the best of their abilities; without degradation and with the help of their teacher and classmates.  Overall, a respectful classroom is an effective classroom.