Thursday, September 24, 2009

Authenticity: Knowing One's Limits

Authenticity means that one should be true to theirself. A teacher can better themselves from being authentic. One can teach as best they can with the knowledge he or she has. A teacher should never pretend to teach something that they do not know about. Otherwise, students could be misguided by incorrect information and cannot develop and grow. Therefore, the students really never learn anything properly.

For example I know a friend who had a private string teacher for lessons from my hometown. She always remained true to herself in her teaching. My friend was told by her teacher that she should move on to a new teacher to help her develop her playing. The teacher watched out for the well-being and development of the student. She knew she could no longer teach her student based on her teaching skills. Not that the teacher is not good, or to say that the student had surpassed the teacher's knowledge. But merely that the teacher felt she no longer fit the skill level of the student. A good teacher is one who truly knows their limits. In my friend's case,the teacher did not think of herself, but rather understood her student's need and passion to know more.

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