Becoming Real in the Classroom Starts Outside of the Classroom:
Most people, this includes teachers, have asked themselves any one, orperhaps, more than one of the following questions: Who am I, really? Will I everreally know who I am? How can I find my real self?
In today's society, with increasing demands and pressures, these questionsmay be more relevant than in the past. As a result, most of us, are on a questfor our identity. Most of us are asking, "Who am I?"
Rogers (1983) provides a loosely structured framework to guide teachers in theirtask to be real in the classroom. First and foremost, Rogers (1983) states thatself-discovery is a lifelong task.
Being Real in the Classroom:
Since the process of self-discovery is alifetime task, it can be expected that being "real" in the classroomis also a lifelong commitment - one that reflects the continuous discoveryprocess.
Thus, Rogers (1983) advice to teachers on being real in the classroom is asfollows: "Be alive in the classroom. Don't close your experiential doorbecause you're in the classroom...Of course, some things are not appropriate fordisclosure to students, but most experiences are. Allow the students to knowyou. If you hold up a facade, the students will sense it and optimal learningwill not occur."