Authenticity

People tell me that authenticity is one of my greatest qualities, but it can get me into trouble as well. My biggest problem has been curbing my authenticity so I don't offend people. In some cases, it's best to tell a white lie to keep a job, keep people on your good side, and stay out of trouble. In the classroom, authenticity will be a difficult but important thing to show. I think it will be best done by taking the qualities and some of the behaviors that truly reflect who I am and trying to use those as much as possible, avoiding expressing my opinion on controversial issues.
I had a teacher once who was too authentic. He bashed the principal behind his back and complained to us about the inner workings of the school. Although he was being authentic, he was taking negatives and passing them on to us. It influenced me a surprising amount; soon I was rolling my eyes at the principal just because of this teacher's opinion. I think the fact that he was authentic made me respect him and put a lot of value in what he said, but because those things were negative, they affected me in a negative way.
I plan on showing authenticity by limiting my compliments so they retain meaning and showing them how excited I am about the Spanish language. There's something about a teacher enjoying his or her subject that just cannot be faked. If a teacher is stuck teaching a subject they don't enjoy, it rubs off on the students and they begin to not enjoy it. I hope to make the most of my natural authenticity, allowing the students to more easily trust me and put value into what I say.