both counsellors and teachers of a humanistic persuasion (Ivey et al., 2002; Patterson, 1973). Realness Realness was also referred to by Rogers (1962) as congruence. This involves the teacher being genuine in their encounter with the learner. Effective teachers should strive to be ‘themselves’ as they are at any given point in time. If they are enthusiastic, they show it; if they are bored, they do not hide it. Essentially they are a real person to their students and not a faceless demonstration of curriculum standards (Smith, 1997). However, the teacher should constantly be aware that any negative feeling is ‘their feeling’ and not a fact about the student or their work. The teacher should make this evident to their students. Acceptance Rogers (1969) struggled to give one name to this essential characteristic. Although acceptance is the best word available, several other words and terms have been used to provide further definition for this attribute. Initially Rogers (1962) adopted the term unconditional positive regard to describe the way one person can view others positively, even in the face of circumstances that might suggest otherwise. Other words that have been used to convey the nature of this attribute are respect, trust, and prizing. Prizing, in particular, seems to describe this characteristic well because it speaks of holding the student in high esteem. When an individual is held in high esteem by a significant other this has a powerful impact on motivation and self-concept (Patterson, 1973). It also brings them out of the defensive shell that many withdraw into in order to protect themselves (Kelley, 1962). The sense of acceptance students can get from a teacher builds self-esteem and can lead them to feeling safe and secure enough to take risks in their learning. Empathy Empathetic understanding is a vital dynamic in the promotion of growth in the classroom (Allender, 2001). Empathy is the ability of one person to possess an accurate understanding of another person’s world as if it were their own (Smith, 1997). Rogers (1962) stressed that it is vital that the ‘as if’ component is not lost. The teacher must convey an understanding of a student’s situation whether they are frustrated, angry, or feel they have been treated unfairly. Yet, this must occur without the teacher including their own anger and frustration as though the student’s struggle is their problem too. Essentially, empathy has no real synonym in the English language. A well known Native American phrase, ‘to walk in his moccasins’ describes this attribute accurately (Patterson, 1973). The successful teacher can put themselves in the shoes of the students they are seeking to help. They can see the world as the student sees it. From this position, the teacher speaks and acts in ways that
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