To some degree all adults in the presence of children are teachers, either by example or by deliberate effort. It may be adults' most distinguishing feature in their relationships with children. Our development as an elaborate and sophisticated culture is due in large part to our conscious effort to teach our children what we already know. Yet the word has come to be confused with authoritarianism, which implies control by power, often insinuating despotism.
True authority has no resemblance to control or power.
Authority does not control, it authors. In some circles authority is thought of as power, in others as influence. Such definitions are in reality authoritarian, implying that one group or person must gain control over another. Healthy authority enables one to bestow growth upon a person or institution. The person who acts as an authority is quite different from the one who acts as an authoritarian.