When is lying appropriate in a classroom? When is it okay to tell people things that just blatantly isn't true? Should a teacher admit when they don't know something, or is that just going to make them look stupid?
In a classroom setting, a teacher is viewed as the higher power, the larger order. Because of this, this gives them a certain degree of authority over students. By showing that one is weak and not all-knowing, this could cause a teacher to worry about that they don't know what they're talking about, or they don't understand what they're doing. This doesn't help establish respect however, and doesn't allow students to think of the teacher any higher.
A large aspect of being authentic is the idea that someone, a teacher for example is keeping it real. If a student can't trust their teacher to keep it real, and stick to the truth, why should they ever bother listening to them? Even if the truth maybe be tough and hard to handle, lying to them isn't going to create a sense of respect between the teacher and the student. The only way that sense of respect is going to be established is if a mutual trust, and understanding is reached. If a teacher is not authentic and accurate with a student, why should the student feel any motivation to be authentic with the teacher?
If a teacher is seen as being fake, then they are going to lose some of the authority in the classroom. Not that a teacher needs to be a supreme dictator over everything that happens, but they do need to maintain certain aspects of authority, particularly in the realm of trust. I mean honestly, if you know your teacher isn't being straight with you, it's not going to motivate you to do anything, it's not going to inspire you to want to find out more about a subject, it's just going to turn into that dull class that no one wants to here about or cares about.
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