In the first post of this series, I wrote about expectation creep — the way artificial intelligence is entering public schools as one more responsibility teachers are expected to absorb without enough time, training, or support. In the second, I argued that AI should support teacher judgment, not replace it. The teacher must remain […]
AI, Teachers, and the Human Work of Schools — Part 3 Read More »
AI, Teachers, and the Human Work of Schools — Part 2 In the first post of this series, I wrote about the new expectation creep surrounding artificial intelligence in public schools — the way AI is being introduced with urgency, promise, and pressure, while many teachers are still being left to learn it on their
AI Should Support Teacher Judgment, Not Replace It Read More »
AI, Teachers, and the Human Work of Schools — Part 1 Artificial intelligence is arriving in public schools with the speed of a mandate and the support structure of a suggestion. Teachers are hearing that AI may transform learning, save time, personalize instruction, streamline planning, improve feedback, and prepare students for a future already
My niece, Ava, is graduated from eighth grade, and the other day she had her eighth-grade dance. Before the dance, a group of the kids gathered at the park for pictures. They were dressed up, laughing, posing, teasing one another a little, and standing in that strange and wonderful space between childhood and whatever
When Time Belongs to You Again Read More »
There is a particular kind of quiet that arrives after the school year ends, and if you have spent any time in a classroom, you probably know it well. It is not exactly silence. It is more like the sudden absence of all the sounds your body had been organizing itself around for
When Summer Begins, the Body Still Remembers the School Year Read More »
Kelli and I still enjoy going to happy hours with former teachers and colleagues. There is something comfortable about those gatherings — the easy laughter, the familiar stories, the way old connections seem to pick up right where they left off. And, as usually happens when teachers get together, the conversation eventually turns back to
The Strange Mix of Exhaustion and Gratitude in May Read More »
Series: This post is part of Policy in the Classroom. See the full series → What districts need to understand before more teachers walk away There is a certain kind of tired that arrives in schools this time of year. It is not ordinary tired. It is the tired that comes after months of
Teacher Retention Is Not a Mystery Read More »
Kelli and I are spending a little time at our place in Florida right now, catching our breath after the usual busyness of home—yes, still busy, even in retirement. The weather has been one of those gentle Florida stretches: sunny skies, the temperature settling comfortably in the mid-70s, just warm enough to make a walk
The Quiet Accounting Teachers Do in May Read More »
This past weekend Kelli and I made the five-hour drive to Pittsburgh to visit her son Scott, his wife Leigh, and most importantly, one of our granddaughters, Rosebud. It was the kind of visit that leaves your heart full in quiet ways. We spent long stretches simply being together — playing, talking, and watching
When Enough Is Actually Enough Read More »
Series: This post is part of Policy in the Classroom. See the full series → By mid-April the school year has a particular weight to it. The first rush of autumn energy is long gone, and the hopeful lift that often arrives with March sunlight has begun to settle into something quieter. Classrooms keep
When Burnout Becomes a Sustainability Crisis Read More »
