AI Cannot Serve as First Option in My Classroom

Last year, I had to proctor an online exam for several upperclassmen on my campus. The essay prompt: “Describe your favorite place.”

One of the scariest realizations of my career as an educator was watching the precious teenagers who sat before me skip the process of consulting their own brains about their favorite places on earth. Most of them instead elected to consult ChatGPT.

This prompt didn’t require research. It didn’t require a night at the library or burning the midnight oil while sitting criss cross applesauce in bed. They simply had to think about their favorite place and construct a personal narrative.

They didn’t want to consult their own minds about something they already know. We all have a favorite place: the beach, grandma’s house, church, the mall, the bed. Even the most negative Nancy or Debbie Downer can BS her way through four paragraphs of a “fake favorite place.”

I read so many essay submissions on the Great Wall of China, Mount Kilimanjaro and the pyramids in Egypt.

Instead of asking themselves “what is my favorite place,” the students submitted to ChatGPT “describe my favorite place.” Because AI and all of its siblings have convinced the masses of the limitless generating potential - so many of the students will receive the results of a prompt and simply submit. They pay little attention to the nonsense that is often developed.  

I’m not the fussy teacher I was when I entered the profession at 22. You see, back then I was just four years older than my students and four years removed from being a high school student who had to read, research, think and write. My dial-up internet days didn’t implore me to dream of the day a computer would serve to slow the thinking process.

That’s exactly where we are in 2026: every single day a new AI platform is launched to slow down thinking, while being marketed as a means of both effectiveness and efficiency.

Each time I think to lecture my students on the dangers of putting AI before their brain – I am stopped in my tracks by the reminder that these young people are growing up in a world where more adults than not are also using AI to simplify their “thinking duties.”

Unlike most of my colleagues – I teach five preparations (subjects). A tool that speeds my planning should be celebrated by someone like me, however, I am not a fan of AI in the classroom. While several adults I know and love brag about how AI speeds up their lesson planning and assists them with grading and even in writing email verbiage – I just can’t bring myself to hop on board.

What happens when we don’t use our brains?

This question served as my warmup activity for my AP Seminar students last semester. When they enter the classroom, they grab a computer and complete the warm up each day.

The responses I received this day included everything from “cognitive decline” to depression. An engaging conversation continued.

I am genuinely concerned about how dementia cases will continue to multiply because of the incessant need of so many people to use tools for “thinking duties.” Jobs, positions and industries are already eliminating the need for humans.

“AI can do it for much less” seems to be the common theme. Corporations want to save money on production costs, while making money from people – people who are being replaced in workplaces all over the world.

What happens when teachers are replaced with AI?

I think this will be my next warm-up activity. I remember vividly the social media posts during the pandemic: “OPEN THE SCHOOLS.” ‘I CAN’T WORK WHILE MY KIDS ARE AT HOME,” and “I CAN’T DO VIRTUAL SCHOOL.”

So, what happens should the belief and implementation of AI in education begin to replace the teachers – the human beings? Would parents be comfortable dropping their children off to school buildings run by computers and robots?

If we continue to empower AI at the current pace, perhaps my aforementioned statement becomes less far-fetched.

I’ve read limitless articles from fellow educators who have lost the will to combat the cheating that takes place on daily class assignments because of AI. I can only imagine what the college setting looks like today. How many students are walking away with degrees, after using AI on every single assignment for four and five years? What do they really know?

Do we revert to a pen and paper only school environment? I’m not the least bit naïve, so I know this will never happen. But, honestly what do we do? We are encouraging a life of less thinking and more consulting apps to complete our thoughts. It’s a scary thought in an already petrifying society.

If any profession in the world deserves less work and more money – teachers would top the list. Generating assignments, emails, and the like with AI just to have the assignments and emails completed and answered via AI is beyond disheartening.