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Ten Reasons Why AI Cannot Replace Teachers

Each generation of artificial intelligence (AI) tools offers more capabilities than its predecessor. What we once believed was beyond the capacity of technology is now commonplace today. AI can accomplish a wide array of tasks that are used to siphon valuable time from the core work of nurturing the learning and caring for the needs of our students.

We may wonder where it will end. Some people have even predicted that AI will soon replace educators. Here is the truth: AI may lighten the administrative workload of educators. AI may transform the nature of the work of educators. It may expand the array of resources and data available to teachers to design and manage learning experiences. However, there is no reason to expect AI to replace educators.

Consider these crucial elements of caring, connections, and context-building that educators can offer that AI cannot:

Build authentic, lasting, life-changing relationships. Educators can help students to feel seen and valued. Educators can understand and care deeply. Educators can create lifelong connections and have a lasting influence on students’ lives and decisions. AI can simulate warmth and responsiveness, but not the genuine care and connection that teachers can have with students.

Cultivate community and sense of belonging. Educators create norms and expectations to foster community. Educators design opportunities for students to connect. They foster inclusiveness and counter incidents of harassment, teasing, and exclusion. AI may design group activities, but it cannot foster community and belonging.

See and respond to flashes of insight and sudden understanding. Educators are uniquely positioned to witness and amplify “aha” moments. They can see and reinforce the sense of pride they see in a student’s eyes. AI may create conditions where students discover and understand, but it cannot genuinely participate in these meaningful moments.

Provide sensitive, timely, and compassionate comfort when a student’s world falls apart. Learning occurs in a context. What happens in students’ lives beyond school and the classroom affects their learning and well-being. Educators see the larger picture of students’ lives. They are positioned to care, support, and if necessary, intervene. AI cannot reach these areas of students’ lives.

Coach students to make meaning out of what they are learning. Educators can help students to see connections to what they already know and what they have experienced in life beyond the classroom. Sensemaking is a crucial element in developing understanding and building recall. AI can invite connections, but it does not have access to the range and nuance of student learning and experience necessary to accomplish this task.

Read and respond to nonverbal cues. Much of the most authentic and meaningful signs and signals that tell how students are doing cannot be found in what they say or may write. A physical slump when struggling with a problem, a sigh on the third attempt to find a solution, or a look of fear in a student’s eyes when confronted with a new challenge can say far more about what a student feels and needs than can be accessed by AI.

Ignite passion and instill hope. The invisible, but incredibly powerful connections educators build with students can be the conduit for stimulating curiosity, opening the door to possibility, and building confidence that more is possible than the students could have imagined for themselves. AI can provide motivational phrases, but it cannot have the impact that a trusted, inspiring, imaginative educator can create.

Pivot and refocus to capture and exploit unanticipated learning opportunities. Educators can sense when a teachable moment emerges, even when the learning is not part of the lesson. An unexpected question, a humorous insight, or ironic observation can be the stimulus for deep and meaningful learning. AI can adjust its pathways, but pivoting to seize the moment is beyond its programming.

Model how to navigate life. Educators demonstrate for students every day what it means to live by one’s values. Students watch closely to discern whether fairness is present. They see examples of integrity and resilience as interactions, conflicts, and challenges unfold. Educators may not explicitly teach life lessons, but values are constantly on display for observation and emulation. AI may present theories and simulated experiences, but it cannot create the real-life learning opportunities offered by educators.

Advocate for students. Educators are uniquely positioned to see the needs students have and the challenges they face. Educators also often see how systems and people in positions of power in students’ lives may not be serving them well. Consequently, educators can be the voice of students to advocate with families, leaders, and systems to understand and respond in ways that better serve students. AI may uncover issues and discover gaps in services and supports, but it has no power to advocate.

The promise of AI is not just to eliminate busy work, handle administrative tasks, and generate content. The real promise is to free time and mental energy for educators to be advocates for learners and learning, nurturers of intellectual growth, developers of character, an inspiration of possibility, and translators of experience into life lessons.

Why You Should Pay Attention to Your Attention

Relationships and Connections

September 25, 2025

Why You Should Pay Attention to Your Attention

We might think that our most precious resources are our time, our money, our health, or our family. Yet, while these are important elements in our lives, this list ignores what may be our most important life resource. Without judicious use of this additional resource, our time can be wasted, our money squandered, our health diminished, and our family neglected. This resource costs nothing, it is completely within our control, and it requires no special training.

This resource is our attention. How we choose to invest and manage our attention determines the value, utility, and sustainability of most other aspects of life. Without attention, much of what we value in life withers and may disappear. Meanwhile, failure to direct and sustain our attention where it is needed can allow unpleasant and unwanted life forces to grow, making our life frustrating and miserable.

We can choose to treat our attention as random access to life, or we can choose to focus and give sustained attention to those elements in life that we value, want to protect, and desire to grow. Let’s explore the power of attention and how we can use it to our best advantage.

Attention is a powerful but scarce resource. We might think that attention has no limits, but it does. We cannot pay attention to everything at once. When our attention is scattered, it has little impact. Attention requires us to make choices. When we focus in one area, we cannot simultaneously focus elsewhere. We need to protect, direct, and invest our attention wisely.

Energy follows attention. We can choose to focus on what bothers us, our worries, and what stresses us. When we do, these elements will sap our energy, undermine our optimism, and leave us feeling anxious and depressed. Alternatively, we can choose to focus on our strengths, what we can control, and pursuit of our goals and priorities. As a result, we can build on what we do well, feel more confident, and see significant and sustained progress toward our goals.

Attention magnifies its object. What we focus on tends to grow. If we focus on student misbehavior, we are likely to see it grow. If we consistently notice and reinforce appropriate behavior, we are likely to see more of it. When we notice and encourage curiosity, students tend to show more of it. If we focus on compliance with rules rather than commitment to learning, again, we are likely to see more of it.

Expertise requires sustained attention. Of course, there are some skills that require little time and practice to master. However, skills that offer durability and significant long-term impact typically require practice, depth of understanding, and continued honing. Classroom management experts may make the work look easy, but it is the result of years of focused practice, continued development, and the skill to anticipate and adjust in real time.

Attention aligned with purpose and values lessens stress. A sense of purpose and clear values can provide hope and confidence in difficult times. Believing that the work is important, feeling a sense of mission, and pursuing what matters can be powerful counterweights in times of pressure and stress. Struggling with a difficult class can be challenging, but it still can feel worth it when we consider how much our students need us and that we are doing the right work.

Failure to give timely, adequate attention invites disaster. We can be tempted to ignore growing problems, fail to build necessary skills, or push students through even though we know they are not making necessary progress. In the short term, we might convince ourselves that everything is fine. Yet, small problems can become big headaches. Failure to learn new skills needed to serve students can make our work more difficult. And allowing lack of progress to go unaddressed can have long-term life consequences for our students.

There is no question that where we place our attention matters—often more than we might imagine. Consider this insight from Albert Einstein: “It’s not that I’m so smart, it’s just that I stay with problems longer.”

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