Your Morning Boost - How Teachers Really Feel About AI Fear, Efficiency, and the Need for Critical PD

Welcome to your Morning Boost, brought to you by AWB Education. Here we amplify knowledge, widen reach, and broaden impact in education, delivering your daily dose of professional development. This program is sponsored by Grundmeyer Leader Services, where together we are transforming education one leader at a time. Now get ready to amplify your day with your Morning Boost. Happy Thursday, everybody, Welcome back to your Morning Boost and a happy National Custodial Workers Recognition Day to all of the dedicated members of our school family who work so hard to keep our building safe and clean. It's your day today for us. Today, we are back with our exploration of the Grundmeyer Leader Services Fitting five newsletter, and we are going to tackle a deeply relevant piece from Education Week which is titled Here's how teachers really feel about the rise of AI in K twelve edgation. After our discussion on Monday about the light bulb moment of LLLMS, this article by lorand Lorengo gives us an on the ground perspective, highlighting the genuine and often conflicting emotions teachers have about this rapidly evolving technology. Have you listened to Control Shift Lead, the new podcast from AWB education and inspired edification. He stayed with the basic was never flashy, and I think that's one of the things that people liked. If not, you are missing out. And I think of the word vulnerable comes to mind all the time. Yep. Every month Jim and Adam bring you three things. Something you can control, something that will shift your thinking, and something that can help you lead your school, district or building. I need our staff to be that. Search for control, shift lead Wherever you get your podcasts and start listening. Now, let's dive into what this Edweek article reveals about the sentiment among educators. The survey found that teachers are deeply divided on the issue of AI, with a near even split between those who see a positive impact and those who foresee a negative one. On one hand, the article highlights how some teachers are embracing AI as a time saving tool for administrative tasks like creative lesson plans and assessments. They see it as a way to make the job more manageable. But on the other hand, the article also gives a voice to those who worry that AI is undermining critical thinking skills and creativity in students. A teacher quoted in the article express concern that students would rather use AI to cheat than engage in the creative process of writing a play, for example. This is a very real conflict that leaders must address. Another key finding from the article is that many teachers feel the professional development they are receiving on AI is uncritical and it feels more like AI evangelism or product marketing. As leaders, this is a critical piece of feedback. It tells us that we need to move beyond simply showcasing AI's potential and, as we discussed on Monday, to teach a deeper, more critical understanding of the technology. The article did make me question a little bit on how we can truly provide that kind of critical analysis training in a world where new AI tools are emerging almost every day. Finally, one of the most insightful points in the article came from a teacher who said using AI to create curriculum materials is a band aid for a larger problem. This makes a crucial point that teachers are so overworked and under resourced that they have to turn to AI just to keep up. The real solution isn't just a new tool or another tool. It comes in addressing the systemic issues that are in the teaching profession causing this negative feeling in the first place. What this Dweek article makes just abundantly clear is that the conversation around AI and education is complex and it's also emotional. As leaders, our role is not to force a top down mandate, but to facilitate an open, honest, and empathetic dialogue with our teachers. The most effective approach here is to acknowledge their fears while also providing them with the resources and training that they need to harness AI's potential as a true partner in teaching and learning. It's about building this bridge of trust that allows for innovation without compromising the core values of our profession. It's a tough topic people. AI is here, and we have a lot of people still trying to fight that new innovative product. But at the end of the day, it can be a great partner in what we're doing. We just got to help our staff realize that. Thank you for listening. I hope you have a wonderful Thursday. We'll be back again tomorrow to wrap up this week as we dive into the Fitting five. If you didn't get yesterday, let us know. We'll make sure that we get that sent out to you right away. But outside of that, again, thank you for listening. We will talk with you again tomorrow. That concludes another episode of Your Morning Boost. We hope today's daily dose of professional development helps you amplify knowledge, wide in reach, and broaden impact. Your Morning Boost is an AWB Education production brought to you with the generous support of Grundmeier Leader Services. Join us again tomorrow for more. Until then, keep boosting your impact.