The Emerging Role of Teachers in the Age of AI

Insights from Educators on What is Changing, What Remains Human, and What Comes Next.

In Fall 2025, Ed3 conducted the first Portrait of a Teacher in the Age of AI Survey to understand how educators in the United States are experiencing and adapting to the rapid emergence of artificial intelligence in their professional work. The purpose of this study was to examine how AI is currently influencing teacher responsibilities and how educators envision the future of the profession in an AI-rich world.
Drawing on responses from 1,147 K–12 educators, the study captures a critical moment as AI enters classrooms, workflows, and school systems. While the data is not nationally representative, it reflects early signals from a highly experienced group of educators navigating AI adoption ahead of system-wide change. The research asks a deeper question about how the purpose, responsibilities, and human core of teaching should change in an AI-rich world. The findings provide early, directional insight to inform the broader, multi-year Portrait of a Teacher initiative led by Ed3.

Guiding Question:

How will the role of the teacher evolve in a world transformed by AI?

To explore this question, the Portrait of a Teacher project is being co-designed with teachers, school leaders, families, youth, researchers, technologists, and policymakers across the country.

The Portrait project is exploring four major strands of research:

A

Between Promise & Practice

Evaluates how AI is actually used in schools, distinguishing between shifts in practice versus acceleration of the status-quo.

B

The Architecture of the Educator Role

Maps current teacher tasks against emerging demands and predicts what will require human judgment versus augmentation.

C

Science of Artificial Relationships

Using existing research and emerging signals, begins to evaluate the role of a teacher in helping learners navigate the cognitive and emotional impacts of AI relationships.

D

The Portrait Toolkit

A localizable, interactive toolkit with evidence signals and guides to help education leaders design, align, and iterate the role of a teacher.

The survey analyzed in this report represents one artifact in research Strand 1. It offers a textured understanding of how educators are experiencing AI today and provides early indicators of the competencies, mindsets, and system supports required for the teaching profession to thrive in the years ahead.

About the Respondents

Interpretation

This survey reflects the perspectives of a highly experienced group of U.S.-based educators, many working in flexible or independently governed environments. While not nationally representative, the sample provides valuable insight into how educators with substantial professional autonomy are encountering generative AI.

Sample Size: 1,147

I. Who Participated in this Survey (U.S. Subset)
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II. Current AI Access and Use

Most respondents report both permission to use generative AI tools and some level of regular engagement.

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Present-State Findings:

How AI Is Currently Affecting Teachers’ Work

The following findings examine how educators report AI affecting their day-to-day professional responsibilities today. These findings focus on current practices and perceived impacts, including where AI is being used, where it is not, and how its influence varies across different aspects of teaching work.

1. AI is currently additive, not transformative, in teachers’ day-to-day work

Survey respondents report that AI’s impact today is concentrated in planning and preparatory tasks such as curriculum design, research, and assessment. In these areas, AI supports efficiency and quality, but there is little evidence that it is changing the structure or purpose of the teaching role.

Supporting Data

Across all ten responsibility areas included in the survey, the most frequently selected response is “No big impact / Not applicable.” Depending on the responsibility, approximately 36%–66% of respondents selected this option.

Where respondents do report positive impact, it is most evident in:

  • Curriculum design (≈64%)
  • Content and pedagogy research (≈57%)

Within these domains, the most common positive responses are “making my work more efficient” or “enhancing the quality of my work,” and not indicators of transformation or fundamentally new approaches.

Interpretation

These patterns indicate that AI is primarily being integrated into existing workflows to support preparatory and analytical tasks rather than reshaping the structure of the teaching role itself. This pattern is consistent with early-stage adoption and incremental improvement but not systemic change.

Scope note

- N: 936
- This finding reflects respondents’ reported experience at the time of the survey and should not be interpreted as evidence that AI cannot become more transformative over time.

Thinking about your past and upcoming school year, how is AI impacting the majority of your work for each of the following responsibilities?
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2. The most time-intensive and relational aspects of teaching remain primarily human

Instruction, classroom management, and student support continue to account for the largest share of educators’ time and show the least reported AI impact. These core responsibilities rely on human judgment, presence, and real-time responsiveness, with little indication that AI is altering how this work is done.

Supporting Data

Instruction, classroom and learning environment management, and student support and guidance show the highest concentrations of “medium” and “high” weekly time investment.

These same responsibilities also show the highest rates of “No big impact / Not applicable” in reported AI impact.

Very few respondents in these domains select higher-order impact categories such as “transforming my approach” or “unlocking entirely new possibilities.”

Interpretation

The data suggests that AI is primarily affecting the cognitive load of teaching such as supporting planning, analysis, and preparation, and not the time load associated with instruction, relationship-building, and real-time decision-making. There is no evidence in this dataset that AI has reduced the amount of time educators spend on the central human dimensions of teaching, or that AI has transformed any part of the teacher role.

Scope note

- N: 994
- This finding does not assess instructional quality or outcomes, only reported time allocation and perceived impact

During a typical work week, how much time do you spend on each of these responsibilities?
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All Institution Types
Private Institution
Public Institution
Public Charter
Other
All Institution Types
Private Institution
Public Institution
Public Charter
Other
Comparison of Time Allocation and AI Impact Across Teaching Responsibilities
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Future-Oriented Findings:

Educators’ Expectations and Boundaries

The following findings examine educators’ views on potential future scenarios as AI becomes more widespread in education. These scenarios capture respondents’ judgments about desirability and perceived likelihood, rather than predictions or endorsements. Together, they surface where educators see promise, where they express concern, and how they draw boundaries around the appropriate role of AI in teaching and learning systems.

3. Futures centered on automation generate more resistance and uncertainty than futures centered on role reconfiguration

When comparing scenarios on the likelihood–net desirability chart, a consistent pattern emerges: futures that position technology as the primary driver of foundational instruction generate more resistance than futures that reorganize educator roles, learning structures, or professional growth.

Supporting Data

The scenario:
“Students will learn fundamentals and core subjects mostly through adaptive digital tools.”

  • Net Likelihood: 42%
  • Net Desirability: –19%
  • Highest concentration of undesirable responses (50%)
  • Largest share of “Likely & Undesirable” selections of any scenario

On the chart, this scenario appears as a clear outlier in the lower-right quadrant: widely viewed as plausible, yet evaluated negatively overall.

Interpretation

Resistance is not distributed evenly across AI-related futures. It concentrates most clearly around the scenario in which adaptive digital tools become the primary mechanism for delivering core subjects.

By contrast, scenarios that expand, redesign, or diversify teacher roles, or that increase authenticity and relevance of learning, receive substantially stronger support. The pattern suggests that educators differentiate between types of transformation.

Scope note

- N: 848
- These findings reflect educators’ judgments about likelihood and desirability, not explanations for why certain scenarios are evaluated differently. The data indicate patterned differences in response, but do not measure underlying motivations.

Over the next 10 years, how likely and desirable are the following future scenarios?
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4. Alignment appears around a set of future-oriented teaching practices

When examining scenarios collectively, responses organize into four distinct patterns based on the relationship between perceived likelihood and desirability.

Supporting Data

Four clear clusters emerge across the scenarios:

Rejected Future (Likely but Undesirable):

  • “Students will learn fundamentals and core subjects mostly through adaptive digital tools.”
    Net Likelihood: 42%
    Net Desirability: -19%

This scenario stands alone as the only future that is widely expected yet evaluated negatively overall.

Consensus Futures (Likely and Desirable)

  • Real-world project-based learning partnerships
    Net Likelihood: 48% | Net Desirability: +73%
  • Personalized professional development
    Net Likelihood: 51% | Net Desirability: +71%
  • Portfolio- and skills-based assessment
    Net Likelihood: 34% | Net Desirability: +55%

This scenarios cluster in the upper-right quadrant, combining strong support with moderate-to-high expectations of occurrence.

Aspirational Futures (Desirable but Not Fully Expected)

  • Teacher-led research during the workday
    Net Likelihood: -3% | Net Desirability: +50%

These scenarios show positive net desirability but lower perceived likelihood.

Contested Futures (Mixed Sentiment)

  • Student-driven learning pathways
    Net Likelihood: 19% | Net Desirability: +37%
  • Flexible teaching teams
    Net Likelihood: 37% | Net Desirability: +41%
  • Career navigation and lifelong learning coaching
    Net Likelihood: 34% | Net Desirability: +40%
  • Community co-creation of learning experiences
    Net Likelihood: -1% | Net Desirability: +26%

These scenarios show moderate and mixed net desirability and likelihood.

Interpretation

The relationship between desirability and likelihood is uneven across scenarios. While high desirability often aligns with higher likelihood, the inverse is not true: lower likelihood does not consistently signal strong support that is unmet.

The concentration of these mixed-response scenarios may suggest that several proposed futures are not yet clearly defined or fully formed in respondents’ expectations, resulting in more tentative or varied judgments of their desirability.

Scope note

- N: 848
- These findings reflect educators’ judgments about likelihood and desirability, not explanations for why certain scenarios are evaluated differently. The data indicate patterned differences in response, but do not measure underlying motivations.

5. The strongest AI-related concerns center on trust, integrity, and student protection

The strongest concerns relate to academic integrity, misinformation, bias, and student privacy, while fears about job displacement or cost are less prominent. These concerns reflect a focus on safeguarding learners and maintaining trust, rather than resistance to AI adoption.

Supporting Data

The highest concern levels are reported for:

  • Academic integrity and cheating
  • Misinformation and bias
  • Student privacy, safety, and data protection

Concerns related to job security and cost register at comparatively lower levels.

Interpretation

Read alongside future-state responses, these concerns align closely with resistance to automation-heavy instructional models. Educators’ boundaries appear grounded in trust, protection, and responsibility to learners, and not opposition to AI adoption or anxiety about replacement.

Scope note

- N: 818
- This finding captures perceived risks, not measured incidence or effectiveness of mitigation strategies.

Concerns About the Use of Generative AI in Education
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6. Institutional context shapes how educators are experiencing AI today and imagining the future of the profession

Despite similar reported access to AI and comparable time spent across responsibilities, institution type appears to matter in how educators interpret AI-related change. The strongest differences do not emerge evenly across the survey, but are most visible in how educators evaluate future scenarios and the extent to which they describe AI as creating friction in their current work.

Supporting Data

Across future-state scenarios, private school respondents were consistently less likely than public and public charter respondents to view many AI-enabled shifts as desirable, particularly those involving:

  • Flexible learning environments
  • Student-driven learning pathways
  • Family and community co-creation
  • AI-mediated personalization
  • Expanded educator roles such as career navigation and coaching

This pattern was also reflected in present-state work. Across multiple responsibilities, private educators were more likely to report hindrance caused by AI.

For example:

Classroom & Learning Environment Management

Hindering my work:
Private: 13.24%
Public: 9.69%
Public Charter: 2.70%

Assessment & Evaluation

Hindering my work:
Private: 14.87%
Public: 9.00%
Public Charter: 6.08%

Interpretation

With similar reported access to AI and comparable time allocation across responsibilities, the sharpest differences between private, public, and public charter educators emerge in how they judge the desirability of future scenarios and whether AI is experienced as helpful or as a source of friction in their current work.
‍
Possible factors shaping these differences may include varying levels of openness to changing traditional teaching models, differences in institutional flexibility, the degree of alignment between AI and a school’s instructional model, the quality of present-day implementation experiences, organizational support for experimentation, and differing perceptions of the risks associated with AI moving closer to core teaching work.

Scope note

- N varies by item
- These findings reflect differences in educator responses by institution type, not causal explanations for why those differences exist. The data indicate patterned variation across sectors, but do not identify the specific institutional, cultural, operational, or policy conditions driving those differences.

7. The core of teaching is defined by relational, situational, and ethically grounded work

When asked to describe the most human part of their work as teachers - the part that would still matter even in a world where AI might perform many other functions - respondents overwhelmingly emphasized relationships, connection, emotional attunement, and real-time responsiveness. These themes recur not as abstract ideals, but through repeated, concrete language describing how teachers notice, respond to, and care for students as whole people. Recurring words and phrases across open-ended responses were examined and grouped into thematic role clusters.

What do you consider the most human part of your work as a teacher  —  the part that would still matter most, even in a world where AI might do almost everything else?

Personal relationships are going to remain essential and important beyond everything else.

Relationship Anchor

Engaging with students, supporting them in their learning, learning who they are and what they struggle with, and guiding them toward a greater understanding of the world and their place in it.

Emotional & Developmental Guide
See all responses

Talking to and sharing your time with students is the most human part of teaching. However, a world in which AI does most everything a teacher or anyone else needs to do is also a world in which student outcomes no longer matter since they won't be needed anymore in the workplace in future rules.

Life Navigator

My ability to interact with the students and guide them towards goals that they are most committed. Providing them a safe environment to discuss both the benefits and potential, observed dangers of AI, the developers, and the impact these tools may have on their own future.

Cognitive Coach

Personal relationships are going to remain essential and important beyond everything else.

Relationship Anchor

Talking to and sharing your time with students is the most human part of teaching. However, a world in which AI does most everything a teacher or anyone else needs to do is also a world in which student outcomes no longer matter since they won't be needed anymore in the workplace in future rules.

Life Navigator

Engaging with students, supporting them in their learning, learning who they are and what they struggle with, and guiding them toward a greater understanding of the world and their place in it.

Emotional & Developmental Guide
Cognitive Coach

Personal relationships are going to remain essential and important beyond everything else.

See all responses

Conclusion: What This Moment Reveals About the Future of Teaching

This survey captures a profession in the early stages of renegotiating its relationship with artificial intelligence. Educators are neither rejecting AI nor experiencing wholesale transformation. AI is being used selectively, supporting preparatory work while leaving the core human responsibilities of teaching largely unchanged.

Looking ahead, educators signal openness to innovation paired with clear boundaries. They support futures that expand human judgment, relevance, and professional agency, and resist models that automate the instructional core. These findings suggest that the central challenge is how systems choose to evolve around the adoption of AI in education. The opportunity lies in redesigning roles, structures, and supports so technology strengthens the human work of teaching rather than displacing it.

This survey does not predict the future of teaching. It clarifies where change is most likely to earn professional legitimacy and public trust. As such, it provides a foundation for the next phases of the Portrait of a Teacher in the Age of AI project: mapping educator roles that reflect real work, identifying competencies grounded in judgment and care, and supporting educators, leaders, funders, and builders in designing systems capable of meaningful transformation.

We’re left with an open question: Will AI enable a redesign of education systems that expand human judgment and close the gaps the current model continues to reproduce, or will it preserve the status quo?

Please download the PDF for a full analysis.
Conclusion:

What This Moment Reveals About the Future of Teaching

This survey captures a profession in the early stages of renegotiating its relationship with artificial intelligence. Educators are neither rejecting AI nor experiencing wholesale transformation. AI is being used selectively, supporting preparatory work while leaving the core human responsibilities of teaching largely unchanged.

Looking ahead, educators signal openness to innovation paired with clear boundaries. They support futures that expand human judgment, relevance, and professional agency, and resist models that automate the instructional core. These findings suggest that the central challenge is how systems choose to evolve around the adoption of AI in education. The opportunity lies in redesigning roles, structures, and supports so technology strengthens the human work of teaching rather than displacing it.

This survey does not predict the future of teaching. It clarifies where change is most likely to earn professional legitimacy and public trust. As such, it provides a foundation for the next phases of the Portrait of a Teacher in the Age of AI project: mapping educator roles that reflect real work, identifying competencies grounded in judgment and care, and supporting educators, leaders, funders, and builders in designing systems capable of meaningful transformation.

We’re left with an open question: Will AI enable a redesign of education systems that expand human judgment and close the gaps the current model continues to reproduce, or will it preserve the status quo?

What do you consider the most human part of your work as a teacher  —  the part that would still matter most, even in a world where AI might do almost everything else?
Builds trust, connection, and belonging across students, families, and communities
Relational Anchor
Emotional & Developmental Guide
Cognitive Coach
Learning Designer & Facilitator
Life Navigator
Ethical & Cultural Steward
"Personal interactions with students and families. I work with students from admissions to graduation and know their stories and successes."
"Making sure students know they matter"
"Noticing and naming what is happening with students"
"Everything I do it human. AI is not a replacement for human interaction."
"Personal interactions with students without technological filter"
"I think children learn primary through human interaction, which AI categorically cannot replace."
"Interaction with students on a human level, obviously."
"Working eye to eye and shoulder to shoulder with the children and my colleagues."
"Caring"
"interaction with students to get to know their approach to learning."
"The interactions with people engaged in in-person learning offline."
"Relating with students"
"Poeple NEED people period. If the pandemic taught us anything, it is that when faced with just learning through a computer, students fall behind and are less engaged."
"face to face interactions"
"Human interaction."
"The being present with the student as they learn."
"Sitting down with a student, getting to know them, asking about their day, THEN talking about how to revise their writing."
"Student interaction and guidance is the most important and can't be replaced by AI."
"AI will never be able to look another human in the eye, explain to them *that* they matter and *why* they matter, and mean it."
"Human interaction - especially one- on - one wrok on writing."
"Talking to students in the classroom and meeting one-on-one after class."
"Human to human interaction and learning. AI cannot replace human interaction."
"Speaking one on one with students and interacting with them when learning."
"Human to human interaction."
"The physical engage in the group setting with classroom interaction for the lower school students."
"Talking to kids day to day. None of us want our kids on laptops doing "independent" work with a robot coaching them through it. That is the opposite of learning."
"Knowing the students in the room - more than numbers on a page"
"The interaction with students"
"face-to-face interaction with students"
"Being physically present and interacting with the students on a personal level still matters, even in a world where AI may do everything else."
"being a physical role model and touchstone for proper behavior"
"Knowing students in their interests."
"Day to non-instructional but impactful interactions with studentd"
"The one-to-one conversations with students, being able to go on a tangent that is still relatable to the current topic"
"The most human part of my work as a teacher is the dedication and heart it takes to make a difference in a child's life."
"Knowing the students."
"Humanization and conscientizations about been the real thing, you are life, you are creation and image of the creator itself. Everything that has been given to you must serve to be used for the good of others."
"Decision-making under presesure."
"The one on one interactions with the students. Having the students with my help, do actual research when an assignment is presented"
"Lose the human touch and human interaction skills-"
"Working with people. A computer and AI will never change human interaction and that is where education actually begins."
"Loss of human interaction."
"my every day moments with students! AI will NEVER replace human to human interactions!"
"Human interaction with students."
"The rapport I build and have with my students."
"the interaction of two humans during the day"
"replationships"
"Time with students."
"Getting to know each student."
"The building of student rapport."
"My human interactions. Face to face interactions."
"Interacting with students."
"Being able to have that human skill and intuition to reach students"
"Getting to know who students are beyond what they are able to enter into a survey."
"One-on-one coversations, which I have more time to engage in because AI tools have been so helpful in other ways."
"Knowing my students"
"Interact each of them as though they are my beloved niece or nephew. I want ALL my students to become the best people they can be. I'm not convinced an algorithm can do that or ever will and I don't think it's a good idea to try."
"Compassion."
"Genuine responses and understanding of one another."
"Personal interaction with my graduate students who are academically challenged"
"Looking a student in the eyes and saying "Great job! I'm proud of you"."
"Establishing rapport with my students"
"Human interaction with families and students. I still have to call and email families/students and meet with students (even on zoom)."
"Knowing the student holistically."
""Seeing" kids as individuals"
"The unscheduled and casual interactions with students (e.g. as they enter/exit before/after class, between classes, etc.)"
"Students need structure and guidance. Behind a screen with no accountability, computers cannot make students want to learn."
"One on one interaction with students."
"Coaching and talking with students over the phone to help them identify goals and review progress."
"Face to face, seeing the students eyes light up when they understand the material, that moment cannot be captured with AI."
"My interactions with my students and families."
"The nature of caring and our different personalities to help students become well-rounded and adjusted people for society."
"That I would continue to teach students and engage in communication with parents."
"Human to human, face to face interactions. The conversation and communications with students and their parents."
"Learning students' likes and dislikes, as well as social cues that AI cannot understand or duplicate"
"Communication with students and their families is hard to replace. Humans need that personal touch that AI cannot replicate."
"I think the most "human" part of my work as a teacher is connecting with my students and families. Many of my students, due to an online environment, miss out on some opportunities for important social skills. Many of my students look forward to our live lessons and check ins each week because we get the opportunity to be social. For some students, speaking with their teachers and other students is their main form of "socialization" in their day to day lives."
"The human connection must still be present. Without it, the social aspect is lost."
"The personal connection with students. Humans are social beings and students need face to face and in-person connections, students need to learn to build relationships and interact with others."
"Personal relationships and role model and social interactions with peers and adults."
"The person-to-person connection...those moments when I look into a child's eyes and tell her that her answer is lovely and unexpected and creative even (or perhaps especially) when the answer is incorrect. The ability to connect with and encourage and buoy my students and nurture their self-efficacy cannot happen with AI. It is as important as the skin-to-skin contact between a newborn and a nurturing caregiver and cannot be replaced/supplanted by a computer screen."
"Relationships - an AI bot can never build a relationship with students like a teacher can. Those relationships help to inspire students in so many ways - in and out of the classroom."
"As we learned in the pandemic, students learn best while being in a classroom with a teacher. Teachers can identify needs of their students bacause they frequently interact with them. AI will never be able to build those personal relationships with students. In addition, there are several cases of people being pushed to suicide and delusions from AI. That is not something that should be risked in a classroom."
"my relationships with students and my ability to motivate and inspire"
"The human part of my work is building trusting relationships that motivate and engage students in learning. I understand what is not being said in how the student acts and what they do and say."
"Relationship building and human communication. The ethic of CARE."
"The most human part of my work is building genuine relationships with students, staff, and families that foster trust, growth, and belonging. Even in a world driven by AI, the ability to lead with empathy and inspire a shared sense of purpose will always matter most."
"Connection to children and having empathy. Sharing real life experiences with them in order to relate and share commonalities. Having students feeing seen and heard by their teachers."
"The most human part is making connections between students and fostering empathy for those with experiences and backgrounds different than their own. AI seems cold and depersonalized to me."
"Getting to know the student, sharing real life experiences, interests, and having compassion/empathy for what they are going through. AI isn't human and can only pretend to care."
"Being a human in a space and SEEING the students, walking with them on their learning journey, answering their questions, and seeing them as whole people with lives and interests. Being an adult who cares for and respects them."
"Building human, person-to-person connections where students learn compassion, empathy, and critical thinking skills."
"Forming relationships with students. While AI can do a lot, it takes the human element, love, respect, empathy, laughter, connection, etc. out of the classroom. It may also become a crutch for students and hinder their ability to think critically and problem solve on their own."
"Connecting with kids and families. Teachers don't teach. They give students instructional materials and hope they learn enough to make the government happy with their test scores, which is to say that my job is only to make admin look good. The profession is a total joke and teachers could and should be replaced with computer aided technologies that helps kids grow cognitive thinking skills, empathy, and a more equitable worldview. Instead, we just make standardized robots willing to comply to the political demands of our culture. It sucks. 30 years in the profession and nothing has changed except we comply because we actually care about kids."
"Connection. The ability to show our care and empathy and teach the whole child."
"Relationship building, authentic empathy"
"Connecting in person with students. Machines can't replace that and will never be able to know the full student like an actual human can. AI can't have true empathy and humanity. We can."
"Personal connection and empathy"
"Affirmation based on KNOWING the student as an individual, their triggers, their strengths, areas for improvement and learning. The building of trust between the teacher and student. With trust, the student will allow for difficult conversations that teach life skills as well as academic skills. If students build a trust relationship with generative AI, and it leads them astray, that will negatively impact trust with humans, not just AI. We have a tremendous responsibility as we interact skillfully and safely with students. AI has no sense of responsibility, it only has the appearance of such ethics or morals."
"Connecting with students to demonstrate care, compassion, empathy in real time"
"My main job is to help students learn in relation with other humans."
"Decision-making."
"Caring for students, inspiring and instilling a love of learning in them. Being there for students and believing in their success when sometimes, nobody else does."
"Encouraging and relating to students. Inspiring their creativity and self-expression in their work."
"Understanding kids outside of academics. Seeing certain cues from kids and understanding what that means in terms of their willingness to learn that day. Example: A kid can visually show signs of having a bad day. I would navigate that and not assume that they are not being compliant. I would have a 1:1. and gauge what their capability at the moment."
"The role I play in inspiring and motivating young people to grow."
"Checking in with students about their mental health, interests and aspirations."
"The humanity element of person-to-person contact cannot and should not be completely replaced by AI. That would be very unhealthy for our mental well-being and happiness. Only humans can teach other humans SEL (authentically and effectively)."
"Working with students regarding SEL - learning from mistakes."
"Classroom management - including direction/motivation for students to actually learn."
"Identifying in real time struggling students and finding what works for them to move forward with their learning."
"Interacting with students and understanding their motivations, desires and their needs."
"Inspiring and encouraging growth in students."
"I like the ability to make an impact and relate to my students in such a way that making/learning from mistakes are normalized"
"Helping students and families navigate challenges. Helping them to have a growth mindset. Showing them tools they can use to inhance their learning."
"Recognition of student worth and work as they learn skills."
"considering a student as an individual person, encouraging them, being a guide/mentor and caring at a personal level"
"Human part is human contact, it's not instructing (that CAN be replaced) but raising, coaching, mentoring, exemplifying, and being parent partner in growing a whole human being capable of leadership and accomplishments in the age of AI."
"The social element of teaching"
"Student interaction. There is no replacement for communication between two humans."
"The relationship with students and the communication between individuals during the learning process."
"The personal relationships with students and faculty. Teaching the very human skills, social norms, character, etc."
"communication with students, some types of assessments, developing relationships"
"relationship-building and communication skills coaching"
"Promoting character development in students, modeling social interactions and building relationships"
"the face to face connection to students, non-verbal communication that happens along side the verbal communication, being able to adapt to the needs of my students in real time, accessibility"
"Connecting with students and helping them figure out how they learn best in multiple domains (academic, social, athletic, etc.). Which I think human teachers are more prepared to do since they themselves have had to do it."
"The most important thing is that personal connection and relationships allow us to see many more things than through a screen and even prevent things that are not visible from a distance. Social interaction also teaches and helps us tolerate and learn to share with others. Social isolation can lead to major bouts of depression and suicide in teenagers."
"Connections with the students, it's more than the academia but the life lesson through personal connections and social skills."
"The interpersonal connections made with students and the way that you model those connections with other human beings around you to create effective communication, collaboration, and empathetic relationships."
"Not a teacher, but connection, motivation and communication that sparks creativity and interest are the most important human aspects of teacher interaction, in my opinion."
"Relationships with students, helping students to build interpersonal skills such as discussion and presentation."
"The mentoring relationships, the "pastoral care," helping a student "get it." Can AI inspire a student the way a great teacher can? Or introduce people to things they had never thought or heard of? Will the whole world descend into an algorithmic echo chamber?"
"The connection and relationship between the teacher and the student. Anyone who has taught long enough knows that teaching isn't just a communication of ideas, concepts, numbers . skills, processes - it's an impartation of those and MORE from the teacher - who imparts heart, work ethic, vision, values, passion, excitement, and so much more"
"Personal connections with other humans. Socialization, kindness, empathy, caring, flexibility, independent thinking, well-being, encouragement, intellectual passion, in-person cooperative education, modeling humanity noble higher virtues."
"That Human interaction that has meaning when encouraging, teaching life skills, teaching social skills and showing genuine care and empathy."
"The mentoring, connection, and SEL development for kids."
"Letting students know that they matter and that someone accepts them, believes that they have a purpose, and cares enough to help them discover and craft their individual abilities, talents, and skills."
"The humanness of discerning data to make inferences would disappear. When you visit the doctor, do you trust the ones whose face remains in a computer, checking boxes to allow AI to determine what is wrong with you? Or do you like a doctor who is questioning and data gathering to determine your diagnosis? The part I enjoy most is listening to students share their ideas and come to consensus when problem solving. Human interaction and collaboration need to be modeled and practiced to be effective. Who will encourage our youth to dream, have hope, and plan for a future they can achieve. I am concerned our innovative thinking process will deteriorate and we will become a society of nonthinkers."
"The most human part of my work as a teacher is the moment of connection, that instant when a student feels seen, understood, and capable. It isn't found in the lesson plans or the technology, it's in the quiet moments of empathy and trust. When a student's eyes light up with understanding, or when laughter breaks the tension of learning, I'm reminded that education is deeply emotional work. AI might one day explain every concept perfectly, but it will never replace the warmth of patience, the encouragement that builds confidence, or the shared joy of discovery. Teaching is not just the transfer of knowledge, it's the nurturing of spirit. Even in a future shaped by technology, what will matter most is our ability to listen, to care, and to awaken humanity in one another."
"The most human part of my work as a teacher—the part that would still matter even if AI took over everything else—is the way I connect with students in real time. Not just academically, but personally. It’s the moment I notice a student’s silence and ask, “Are you okay?” Or when I tweak a bilingual flyer so it feels more welcoming to a student who’s nervous about signing up. It’s the way I use humor, memes, or even a bug crawling across the windowsill to spark curiosity and conversation. AI can generate resources, translate text, even simulate feedback. But it can’t feel the room. It can’t sense when a student needs encouragement, or when a joke will break the tension, or when a spontaneous story will make the lesson stick. That’s where I come in. I teach language, yes—but I also teach confidence, empathy, and belonging. I help students see themselves as capable communicators, not just in Spanish, but in life. That’s the part no machine can replicate. That’s the part I’ll never give up."
"The most human part of my work as a teacher is the relationships I build with students and the example I set for them. Teaching is not just about delivering content but about encouraging, challenging, and supporting young people as they grow. Students need someone who notices their struggles, celebrates their progress, and models qualities like resilience, fairness, and curiosity. AI may be able to generate answers or deliver lessons, but it cannot offer trust, guidance, or the moral formation that comes from human connection. What matters most is helping students not only learn how to solve problems, but also how to think critically, find meaning in their studies, and imagine the kind of person they want to become. That human formation is what teaching is truly about, and no technology can replace it."
"I would not work in a situation where AI did much in relationship to the teaching I do. If it does, I will seek jobs where it is not allowed or is highly restricted. Teaching kids - face to face/ synchronous is the most human part. Reading the student to enable the teacher to present materials in different ways and to find a way that allows the student to best access problem solving and learning skills and content based on their own tableau of neural and social strengths and differences is vital for a teacher to assist students. Overuse of any AI generates individuals who can guide/provide inputs to a system but is extremely negative to survival and competing in a challenging and quickly changing world outside of academia or city skyscrapers for those same individuals. For example: use of AI to answer test or homework questions, on one level, gets students good grades - but for ACT testing, State testing, etc., it leaves them high and dry since there is no mommy AI to answer everything for them reducing their chances of scoring well. On a somewhat deeper level, it will create an individual who can do a number of (mostly computer assisted of course) things but don't know much, certainly not content necessary to allow them to partake meaningfully in their government. On another level, oops, cell phone is out - no GPS! No immediate answers to questions. No Siri or Alexa to entertain them. Unhappy/weakening consequences become statistically more immanent. Finally, if they do survive, the ability to become programmed in a multitude of ways, slowly but surely, by those completely uninterested in their welfare in and of themselves as sentient persons, from bread and circuses level dumbing down entertainment, to having no real ability, often to understand, contribute to or care about the propaganda and memetic wars waging all around them, (which have existed from early history to today's governments, corporations and any other interest group who wish to control someone for some reason). EVERY part of teaching a child should be controlled or managed by a/a set of human and, insofar as is possible, a teacher or set of teachers able to teach in an unbiased fashion. Making work easier is not always positive or desirable. It can be extremely negative and debilitating to learners young and old. AI will, likely, act as a crutch to those who started out strong, making them weaker. That would be a horrible consequence for our children and grandchildren."
"Connections with humans! Teachers play a huge role in connecting with the social emotional needs of students. This includes food, clothing family relationships (or lack there of), how students socialize with each other and connect as friends and peers. The social piece you can never change for AI. Really getting to know the students and who they are individually can really impact how a student learns and if they thrive in the classroom."
"Some students have little support at home and school is the only place they find human connection and a reliable adult in their life. We teach social-emotional learning and connection (whether intentionally or not) and that is not something that AI can replace."
"Social emotional aspects of teaching, connection and relationship building, responding to the unpredictable,"
"Assessing social-emotional needs and how they affect a student's learning is the most important part of my work as an educator. For years, building relationships has been the cornerstone of education. You can't have a real relationship with AI. So much research supports the dire importance of face-to-face human connection!"
"interpersonal connection - seeing each other's humanity - serving as a model for young people (breaking stereotypes) - curiosity - learning with discomfort & from mistakes - lifting up values such as empathy, selflessness, generosity, gratitude, encouragement, celebration, cooperation, & partnership"
"Relationship-building - learning to understand and work well with many different kinds of people - empathy building and direct real world emotional and social support"
"For me, what matters most in teaching is not the transfer of information, but the human connection that nurtures growth, belonging and purpose. At its core, it is the relationship between teacher and student - the teacher who models values, guides learning and creates a space where students feel seen, heard, valued and safe. That connection is the most human part of teaching, the one we should preserve."
"Student-teacher interaction, interpersonal relationships, and the importance of empathy as an integral part of understanding and creating an environment that simply feels."
"Human connection, building empathy and compassion, nurturing the social/emotional, building character and resilience, promoting community"
"Knowing each student and understanding what they need to succeed as a student & building relationships with them so they know they are respected and supported."
"I think that the most important human part of the work that I do as an educator comes from the relationships that I form with my students. Despite the accessibility of AI resources, many of my students would much rather hear feedback from me about their work or have a conversation with me about steps moving forward. Relationships are a big part of teaching, and I feel like AI cannot be a subsitute for those connections. Additionally, I am a language teacher, and so much of language isn't just right or wrong, and there is often a lot of "grey area" where many different ways of saying something can be acceptable based on context. I feel as a human, I am more capable of analyzing those situations better and helping to guide students toward effective real-world conversations in their language of study."
"I answered this survey based on my school, which is an independent private school whose mission focuses on connection and interpersonal relationships to help students develop into adults. In other schools I've worked at, this wasn't true. But here I feel that reflection about the person you want to be, your impact on community (both local and global), and defining what meaningful success looks like for you individually instead of just grades / trophies / money makes this job a very human endeavor."
"In a world where AI "might do almost everything," the most human part of my work -- connecting meaningfully with students, helping them find their distinct voices as speakers and writers, and observing the absolute joy they feel after having created something unique, distinct, and beautiful -- will likely die."
"The most human part of my work as a teacher is the relationship-building and trust that happens with my students. AI can generate lessons, assess essays, or provide personalized practice, but it cannot replicate the way I see, know, and care for my students as whole people: their stories, cultures, struggles, and hopes. Even in a world where AI could handle nearly every technical task of teaching, what would still matter most is my ability to inspire confidence, create belonging, and affirm identity for emergent bilingual students. Many of my students carry the weight of navigating a new language, a new country, or a school system that doesn't always see them. What keeps them showing up, trying, and believing they can succeed is not just the lesson: it's the way I connect with them, adapt when they're frustrated, celebrate their growth, and remind them they are capable of more than they imagined. AI can provide scaffolds, but it cannot offer human presence, empathy, and love (the things that make learning feel worth it). That's the part of teaching that will always be irreplaceable."
"A teacher is far more than a tool to prepare and deliver lessons. A teacher creates an environment where students feel safe, supported, and connected. Building meaningful relationships through consistent, face-to-face interactions allows students to thrive, especially those who struggle. When teachers take the time to truly know their students, both inside and outside the classroom, they foster trust, motivation, and growth. For this reason, I do not believe that a teacher can ever be fully replaced by AI or achieve the same depth of human connection and learning outcomes."
"Providing a human and personalized approach to a student's growth, connecting with them and motivating them so they don't feel like just another drone attached to a computer. Making creative connections, bringing a subject to life, creating engaging experiences that go beyond just staring at a screen. Facilitating conversations, helping students connect and share their opinions, not through a screen."
"Building relationship skills, a friendly helpful voice, personal knowledge and experience, feeling of student/teacher collaboration."
"Building relationships with students that safe and supportive for young people."
"Connections with students, making them feel seen and valued"
"Making positive and supportive relationships with students, teachers, and stakeholders. Mental and emotional support is something that should continue to be done by humans."
"Being a sounding board for students that just need to talk out a problem. Giving encouragement and saying, "It's Ok to Fail.""
"The ability to reach out and give a physical human touch of encouragement and reassurance (high-five, hug, etc.). Teachers can still curate some knowledge, but maybe we'd all become therapists or coaches instead."
"Encouragement to break out of internalized messages."
"Dealing with our students as humans not machines to be programmed with specified content. Helping students navigate the individualized issues that might derail educational progress. Being a cheerleader and life coach to encourage internal desire for growth and help navigate how to get where they'd like to go."
"Encouraging the personal excitement of learning, how to be a good human and think of others, how to consider the individual's impact on the world and inspire positive changes."
"personal interactions with students about their lives, their families, their goals, etc. and the encouragement that comes from a human being cheering you on for your successes and helping you move forward when you are struggling"
"Encouraging the heart of the student, especially when it comes to exploring who they can become. Human students are still becoming human adults, and they need human role models and sources of encouragement on their developmental journey."
"Teaching the "soft skills" of empathy, compassion, exploring purpose, as well as teaching problem-solving skills."
"I think helping student to become there best selves including, but not limited to, teaching empathy, engagement, interpersonal skills, wellness, communication, critical thinking and literacies such as media, online, AI, etc, is all of our responsibilities and can't be replaced."
"Getting to know the student's strengths, interests, and values."
"Helping students learn to express themselves and their own ideas, cogently and with integrity, based on actual learning. Presently, students are just using AI to cheat"
"The in person interaction and communication with the students. Being able to give them hands on skills that they need to be successful in the real world. None of that can be done over a computer."
"Encouraging and getting my students to believe in themselves and in their ability to learn. Middle school is a time of major self doubt and until students can conquer that challenge they will struggle academically and socially."
"Modeling and teaching resilience, creativity, confidence, interpersonal skills, teamship skills, kindness, and empathy"
"I don't view any part of my job as better if automated by AI. I believe my role as a teacher as a whole is human, and you cannot strip down teaching into some narrow core part that will be better without "all the rest". This is a leading question."
"Classroom instruction and shaping of the experiential way in which students interact with content. Fostering and encouraging student potential and helping students to avoid self-discouragement and self-destructive behavior."
"Creating an ethos and work ethic in the classroom. Anyone can look up anything on the internet, that much has been true for decades. AI has just made it easier, but can it motivate a student to produce authentic work because they're proud of it? Can it help them look competent in a job interview or simple conversation without reading off a screen? Can it turn them into productive, self-reliant, and conscientious humans? That's where we come in. At its core, AI will never be human, thus it can't teach humans to learn resilience from failure, or to experience and savor the joy of hard work come to fruition, or the tenacity of pursuing something because its your passion. The hysteria of generative AI in the classroom is reminiscent of the same hysteria when the internet started to become more popular, when I was in high school. It's a tool with amazing capabilities, but at the end of the day it's just a tool. I don't credit the internet with any success I've had, I thank my teachers for making the lessons I've learned memorable and instilling the pride I have in the work to which I put my name."
"The ability to read and hear the human tones and emotions in their answers and responses, and that intuition, in a sense, to understand that even when students or parents say things are good, but you can see they aren't, and you have to push more to understand. Working with students with trauma and complex backgrounds or rough homes, they don't always just fit the natural or expected pattern, and we as educators have to use that intuition based on what we know of them and reading those human interactions that computers don't see. This happens so much more in education than people realize, and I think that is a concern I have, which is to support that."
"The opportunity to talk and listen to students feelings, worries, concerns, goals and provide a safe place for them. Human contact"
"Feedback in the moment - body language of learning - sense of community, being seen and thus being known as a student."
"Being a human listening to the hearts of other humans, and helping students find their own original voice as writers and speakers and use that voice effectively. Also, just to say: if AI does everything else, I will quit teaching. I'm not working as a teacher to enable a machine to talk to machines and to turn my students into cogs."
"AI can give information, but it can't reach students. It can't listen when students talk about their hopes, fears, and struggles."
"The most human part of teaching is being a teacher. In other words, understanding that every has a lot that they bring to the table and learns in, some slightly, others not, different ways. There is no scenario where an AI will be able to overcome the breadth of skills needed to address the needs of students."
"Sitting and talking with students. Giving support for academics and social/family issues. Demonstrating how to be focused on one thing, or how to be bored and waste a little time, moments that seem to be disappearing and that require imagination and self-reliance are rare."
"Emotional and social intelligence"
"Human contact, support and socialization skills"
"Helping young students with social and emotional skills (emotional regulation, self-awareness, interpersonal interactions) that allow them to thrive academically."
"My daily interperson interactions with my students would not be possible if we leaned into AI as an education tool. Since COVID, my school has tried to pull away from technology use as much as possible to descrease student screentime and support interpersonal communication skills. Shifting to more digitized learning would be a catastrophe."
"Classroom management with daily social emotional lessons"
"Seeing and engaging with the students physically, to support their life skills, and social-emotional well-being."
"Social Emotional Interactions"
"Being able to socially, emotionally and academically support my students."
"Social responsiveness, the ability to gauge a student's feeling state and encourage/push them to achieve what is reasonable for them today, and to back off before they get too frustrated, adapting my strategy to the individual student in a very intuitive and hard to quantify in data sort of way."
"Pushing kids to go deeper in their ideas/analyses of (in my case) literature, facilitating discussion and debate, helping kids feel good about themselves, and not to sweat the small stuff."
"Teachers have the responsibility of educating each individual. In addition to this, educators have to check in on every student every day. In many cases the student is struggling with an internal conflict and needs this personal interaction to ease their worry or motivate them to stay diligent. There are some cases where the slightest change in a child could be a serious indicator of something more where intervention is needed. The phrase "it takes a village" highlights the importance of a community. Educators not only serve as academic facilitators but also as the first line of support, they play in integral part in the "village"."
"The most human part of my work as a teacher personal attention, support and encouragement, especially in the early childhood ages."
"Supporting students with personalized language and emotion through honest feedback and encouragement."
"Nurturing a love of learning and an inclination toward rigorous cognition."
"Building human, person-to-person connections where students learn compassion, empathy, and critical thinking skills."
"1.Relationship, empathy - connecting with the dignity of each person - requires humans 2. Nuance - complex situations, needs, complex problem solving - requires humans"
"The most human part of my work as a teacher is facilitating discussion and content comprehension. While tests and assessments are the tools we're given, my connection to my students, understanding their level and growth potential, gives me an advantage over an AI. I can challenge my students' work and work at the same pace with them."
"My ability to facilitate real-time, in-person conversations with students that encourage them to think deeply, listen to their peers, build meaningful connections, and course-correct misperceptions and/or deepen wisdom."
"The humanness of discerning data to make inferences would disappear. When you visit the doctor, do you trust the ones whose face remains in a computer, checking boxes to allow AI to determine what is wrong with you? Or do you like a doctor who is questioning and data gathering to determine your diagnosis? The part I enjoy most is listening to students share their ideas and come to consensus when problem solving. Human interaction and collaboration need to be modeled and practiced to be effective. Who will encourage our youth to dream, have hope, and plan for a future they can achieve. I am concerned our innovative thinking process will deteriorate and we will become a society of nonthinkers."
"A world where AI "does almost everything" sounds absolutely horrible, especially when we are talking about education. AI is not well suited to teaching. Let AI pick boxes at the Amazon warehouse and check out groceries so that people can be free to be creative, teach, read, and make art. I teach students with a wide range of needs, backgrounds, disabilities... that they learn from me is predicated on my relationship with them as people. It takes social care to establish trust and get to know what they need, how to speak to them, what will motivate them, when to be worried. You can't have a relationship with a computer. I am a school librarian and it is my job to order books and vet whether they are high quality and appropriate for my student population. This seems clerical but THIS MUST BE DONE BY A PERSON. It relies on other librarians and professional reviewers who are critically reviewing books for quality, authenticity, literary merit. AI is notoriously horrible at producing or judging literary merit or craft. It is also my job to protect my student's privacy and offer personalized recommendations based on their needs and likes. This is an art that takes time and lots of reading and trial and error to perfect. I would not trust an algorithm with a bad privacy track record to do this without the potential of outing students who are reading books with queer content, for example. Finally it is my job to TEACH DATA LITERACY, information literacy, digital literacy, and AI LITERACY. To teach students how to properly evaluate information and vet sources and think critically and be skeptical and verify what they read. This also takes a lot of trust building and convincing, a human art, since students come in with the assumption that these things may not be important and adults are overstating the importance of being wary of AI, misinformation, and that they need to do their own work and cite their sources."
"The most human part of my work as a teacher—the part that would still matter even if AI took over everything else—is the way I connect with students in real time. Not just academically, but personally. It’s the moment I notice a student’s silence and ask, “Are you okay?” Or when I tweak a bilingual flyer so it feels more welcoming to a student who’s nervous about signing up. It’s the way I use humor, memes, or even a bug crawling across the windowsill to spark curiosity and conversation. AI can generate resources, translate text, even simulate feedback. But it can’t feel the room. It can’t sense when a student needs encouragement, or when a joke will break the tension, or when a spontaneous story will make the lesson stick. That’s where I come in. I teach language, yes—but I also teach confidence, empathy, and belonging. I help students see themselves as capable communicators, not just in Spanish, but in life. That’s the part no machine can replicate. That’s the part I’ll never give up."
"The most human part of my work as a teacher is the relationships I build with students and the example I set for them. Teaching is not just about delivering content but about encouraging, challenging, and supporting young people as they grow. Students need someone who notices their struggles, celebrates their progress, and models qualities like resilience, fairness, and curiosity. AI may be able to generate answers or deliver lessons, but it cannot offer trust, guidance, or the moral formation that comes from human connection. What matters most is helping students not only learn how to solve problems, but also how to think critically, find meaning in their studies, and imagine the kind of person they want to become. That human formation is what teaching is truly about, and no technology can replace it."
"I would not work in a situation where AI did much in relationship to the teaching I do. If it does, I will seek jobs where it is not allowed or is highly restricted. Teaching kids - face to face/ synchronous is the most human part. Reading the student to enable the teacher to present materials in different ways and to find a way that allows the student to best access problem solving and learning skills and content based on their own tableau of neural and social strengths and differences is vital for a teacher to assist students. Overuse of any AI generates individuals who can guide/provide inputs to a system but is extremely negative to survival and competing in a challenging and quickly changing world outside of academia or city skyscrapers for those same individuals. For example: use of AI to answer test or homework questions, on one level, gets students good grades - but for ACT testing, State testing, etc., it leaves them high and dry since there is no mommy AI to answer everything for them reducing their chances of scoring well. On a somewhat deeper level, it will create an individual who can do a number of (mostly computer assisted of course) things but don't know much, certainly not content necessary to allow them to partake meaningfully in their government. On another level, oops, cell phone is out - no GPS! No immediate answers to questions. No Siri or Alexa to entertain them. Unhappy/weakening consequences become statistically more immanent. Finally, if they do survive, the ability to become programmed in a multitude of ways, slowly but surely, by those completely uninterested in their welfare in and of themselves as sentient persons, from bread and circuses level dumbing down entertainment, to having no real ability, often to understand, contribute to or care about the propaganda and memetic wars waging all around them, (which have existed from early history to today's governments, corporations and any other interest group who wish to control someone for some reason). EVERY part of teaching a child should be controlled or managed by a/a set of human and, insofar as is possible, a teacher or set of teachers able to teach in an unbiased fashion. Making work easier is not always positive or desirable. It can be extremely negative and debilitating to learners young and old. AI will, likely, act as a crutch to those who started out strong, making them weaker. That would be a horrible consequence for our children and grandchildren."
"Personal connection, taking into account all of the human parts of our students. I have to input and readjust 3-10 times things in AI before I can actually use it. Our students don't know that - just like writing drafts. They want one and done."
"Tough question. Teachers are guides that help students unravel the mysteries of the world around them and see the connections among different subjects and fields. We are often positioned well to provide human context. We are also the emotional caretakers of our young charges. This may be the most "human part" of our job. My favorite part is the way students eyes light up when they grasp a complex topic. That part may eventually become the domain of AI. I do my best, but I am not great at the emotional support, so I may need to be open to exploring new careers in the future."
"Developing meaningful relationships with students and developing essential skills: critical thinking, meaningful collaboration, cogent communication, and creative problem-solving"
"Connecting and building relationships with my students and their families, forging partnerships with parents to help their children become more resilient and stronger critical thinkers in a world blossoming with disinformation."
"Relationships, creativity, critical thinking"
"You can never replace a teacher with AI. Teachers are vital for learning because they build relationships and foster a love of learning in their students. AI will never be able to do this in a healthy and productive way. Teaching as a whole is what matters most, and we should not even be discussing a world where "AI might do almost everything else." As an educator, this question is insulting."
"The most human part of my work as a teacher is being able to adapt to the learning needs of each student on a case-by-case, day-by-day basis. My ability to do this successfully relies on the critical skill of making connections with each of my students upon which to build a positive, collaborative relationship with them."
"To encourage critical thinking, analysis, evaluation of information and sources, and nurturing creativity."
"Encouraging the personal excitement of learning, how to be a good human and think of others, how to consider the individual's impact on the world and inspire positive changes."
"I think helping student to become there best selves including, but not limited to, teaching empathy, engagement, interpersonal skills, wellness, communication, critical thinking and literacies such as media, online, AI, etc, is all of our responsibilities and can't be replaced."
"Teaching critical, ethical, and independent thinking skills -- Recognizing how language shapes how we think, how it gets used by humans to move or manipulate, how it can make change in the world or misrepresent it, how it can bring what can only be imagined into the real world."
"Teaching students how to think critically and with empathy and integrity"
"Coaching students through their own opportunities for independent critical thinking. As a teacher I know when to provide assistance, when to back away, and when to remove the training wheels entirely regarding student's learning opportunities and chances to develop content knowledge, work ethic, and constructive life skills. AI has not yet mastered the ability to detect, evaluate, and execute that critical thinking step on its own."
"Helping students learn to express themselves and their own ideas, cogently and with integrity, based on actual learning. Presently, students are just using AI to cheat"
"Helping students/people think. Think about their struggles, think about their strengths, think how to leverage their resources, think about their future, think about themselves, think about others. Then, they can plug their thoughts in to AI to get action plans or new ideas. But they have to start with their own thoughts..."
"Thinking, planning, responding."
"The most human part of my work as a teacher is teaching students how to access & experience the deep, interesting, and illuminating ideas in works of Literature, and teaching them to think critically about the world using these texts, and teaching them to express themselves. I do not believe AI can accomplish ANY of these goals."
"Assistive technology has absolutely transformed lives for people with disabilities: screen readers, speech-to-text tools, mobility aids, and more have opened doors that were once closed. But you're right to point out that when these tools are used without intention or discipline, they can sometimes become crutches rather than bridges. But here's the nuance: the issue isn't the tech itself -it's how it's used. A person with a strong will to learn can use assistive tools to accelerate their growth. Someone without that drive might use the same tools to avoid challenges. So maybe the real question is: how do we design and implement technology in ways that encourage learning, not replace it?"
"Creating an ethos and work ethic in the classroom. Anyone can look up anything on the internet, that much has been true for decades. AI has just made it easier, but can it motivate a student to produce authentic work because they're proud of it? Can it help them look competent in a job interview or simple conversation without reading off a screen? Can it turn them into productive, self-reliant, and conscientious humans? That's where we come in. At its core, AI will never be human, thus it can't teach humans to learn resilience from failure, or to experience and savor the joy of hard work come to fruition, or the tenacity of pursuing something because its your passion. The hysteria of generative AI in the classroom is reminiscent of the same hysteria when the internet started to become more popular, when I was in high school. It's a tool with amazing capabilities, but at the end of the day it's just a tool. I don't credit the internet with any success I've had, I thank my teachers for making the lessons I've learned memorable and instilling the pride I have in the work to which I put my name."
"My ability to interact with the students and guide them towards goals that they are most committed. Providing them a safe environment to discuss both the benefits and potential, observed dangers of AI, the developers, and the impact these tools may have on their own future."
"Personal interaction with students. In-person encouragement, tutoring, field trips, etc. Students also need personalized learning. As a social studies teacher, I make sure that objectives are relateable and topic of conversation so that students feel personally involved or sparks an interest. Straight up lecture or reading won't do this. Facilitated debates and socratic discussion are imperative for critical thinking and development that should be led by a teacher and not a bot."
"The most human part of my work as a teacher, even in an Ai world, is evaluating the content generated by Ai. For example, we still need to teach people to read critically, to question critically, and respond and think and build off of what we are using Ai for. Ai is a partner, not a substitute for our own thoughts."
"The most human part of teaching is being a teacher. In other words, understanding that every has a lot that they bring to the table and learns in, some slightly, others not, different ways. There is no scenario where an AI will be able to overcome the breadth of skills needed to address the needs of students."
"There are questions that come from students during a lesson that AI cannot always explain taking into account the whole student. Real world examples that draw upon my personal knowledge and experience cannot be generated by AI-at least I hope not."
"Coaching the students on a personal level, relating to them as humans with various experiences. The ability to think critically."
"Every part of my job is human and essential. Developing mechanical skills, building age appropriate critical thinking and cognitive development, improving language acquisition and comprehension, and guiding creativity. Learning is a relational experience."
"The most human part of my work is being able to answer / engage in conversations with students. For instance, students may ask a follow up question to a given concept, and the back and forth and exploration into 'what if' is something that I don't think can be replicated by AI. Teachers / educators can prompt critical thinking and exploration in a way that AI cannot do. Currently, AI will just provide a response to any question and then ask it's own follow-up, so students do not have the opportunity to engage in critical thinking / problem solving. In addition, social-emotional support is also the most human part of my work that absolutely cannot be replicated."
"Helping students communicate effectively and think critically, building their human intelligence - a combination of cognitive, emotional, physical, social, and moral intellect -"
"Knowing my students well, giving the human support that they need and to be able to answer their questions."
"The question answers itself. Being human."
"Teaching students critical thinking skills and compassion for others."
"Helping students develop their unique voices as writers and critical thinkers"
"Teaching critical thinking"
"Guiding questions and seeing students as a whole individual."
"Providing opportunities for collaboration, guiding critical thinking, fostering individual creativity."
"Prompt engineering is crucial, as well as ensuring that what is generated is looked at through a critical lens. If it will impact our job security, then please help us to learn the skills necessary to stay current and relevant. I am not sure resonance can be reached through AI - in the way that resonance can be reached in the presence (even virtually) with another being - doesn't have to be human."
"Human interaction is critical in my role as a teacher."
"Human interaction is critical to the success of any student. You cannot deviate from the human factor as that will be a critical tool in improving student outcomes."
"Helping them navigate the nuance and complexity of thinking and understanding. Teaching them to think, question, and discern."
"helping students interpret, analyze and synthesize information received and applying that to a variety of situations"
"I would not work in a situation where AI did much in relationship to the teaching I do. If it does, I will seek jobs where it is not allowed or is highly restricted. Teaching kids - face to face/ synchronous is the most human part. Reading the student to enable the teacher to present materials in different ways and to find a way that allows the student to best access problem solving and learning skills and content based on their own tableau of neural and social strengths and differences is vital for a teacher to assist students. Overuse of any AI generates individuals who can guide/provide inputs to a system but is extremely negative to survival and competing in a challenging and quickly changing world outside of academia or city skyscrapers for those same individuals. For example: use of AI to answer test or homework questions, on one level, gets students good grades - but for ACT testing, State testing, etc., it leaves them high and dry since there is no mommy AI to answer everything for them reducing their chances of scoring well. On a somewhat deeper level, it will create an individual who can do a number of (mostly computer assisted of course) things but don't know much, certainly not content necessary to allow them to partake meaningfully in their government. On another level, oops, cell phone is out - no GPS! No immediate answers to questions. No Siri or Alexa to entertain them. Unhappy/weakening consequences become statistically more immanent. Finally, if they do survive, the ability to become programmed in a multitude of ways, slowly but surely, by those completely uninterested in their welfare in and of themselves as sentient persons, from bread and circuses level dumbing down entertainment, to having no real ability, often to understand, contribute to or care about the propaganda and memetic wars waging all around them, (which have existed from early history to today's governments, corporations and any other interest group who wish to control someone for some reason). EVERY part of teaching a child should be controlled or managed by a/a set of human and, insofar as is possible, a teacher or set of teachers able to teach in an unbiased fashion. Making work easier is not always positive or desirable. It can be extremely negative and debilitating to learners young and old. AI will, likely, act as a crutch to those who started out strong, making them weaker. That would be a horrible consequence for our children and grandchildren."
"In a world where AI is evolving and becoming more prevalent, teachers will still serve as the empathetic and critical thinking partner with students and school communities."
"Great teachers extend a hand...Can AI do that?"
"Nurturing a love of learning and an inclination toward rigorous cognition."
"Teaching students to think strategically, creatively, logically, and efficiently."
"Classroom management"
"Learning for knowledge, as well as skills development."
"My main job is to help students learn in relation with other humans."
"Live, in-person interaction with the students during class"
"One-on-one contact is one of the most important things that teachers do, and they provide this daily to all their students. If AI does everything, what will become of that contact? Who will provide that to students, and what will happen to that part of education (the one that teaches humans how to "human" from a very young age?"
"Holding students to high expectations and requiring them to demonstrate independent mastery before they can advance."
"AI will never be able to look another human in the eye, explain to them *that* they matter and *why* they matter, and mean it."
"Create. AI steals, but with nothing creative to steal, it can steal nothing."
"teaching"
"as a teacher you know your students very well, as a whole person, not just a learner. AI is not able to have this holistic approach"
"The most human part of my work as a teacher is the ability to pivot and respond to students in real-time."
"Teaching in early learning are irrepleceable."
"Teaching directly to the kids bs virtually"
"I think I remain the best person to see what my students need, how I can adapt and above all, how I can challenge them and make them realise they have more abilities than they think. Students need real humans to give them guidance."
"The daily human interaction of teacher and student. AI can not replace that."
"observing and knowing students and then iteratively challenging them in ways unique to them"
"All teaching is human. There is nothing in teaching that AI can do better than I."
"Teacher engagement with students, and providing the students the proper guidance for their formation."
"Every part of being a teacher requires a human."
"All things that relate to teaching & learning. Teaching & learning (and schooling) is a human endeavor and should not be denuded otherwise."
"The most human aspect of teaching lies in choosing the most appropriate learning method for each student."
"The knowledge I have about how my students learn best and how to individualize instruction. Also the input that I communicate to AI to best create independence of learning for my students."
"Knowing our students' stories and adjusting instruction accordingly... AI can't do that as well as a human can."
"Providing instruction /Teaching"
"Having agility and changing things on the fly as a teacher. The most human part of being a teacher is looking at my students' faces and being able to tell if I need to pivot or revise."
"I am concerned that we will rely on too much of technology and won't be efficient with pen and pencil."
"AI cannot do almost everything else...it only allows a student to cheat."
"Laughing with the students, getting to know each other and learn together. Teaching is an interactive profession. After 20+ years, not one year has been the same because the students have been different every year. Their needs, their interests, their passions - all different, so teaching must be adaptable to the students in the class."
"Students need help learning how to engage with other humans. Being with a facilitators is one of the only thing I have seen help that. Async work for young students does not teach them these skills well. Direct engagement with others and helpful modeling (beyond watching a video) are essential. Practice must take place in and outside of the classroom."
"Teaching is a fully wrap-around role at my school. I also worry about the implications of too much screen time."
"AI can get you about 80-90% of the way to meeting student needs and it can do it faster and more efficiently. However, there is still a need for revision, accuracy-checks, and prompt engineering to fully utilize the tools available. I think teachers should race, not chase the changes that AI brings. For those that worry, I would remind them that many schools didn't go fully 1-1 until COVID lockdowns in 2020, 13 years after the iphone's release. Students have computers in their pockets that more powerful than the machines they are working with in the classroom. Education tends to be a slow adapting field in the k-12 field."
"Adapting to students instead of forcing them to meet us / computer"
"The guiding/coaching aspect of things and being the one who's been there and can bring the human touch to the process still"
"Making the content exciting for students using my creativity and style to do so."
"The instruction part"
"working with teachers and students regularly"
"Actually recognizing a student as an individual and being able to see when a student is actually learning, and when they are just "checking a box" to seem as if they are learning. Unless it AI is cultivated in such a way that makes cheating impossible, the over-use of AI will lead to further drops in literacy and mathematics scores across the board."
"student interactions"
"Creating lessons that effectively reach students in a thoughtful and deeper way//interacting with students in a classroom setting//interacting with students on fieldtrips and such beyond the walls of the classroom"
"My ability to bridge the gap between what the AI produces/recommends and the actual needs of my students. The expertise I bring to knowing what is good and what is bad about what the AI offers."
"Encouraging students, helping students work together, using my observations of their personality and incorporating that into their learning style"
"engagement"
"Interaction with students. I teach online and we still have live interaction with students regularly."
"One on one instruction working through processes collaboratively rather than generating answers."
"The key word here is human part! Humans should not be removed from the "work" a teacher does. It would be inhumane!"
"The organic discussions, variety of strategies, methods, techniques, connecting through interactions, etc. Too much screen time is negatively impacting many in some unfortunate ways, despite some good, time on the screen has downsides in ways, too."
"In-person connections and bringing my subject to life through coversations and discussions. No AI can replace this!"
"Relationships with students, helping students to build interpersonal skills such as discussion and presentation."
"Opening the world beyond my classroom to students, allowing them to become part of a global society focused on ideas relevant to the advancement of all. Collaborating with global educators and working together to find a way to connect our students for authentic discussions."
"Teachers inspire students to care and provide hands on, in person experiences."
"The relationships I build with my students and their families. The work ethic and values I convey to my students. Play based learning, peer learning and cross age learning."
"AI cannot understand the child. AI can feign at connection, and play at relationship, but only another person understands human struggle, understands pain, understands joy, and what it means to struggle. AI will never be able to do that. I have taught computer science to students for the past 4 years, and have been a lifelong nerd, what I always tell students or just people in general about computers is this. Computers are stupid. They know nothing on their own, short of what you supply to them. What a computer is is faster. That is it. The computer or AI can do the research quickly, it can write the paper quickly, it can even grade or write a lesson plan faster than I can, but what it cannot do is pivot, it cannot adapt in the way a human can. We thought that when Google took off that that was the end of the teaching profession also, but it only allowed us to elevate the profession and the practice. With AI we need to be careful, as with any disruptive technology it runs the risk of being detrimental to student learning, but if we seize now on legislation and determine the direction for ourselves then we have a chance of not losing the humanity of education."
"The most human part of my work as a teacher is facilitating discussion and content comprehension. While tests and assessments are the tools we're given, my connection to my students, understanding their level and growth potential, gives me an advantage over an AI. I can challenge my students' work and work at the same pace with them."
"My ability to facilitate real-time, in-person conversations with students that encourage them to think deeply, listen to their peers, build meaningful connections, and course-correct misperceptions and/or deepen wisdom."
"The humanness of discerning data to make inferences would disappear. When you visit the doctor, do you trust the ones whose face remains in a computer, checking boxes to allow AI to determine what is wrong with you? Or do you like a doctor who is questioning and data gathering to determine your diagnosis? The part I enjoy most is listening to students share their ideas and come to consensus when problem solving. Human interaction and collaboration need to be modeled and practiced to be effective. Who will encourage our youth to dream, have hope, and plan for a future they can achieve. I am concerned our innovative thinking process will deteriorate and we will become a society of nonthinkers."
"Group work! Having students work together to solve problems or complete a project. I don't care what technology plays a role in the classroom, as long as students still are able to collaborate in person with one another."
"The human connection - developing a solid rapport and mentoring students. Storytelling through life experiences and being able to share relevant and practical applications with students, and connect it to the real-world and teaching relevant life-skills. Socratic seminars & discussions of current events."
"As a teacher, the role of mentor, leader, parent and confidant is extremely important, ebbing able to "coach" my students through assignments, and life experiences is a humanistic trait that is still foundational on the development of your minds. The person to person interacts thought the curriculum enables all at different levels and provides a sense of inclusion, value and worth that cannot be "expressed" through an AI chatbot. The relationship is what matters."
"Relationship with learners, learning together on projects that have real meaning"
"Forming connections that establish a safe learning environment. Speaking directly with young people, looking for signs of distress and anticipating what they need in a moment. Making students laugh with one another, creating space for movement and wellness in a learning environment. Curiosity about their lives they leave and go back to each day. Opening my mind to learn from them and their lived experience. Storytelling and literacy building through game play, conversations, challenges discussions, debates and activities that create sparks of joy in a classroom."
"Building relationships with students, creating psychologically safe environments for them to feel free to try and fail and try again, helping them to feel seen and valued, and to recognize their own strengths."
"Students are more engaged in their learning when they have a safe environment where they have positive relationships with trusted adults who can support them. Students need in person, multi-sensory approaches to build skills."
"Providing a human and personalized approach to a student's growth, connecting with them and motivating them so they don't feel like just another drone attached to a computer. Making creative connections, bringing a subject to life, creating engaging experiences that go beyond just staring at a screen. Facilitating conversations, helping students connect and share their opinions, not through a screen."
"being a storyteller in the classroom and asking higher-order , DoK questions that help connect student learning to the real world"
"Knowing my students on a personal level. accepting their personalities and meeting them where they are as learners and collaborators, to facilitate their learning and discovery along the way."
"The ability to diagnosis students academic struggles based on contact and discussion over assessments."
"creating that classroom environment that motivates kids to learn in real time with a real person!"
"Facilitating a positive classroom environment where students respect each other and the learning process and are willing to take academic risks"
"The human- in person- mentorship that happens between a student and teacher in their learning environment."
"engement & interaction, in terms of librarianship - "information bumping", i.e., unplanned interactions & in-person spontateous information/communication exchanges. all the "personalized" learning has to potentioal to create algorithmic bubbles and silo both students and instructors"
"Helping students/people think. Think about their struggles, think about their strengths, think how to leverage their resources, think about their future, think about themselves, think about others. Then, they can plug their thoughts in to AI to get action plans or new ideas. But they have to start with their own thoughts..."
"Knowing my kids and interacting with them in a meaningful way - whether attending to personal needs or planting/cultivating seeds of understanding."
"Every part of my work as a teacher is human, because I am a human and so are my students. A world where AI does "almost everything else" is not a world where I would want to be a teacher because it would mean no facilitating class discussions, analyzing children's play, encouraging exploration in nature, or the caring of class plants or pets. It would mean no book club discussions, no hands-on math manipulatives, no nimble on-my-feet thinking about how to change a lesson in time with the students' thinking."
"I know my students, so I create lessons and activities that cater to the skills and abilities of my students. In the classroom, I know when we need to spend more time on an activity -- or less time -- and can compensate on-the-fly. I also build future of work skills into my activities: working in groups, brainstorming methods, design thinking/engineering design, helping each other, etc."
"I create the physical setting for a learning experience -- I am a party planner in a way that an AI can never be. I control setting in crucial physical and interpersonal components that an AI cannot contribute to. I design tasks, sure, provide instruction and feedback, but I manipulate the setting in many other crucial ways: orchestrating group work, picking lighting and music, responding to nonverbal cues from students about their status and wellbeing in real time. There are certainly many things AI can do more effectively and faster than I can. But the things I am most proud of (teaching a course in which students did original research in astronomy) are not things that an AI could do. AI will not help project partners to work productively, and it will not take students on field trips to interact with the world outside of school."
"COMPASSION and the ability to differentiate between "valid" and "credible" sources and those that are not."
"Thinking, planning, responding."
"The most human part of my work is in the design of the curriculum and my pedagogical approach. I design lessons that reflect the needs of my students rather than follow a scripted curriculum that is too rigid and inflexible. I require reflection and provide authentic feedback which makes each school year uniquely different."
"understanding students well enough to teach resilience in learning and adapt learning to each individual student. Students need direct human interaction to develop resilience, persistence, problem-solving solving and overcome learned helplessness. Students need to interact with humans to learn humanity and relying too much on AI would greatly lessen that."
"I consider the most human part of my job the creation and delivery of lessons. The in-classroom time where I spend directly engaged with students, teaching material that has been designed by myself or other educators. This time cannot be replicated by an adaptive AI program."
"Teachers will always need to adapt AI integration to the needs of their particular students, regardless of how much these systems improve. Teachers will still need to be the architects of productive struggle in the classroom and help students reflect on their learning goals to design a plan for their pursuit."
"To continue guiding my students, my teaching, my assessment. To continue seeing my students a world learners and encouraging them to focus on real world learning experiences. And I don't believe AI will do almost everything else."
"The most human part of my work as a teacher is teaching students how to access & experience the deep, interesting, and illuminating ideas in works of Literature, and teaching them to think critically about the world using these texts, and teaching them to express themselves. I do not believe AI can accomplish ANY of these goals."
"Classroom instruction and shaping of the experiential way in which students interact with content. Fostering and encouraging student potential and helping students to avoid self-discouragement and self-destructive behavior."
"Authentic reading, discussion, and writing without the interference of nonhuman input."
"Assistive technology has absolutely transformed lives for people with disabilities: screen readers, speech-to-text tools, mobility aids, and more have opened doors that were once closed. But you're right to point out that when these tools are used without intention or discipline, they can sometimes become crutches rather than bridges. But here's the nuance: the issue isn't the tech itself -it's how it's used. A person with a strong will to learn can use assistive tools to accelerate their growth. Someone without that drive might use the same tools to avoid challenges. So maybe the real question is: how do we design and implement technology in ways that encourage learning, not replace it?"
"The most human part? The kids. We even read "Who Can Replace a Man?" today. Machines, like AI, are helpful...mostly. But they're only as good as their programmers, repairers, and users. Teachers still have to know their students and be able to guide the selection of AI tools, appropriate use of AI tools."
"My ability to interact with the students and guide them towards goals that they are most committed. Providing them a safe environment to discuss both the benefits and potential, observed dangers of AI, the developers, and the impact these tools may have on their own future."
"Personal interaction with students. In-person encouragement, tutoring, field trips, etc. Students also need personalized learning. As a social studies teacher, I make sure that objectives are relateable and topic of conversation so that students feel personally involved or sparks an interest. Straight up lecture or reading won't do this. Facilitated debates and socratic discussion are imperative for critical thinking and development that should be led by a teacher and not a bot."
"The most human part of my job in the ability to read students when they are unsure. A lot of my "teaching" comes down to looking at my students to determine what they understand or don't understand. Also, I analyze their work often, and don't just look at the their answer, which really helps me determine what they understand and what they need."
"The most human part of my work as a teacher, even in an Ai world, is evaluating the content generated by Ai. For example, we still need to teach people to read critically, to question critically, and respond and think and build off of what we are using Ai for. Ai is a partner, not a substitute for our own thoughts."
"Actually reading and responding to what my students write (as long as they are indeed writing it!)."
"reading the individual student in real time at the moment of learning"
"Interacting with students. Many students benefit from instruction from a teacher, who can relate the material to lived experiences of both the teacher and students. Many students benefit from interacting with teachers and peers to develop socialization skills and help broaden their perspectives."
"Real world human interaction, real-life scenarios where industry experience is vital (i.e. emergency response, triage, vital signs, mentorship, and comradery."
"Conversations and face-to-face interactions. Letting students be seen as individuals and know that their own thoughts, creativity, and perspectives are valued. It's about what they think and what they choose to share based on real life experiences, not what a digital representation collates, fabricates, or produces for them."
"Being able to share real human life experiences that serve as the context of the curriculum."
"Sitting with students as they navigate their world and learn about how they can most effectively engage in their own life."
"Conversations with kids about their lives, progress, wishes and needs."
"Teacher being a guide and a mentor"
"I'm increasingly unsure of what part my humanity will play in a future dominated by the use of AI. I remain vigilant in my learning about it with every option remaining open, but some more likely than others. But then, I'm not an apt predictive tool..."
"a mentor....a one on one coach to clarify content"
"Talking to and sharing your time with students is the most human part of teaching. However, a world in which AI does most everything a teacher or anyone else needs to do is also a world in which student outcomes no longer matter since they won't be needed anymore in the workplace in future rules."
"I consider the presentation of opportunities and direction as the future for teachers."
"Human part is human contact, it's not instructing (that CAN be replaced) but raising, coaching, mentoring, exemplifying, and being parent partner in growing a whole human being capable of leadership and accomplishments in the age of AI."
"Opening the world beyond my classroom to students, allowing them to become part of a global society focused on ideas relevant to the advancement of all. Collaborating with global educators and working together to find a way to connect our students for authentic discussions."
"The mentoring relationships, the "pastoral care," helping a student "get it." Can AI inspire a student the way a great teacher can? Or introduce people to things they had never thought or heard of? Will the whole world descend into an algorithmic echo chamber?"
"That Human interaction that has meaning when encouraging, teaching life skills, teaching social skills and showing genuine care and empathy."
"Connections with my students and empathy for where they are in life and their experiences."
"If we are in a world where AI does almost everything else, that is not a world I want to be a part of. I would sooner leave a profession I've dedicated my life to, one I knew I wanted to join since I was in the 8th grade, than see it taken over by AI. The whole point of education is connection--connection between student and teacher, connection between student and material--and AI undercuts that in harmful and wasteful ways. It should be seen as nothing more than a novelty, though it is far more harmful. My own hometown suffered a murder/suicide this past summer because of generative AI. A young man took his life recently, guided by generative AI. That we are still considering bringing this technology to students en masse after that is unconscionable to me. This technology is not a wonder drug, it is not a cure all, it is nothing but a Trojan horse to undercut teachers, teachers' unions, and public education itself. We should avoid it at all costs and it disgusts me that this is even a consideration."
"Relationships. Helping students to navigate not only "the future" but the day-to-day realities of adolescence. Providing contexts for what we do."
"Mentoring my students, being a trusted adult, and building positive relationships with them and encouraging them through their educational and personal journey in school and beyond."
"Human connection, a teachers purpose is to build relationships with their students so that they can more accurately facilitate the best and most appropriate learning environment for their student to succeed in their learning and growing."
"Personal connections (teacher to students, students to students, etc.), body language, most direct and natural way of applying the learned content in real world scenarios. Sort out the facts vs hallucinations."
"The most human part of my work as a teacher is the moment of connection, that instant when a student feels seen, understood, and capable. It isn't found in the lesson plans or the technology, it's in the quiet moments of empathy and trust. When a student's eyes light up with understanding, or when laughter breaks the tension of learning, I'm reminded that education is deeply emotional work. AI might one day explain every concept perfectly, but it will never replace the warmth of patience, the encouragement that builds confidence, or the shared joy of discovery. Teaching is not just the transfer of knowledge, it's the nurturing of spirit. Even in a future shaped by technology, what will matter most is our ability to listen, to care, and to awaken humanity in one another."
"As a teacher, the role of mentor, leader, parent and confidant is extremely important, ebbing able to "coach" my students through assignments, and life experiences is a humanistic trait that is still foundational on the development of your minds. The person to person interacts thought the curriculum enables all at different levels and provides a sense of inclusion, value and worth that cannot be "expressed" through an AI chatbot. The relationship is what matters."
"Connecting with learners younger than me and showing them what life experience is and why learning matters"
"For me, what matters most in teaching is not the transfer of information, but the human connection that nurtures growth, belonging and purpose. At its core, it is the relationship between teacher and student - the teacher who models values, guides learning and creates a space where students feel seen, heard, valued and safe. That connection is the most human part of teaching, the one we should preserve."
"Tough question. Teachers are guides that help students unravel the mysteries of the world around them and see the connections among different subjects and fields. We are often positioned well to provide human context. We are also the emotional caretakers of our young charges. This may be the most "human part" of our job. My favorite part is the way students eyes light up when they grasp a complex topic. That part may eventually become the domain of AI. I do my best, but I am not great at the emotional support, so I may need to be open to exploring new careers in the future."
"Teaching critical, ethical, and independent thinking skills -- Recognizing how language shapes how we think, how it gets used by humans to move or manipulate, how it can make change in the world or misrepresent it, how it can bring what can only be imagined into the real world."
"Working with students to develop their ethical sensibilities, curiosity, and appreciation of art/literature, culture, and language."
"The human- in person- mentorship that happens between a student and teacher in their learning environment."
"Ability to teach SEL in the context of the content I teach. Pedagogical and subject area expertise, which allows me now and likely in the future to ensure students are getting the right information and skills, even/especially with AI"
"how we work cultivate the why or purpose in the messy world. I wonder right now if embodied AI can create the messy the is necessary when being a teacher (even when we strive for perfection!)"
"Helping students/people think. Think about their struggles, think about their strengths, think how to leverage their resources, think about their future, think about themselves, think about others. Then, they can plug their thoughts in to AI to get action plans or new ideas. But they have to start with their own thoughts..."
"To continue guiding my students, my teaching, my assessment. To continue seeing my students a world learners and encouraging them to focus on real world learning experiences. And I don't believe AI will do almost everything else."
"The most human part? The kids. We even read "Who Can Replace a Man?" today. Machines, like AI, are helpful...mostly. But they're only as good as their programmers, repairers, and users. Teachers still have to know their students and be able to guide the selection of AI tools, appropriate use of AI tools."
"My ability to interact with the students and guide them towards goals that they are most committed. Providing them a safe environment to discuss both the benefits and potential, observed dangers of AI, the developers, and the impact these tools may have on their own future."
"Real world human interaction, real-life scenarios where industry experience is vital (i.e. emergency response, triage, vital signs, mentorship, and comradery."
"There are questions that come from students during a lesson that AI cannot always explain taking into account the whole student. Real world examples that draw upon my personal knowledge and experience cannot be generated by AI-at least I hope not."
"Empowering students to feel learning and life has meaning when AI might render it meaningless."
"Providing a safe learning environment that supports adolescences to try new things, explore, and have this adventure together."
"Helping to build confidence in kids, explain concepts and feedback multiple ways, bring emotional warrh and motivation with with high expectations and real world relevancy"
"Teachers can still help build students' moral compass, helping young people to adopt virtues geared towards the public good."
"The connection and relationship between the teacher and the student. Anyone who has taught long enough knows that teaching isn't just a communication of ideas, concepts, numbers . skills, processes - it's an impartation of those and MORE from the teacher - who imparts heart, work ethic, vision, values, passion, excitement, and so much more"
"Personal connections with other humans. Socialization, kindness, empathy, caring, flexibility, independent thinking, well-being, encouragement, intellectual passion, in-person cooperative education, modeling humanity noble higher virtues."
"The most human part of my work is building genuine relationships with students, staff, and families that foster trust, growth, and belonging. Even in a world driven by AI, the ability to lead with empathy and inspire a shared sense of purpose will always matter most."
"That Human interaction that has meaning when encouraging, teaching life skills, teaching social skills and showing genuine care and empathy."
"Relating to, motivating, knowing, encouraging, imparting care & wisdom, modeling values, even loving my students."
"I am a human being whose primary purpose as an educator is to connect with other human beings to foster both an ever-improving understanding of our world and a keen desire to make that world better for others."
"The most human part of my work as a teacher—the part that would still matter even if AI took over everything else—is the way I connect with students in real time. Not just academically, but personally. It’s the moment I notice a student’s silence and ask, “Are you okay?” Or when I tweak a bilingual flyer so it feels more welcoming to a student who’s nervous about signing up. It’s the way I use humor, memes, or even a bug crawling across the windowsill to spark curiosity and conversation. AI can generate resources, translate text, even simulate feedback. But it can’t feel the room. It can’t sense when a student needs encouragement, or when a joke will break the tension, or when a spontaneous story will make the lesson stick. That’s where I come in. I teach language, yes—but I also teach confidence, empathy, and belonging. I help students see themselves as capable communicators, not just in Spanish, but in life. That’s the part no machine can replicate. That’s the part I’ll never give up."
"The children in my care are learning how to be decent, compassionate, trustworthy citizens because of their hands-on work in my classroom. I fear for a society that does not value community as part of education."
"interpersonal connection - seeing each other's humanity - serving as a model for young people (breaking stereotypes) - curiosity - learning with discomfort & from mistakes - lifting up values such as empathy, selflessness, generosity, gratitude, encouragement, celebration, cooperation, & partnership"
"I answered this survey based on my school, which is an independent private school whose mission focuses on connection and interpersonal relationships to help students develop into adults. In other schools I've worked at, this wasn't true. But here I feel that reflection about the person you want to be, your impact on community (both local and global), and defining what meaningful success looks like for you individually instead of just grades / trophies / money makes this job a very human endeavor."
"Having empathy for individual student situations in order to provide the best plan for students."
"I think helping student to become there best selves including, but not limited to, teaching empathy, engagement, interpersonal skills, wellness, communication, critical thinking and literacies such as media, online, AI, etc, is all of our responsibilities and can't be replaced."
"Teaching critical, ethical, and independent thinking skills -- Recognizing how language shapes how we think, how it gets used by humans to move or manipulate, how it can make change in the world or misrepresent it, how it can bring what can only be imagined into the real world."
"Teaching students how to think critically and with empathy and integrity"
"Coaching students through their own opportunities for independent critical thinking. As a teacher I know when to provide assistance, when to back away, and when to remove the training wheels entirely regarding student's learning opportunities and chances to develop content knowledge, work ethic, and constructive life skills. AI has not yet mastered the ability to detect, evaluate, and execute that critical thinking step on its own."
"Working with students to develop their ethical sensibilities, curiosity, and appreciation of art/literature, culture, and language."
"Teaching of empathy, creativity, character development, and mental health"
"Morals, values, and a sense of right and wrong are discussed and modeled every day. School is about more than just academic knowledge."
"Using empathy to create lessons and work with students."
"Understanding and empathy"
"empathy"
"Empathy, sensitiveness, reasoning"
"Sharing humanity and empathy with others."
"Helping students understand their choices: good, bad, or indifferent, and the consequences of those choices. Teaching empathy, how to love, appreciate, and respect their fellow human."
"Teaching the grey areas between right and wrong. Showing empathy and kindness. Being fair, being a friend, being honest and having integrity. Problem solving and being able to use the tools they have and apply them to a specific problem that they have never seen before."
"Empathy"
"Empathy"
"Ability to teach SEL in the context of the content I teach. Pedagogical and subject area expertise, which allows me now and likely in the future to ensure students are getting the right information and skills, even/especially with AI"
"how we work cultivate the why or purpose in the messy world. I wonder right now if embodied AI can create the messy the is necessary when being a teacher (even when we strive for perfection!)"
"Modeling and teaching resilience, creativity, confidence, interpersonal skills, teamship skills, kindness, and empathy"
"Creating an ethos and work ethic in the classroom. Anyone can look up anything on the internet, that much has been true for decades. AI has just made it easier, but can it motivate a student to produce authentic work because they're proud of it? Can it help them look competent in a job interview or simple conversation without reading off a screen? Can it turn them into productive, self-reliant, and conscientious humans? That's where we come in. At its core, AI will never be human, thus it can't teach humans to learn resilience from failure, or to experience and savor the joy of hard work come to fruition, or the tenacity of pursuing something because its your passion. The hysteria of generative AI in the classroom is reminiscent of the same hysteria when the internet started to become more popular, when I was in high school. It's a tool with amazing capabilities, but at the end of the day it's just a tool. I don't credit the internet with any success I've had, I thank my teachers for making the lessons I've learned memorable and instilling the pride I have in the work to which I put my name."
"So much of what we do as educators is uniquely human. Noticing when a student is having a rough day and offering support. Offering encouragement when the topics get tough. Pushing students to think deeper about topics in class discussions. Sitting with them as they struggle through a problem set because they don't have the ability yet to work independently. On our field trips - showing them the wonder of the natural surroundings or showing them how to catch pond invertebrates. In our science classroom - how to navigate complex data collection with a team. How to have a respectful discussion while at the same time disagreeing passionately."
"Empowering students to feel learning and life has meaning when AI might render it meaningless."
"Authenticity, emotional presence, divinity in humanness witnessing divinity in another human. storytelling, contextualizing through real actual memories, experiences, nuanced information. Human to human, imperfect yet sacred."
"Teaching students how to use human reason, which AI could never do. It will always lack in context and specificity--only talented teachers can pull genuine thoughts and feelings out of a student, and help them learn how to shape those ideas."