Rebecca Winthrop

AI tutor alone at their desk for eight hours a day, that's not the future that is going to help our kids.

The role of the teacher in traditional public schools is damn near impossible, honestly. They have to master a certain subject. They have to get kids to grade level and And usually we have a wide difference of grade levels in school between three and four different grade levels.

The role of the teacher in traditional public schools is damn near impossible, honestly. They have to master a certain subject. They have to get kids to grade level and And usually we have a wide difference of grade levels in school between three and four different grade levels.

So they've got to differentiate and figure out who needs what, the bored kid who's the passenger, the struggling kid who's also the passenger, both of them silent and quiet and you don't even know. And they've got to manage classroom dynamics. Like kids have to not, you know, hit each other or disrupt each other or ruin the furniture. And they have to increasingly be social workers.

So they've got to differentiate and figure out who needs what, the bored kid who's the passenger, the struggling kid who's also the passenger, both of them silent and quiet and you don't even know. And they've got to manage classroom dynamics. Like kids have to not, you know, hit each other or disrupt each other or ruin the furniture. And they have to increasingly be social workers.

Kids are not doing well, lots of mental health problems. They've got to spot that, they've got to help it. They also have to be relationship managers. They've got to work with parents, et cetera. So it's very hard for one teacher to do this all. Absolutely, I think the wave of the future is a different model where you have multiple people and one of those could be an AI tutor.

Kids are not doing well, lots of mental health problems. They've got to spot that, they've got to help it. They also have to be relationship managers. They've got to work with parents, et cetera. So it's very hard for one teacher to do this all. Absolutely, I think the wave of the future is a different model where you have multiple people and one of those could be an AI tutor.

helping support our kids' growth and development. The interaction with AI can help with skill development, knowledge acquisition, but that is one slice of what happens in a classroom, and it is one slice of what it really means for kids to be educated. Kids are learning all sorts of things. They're learning how to self-regulate emotions in a group.

helping support our kids' growth and development. The interaction with AI can help with skill development, knowledge acquisition, but that is one slice of what happens in a classroom, and it is one slice of what it really means for kids to be educated. Kids are learning all sorts of things. They're learning how to self-regulate emotions in a group.

They're learning how to understand different perspectives from kids who are different from themselves. They're learning how to ask for help when they need it. There's a whole bunch of things that kids are learning that is much more person-to-person that we want to maintain, I would argue.

They're learning how to understand different perspectives from kids who are different from themselves. They're learning how to ask for help when they need it. There's a whole bunch of things that kids are learning that is much more person-to-person that we want to maintain, I would argue.

I agree with you 100%. It was a massive uncontrolled experiment and our kids were the guinea pigs. We just had a wait and see approach. We cannot take a wait and see approach again. And I think that there's lots of lessons. I would say, first off, do not use generative AI Unless you really know what you're using it for.

I agree with you 100%. It was a massive uncontrolled experiment and our kids were the guinea pigs. We just had a wait and see approach. We cannot take a wait and see approach again. And I think that there's lots of lessons. I would say, first off, do not use generative AI Unless you really know what you're using it for.

There is a real sense of FOMO among educators, parents, young people even, that there's this thing happening out there and I should use it because it's the newest thing. I saw that with groups who were working on student well-being. And they had done teacher training around well-being curriculum for teachers. And they said, oh, we need to train parents how to do it.

There is a real sense of FOMO among educators, parents, young people even, that there's this thing happening out there and I should use it because it's the newest thing. I saw that with groups who were working on student well-being. And they had done teacher training around well-being curriculum for teachers. And they said, oh, we need to train parents how to do it.

So their idea was, let's use Gen AI. It'll be great because parents also do need to reinforce well-being messages that teachers are giving in school, which is true. And what we'll do is we'll create an app. And so this is what they had suggested, Ezra. Imagine you sitting down around the dinner table.

So their idea was, let's use Gen AI. It'll be great because parents also do need to reinforce well-being messages that teachers are giving in school, which is true. And what we'll do is we'll create an app. And so this is what they had suggested, Ezra. Imagine you sitting down around the dinner table.

You pull up your phone and you have an app and your kids have their phone and you say, okay, how are you feeling today? And you're looking at your phone and they're telling you how they feel. And then you click through and ask, you know, why are you feeling that way? Like mediated through a phone. It's crazy. It's crazy. Like we've lost our mind. like that we need AI to talk to our kids.

You pull up your phone and you have an app and your kids have their phone and you say, okay, how are you feeling today? And you're looking at your phone and they're telling you how they feel. And then you click through and ask, you know, why are you feeling that way? Like mediated through a phone. It's crazy. It's crazy. Like we've lost our mind. like that we need AI to talk to our kids.

So if there's not a real problem you're trying to solve, don't use it is number one. Number two, any, I really do believe this, any company that wants to work with kids in schools should be a benefit corporation. Because legally, you have a lot of companies who are creating perhaps really good stuff, if used well, that they have to maximize profits.