AI Won’t Replace Teachers. But the Fear Is Real.

“It’s Just More Work”

Every time I bring up AI in schools, I get two reactions.

The first is excitement. Teachers lean in: “Wow, that would save me so much time.” You can see the wheels turning.

The second is not excitement. The sigh. The eye roll. And then: “This just feels like more work. I could’ve done that myself, and faster.”

And I can’t help but ask...faster than a computer? Really?

I get it. Teachers have been burned before. Every “game-changing” tool ends up being another password, another PD, another login we forget by next semester. It’s fair to be skeptical.

But here’s the fear underneath it all: “AI is going to replace teachers.”

Let’s be clear. AI can spit out a lesson outline, suggest a rubric, even draft some feedback. But it can’t read the room when a kid is shutting down. It can’t notice the quiet student in the back who finally wants to share. It can’t coach through mistakes or celebrate a win.

That’s the human part. That’s what makes teaching, teaching.

What AI can do is clear the clutter. The marking pile. The repetitive tasks. The endless templates and reports. It doesn’t replace teachers. It gives them back time for the things that matter.

When I do dance programs, students never think of all the behind the scenes work I put in. Ai has helped me work on all the boring stuff I'd rather not do. Students appreciate the time spent with them, which is what AI tools can actually do! Give you back more time.

AI doesn’t replace that. It protects it.

So here’s my question: if AI gave you more time for the human side of teaching, would you still see it as “just more work”?