AI: Tips for Maintaining Teacher and Student Connectivity.
Reflections from an English Teacher in the Classroom
I have been teaching English for over two decades. I’ve taught before smartphones, before social media, before online classrooms, and now, very much, before, during, and after the arrival of artificial intelligence in education.
AI is impressive. It’s fast, efficient, tireless, and endlessly patient. It can explain grammar rules at 3 a.m., generate writing samples in seconds, and correct errors with mechanical precision. I use it myself. Many teachers do.
But here’s the uncomfortable truth we don’t talk about enough:
Education was never just about information. It was always about connection.
And connection is the one thing AI cannot truly replicate.
So the real question isn’t “How do we stop AI?”
It’s “How do we maintain human connectivity while using it?”
1. The classroom has always been a human space
When I look back on my most successful lessons, none of them were successful because of perfect materials or flawless explanations.
They worked because:
A student felt seen
Someone laughed
A mistake was corrected kindly
A conversation went off-script
A learner felt safe enough to try
Language learning, in particular, is deeply human. It involves:
No algorithm can replace the feeling of:
A teacher saying, “I understand what you mean.”
A classmate nodding in agreement
A shared moment of confusion followed by clarity
AI can support learning.
But humans create meaning.
2. AI gives answers, humans give understanding
One thing I’ve noticed is that students today often have answers but lack understanding.
AI can:
Finish a paragraph
Fix grammar
Generate ideas
But it cannot:
Ask why a student chose a word
Notice hesitation in a voice
Detect insecurity behind a “perfect” answer
Encourage growth through struggle
As teachers, our role is shifting, not disappearing.
We are no longer just sources of information.
We are:
Interpreters
Human connectivity lives in the follow-up questions.
3. Conversation is more important than content
In the AI era, content is abundant. Connection is not.
That’s why I now place more emphasis on:
When students talk to each other, something powerful happens:
They negotiate meaning
They listen
They react emotionally
They learn empathy
AI can generate a dialogue.
Only humans can live one.
4. Mistakes are where human learning happens
AI is very good at removing mistakes.
But mistakes are not failures.
They are signals.
In my classroom:
Mistakes tell me what a student understands
Mistakes reveal thinking patterns
Mistakes open conversations
When students rely too heavily on AI, they often skip the most valuable part of learning: productive struggle.
Human teachers know when to:
Let a student struggle a little longer
Step in with encouragement
Celebrate effort, not just results
This emotional intelligence is not programmable.
5. Presence still matters, even online
Connectivity isn’t just physical. It’s relational.
Whether teaching in person or online, I’ve learned that:
Eye contact (or camera contact) matters
Tone matters
Pauses matter
Listening matters
Students don’t remember every lesson. They remember:
How they felt
Whether they were respected
Whether their voice mattered
AI can respond instantly.
Humans respond meaningfully.
6. Teaching values is a human responsibility
AI can teach language. It cannot teach values.
In an English classroom, we model:
Curiosity about other cultures
We teach students:
When to use AI
When not to
How to think critically about its output
How to remain authentic in their voice
Human connectivity is also about moral and social guidance, something machines cannot provide.
7. Using AI without losing ourselves
I am not anti-AI.
I am anti-disconnection.
AI should be:
A tool, not a replacement
A support, not a shortcut
A starting point, not the final voice
The heart of education remains unchanged: One human helping another human grow.
In conclusion, in the era of AI, maintaining human connectivity requires intention.
It means:
Choosing conversation over convenience
Choosing presence over perfection
Choosing empathy over efficiency
Technology will continue to evolve.
Human connection must be protected.
Because long after the tools change, learning will still begin with the same thing it always has:
A human voice saying, “Let’s figure this out together.”
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