Leading When the Ground Is Shifting

I have spent most of my life in schools. I have taught in classrooms, coached teachers, sat at leadership tables, and listened closely in hallways where the real conversations happen. One thing I know for certain is that educators are some of the most adaptive professionals on the planet. We have always learned on the fly. We have always adjusted when the ground shifted.

This season feels different.

Yep, this image is 90% AI. I recognize the challenges yet embrace technology as an opportunity, not a threat. 

New tools are everywhere, and artificial intelligence is now part of teaching and learning, whether we invited it in or not. For many teachers, the tension is real. Some students are using AI in ways that blur the line between support and cheating. To many educators, it can feel like the rules changed overnight and no one handed us the playbook. I want everyone to know that sharing frustrations is not complaining or resisting innovation, it is part of honest professional dialogue, and I know everyone is open to ideas and help.

Here is what I believe strongly: For many educators, it feels like control has been lost, and that feeling deserves to be heard. We need to listen to teachers, respect their professional judgment, and honor the experience they bring to the work. At the same time, we have to acknowledge an important truth. Teaching and learning are changing. How we deploy technology is changing. When we use it and when we don’t is changing. The work is indeed changing. Different can feel unsettling, even threatening, but it does not mean we are failing. It means we are being asked to learn again, together. And we can do that. 

In a world where we often cannot know for certain whether AI is being used, we must assume that it is and design learning intentionally. That means teaching students how to use technology respectfully, ethically, and with integrity, while also creating rigorous, unplugged moments where struggle, thinking, and persistence are unavoidable. What happens when we are together, whether in person in a classroom or learning virtually, matters more than it ever has and requires new perspective and intentional design.

We can close the lids and lean into the productive frustration of learning something new and hard. We can observe thinking and coach problem-solving in real time. And for teachers working in virtual spaces, we can be just as intentional by designing live, shared moments where reasoning is visible, effort is expected, and learning happens together.

Then, when it is time, we can open the lids to publish, create, and share learning with an authentic global audiences, if we want, and create what’s never been created before. 

The answer is not better detection tools or tighter rules alone. This is about relationships, trust, and clarity. Teachers need support to have open conversations with students and families about what good use of technology looks like and what crosses the line. We have already made important decisions about phones in schools. Now we must apply the same discernment to instructional technology. When do we use it? When do we not? Timing matters. Purpose matters. Leadership matters.

For teachers, the takeaway is this. You still control the learning. You control the questions you ask and the conditions you create. You create the learning environment. Thoughtful limits do not weaken learning. They strengthen it.

I get it… it’s not easy. It’s frustrating. But… I know the humanity of a teacher is the most important advantage we can give students. No, we don’t have it all figured out. 

For leaders, the responsibility is clear. Do not leave teachers isolated. Listen to them. Work with them to help provide training, shared language, and permission to set boundaries that protect learning for all.

This moment is not about replacing great teaching. It is about protecting it.

If you are navigating these questions as a teacher or leader, I invite you to explore more here or reach out. Supporting educators through change is the work, and it is better when we do it together.

As I write this article, I am thinking how to help our teachers more. 

We are not just trying to create lifelong learners, but learners who are willing to sit with difficulty, wrestle with not knowing, and use foundational knowledge and problem-solving first, before turning to technology as a tool rather than a crutch.

I have to be optimistic. It is who I am. It is how I lead. Despite the challenges and discomfort, I embrace technology as an opportunity, not a threat.

Five Practices Teachers Should Consider in Any Learning Environment

1. Be explicit about when technology is used and why.  

Name the tools and purpose before devices come out, so students understand that tools serve learning, not speed. 

2. Protect unplugged moments.  

Intentionally design lessons where thinking, struggle, and discussion happen without devices.

3. Teach ethical use directly.  

Model and discuss what respectful, transparent, and responsible use of AI looks like in real tasks.

4. Design work that reveals thinking. 

Use drafts, reflection, explanation, and dialogue so learning cannot be outsourced.

5. Keep families in the conversation. 

Share expectations and language so students hear a consistent message about effort, integrity, and learning.

I share this post as a start, not a solution. I look forward to reading your comments and ideas. 

Always forward, 

Kelly

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Educator, Author, Keynote Speaker

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