What Teachers Have to Say

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Jake and Nathan just got back from their third Stanford AI + Education Summit — The AI Inflection Point: What, How, and Why We Learn — and a week later, they still can't stop talking about it. In this episode they dig into the tension at the heart of AI in schools right now: how do you protect the human skill development that education exists to build, while letting AI do the things it's actually good at? They get into the AI Assessment Scale, why cheating is the wrong frame, what it means when kids turn to AI for emotional connection, and whether the "perfect tutor" is the answer anyone thinks it is. Honest, critical, and grounded in classroom reality.
Referenced in this episode
Stanford AI + Education Summit 2026 The fourth annual summit, held February 11, 2026. Full conference on the Stanford HAI YouTube channel.
AI Assessment Scale (AIAS) Developed by Mike Perkins, Leon Furze, Jasper Roe, and Jason MacVaugh. Five levels of acceptable AI use — from no AI to full AI with the student as director and evaluator. First published 2023, updated Version 2 in 2024. Adopted by hundreds of institutions worldwide, translated into 30+ languages.
aiassessmentscale.com
Matt Miller — AI for Educators Source of the 12 cheating scenarios Jake has been using to poll educators across the country. Miller also runs Ditch That Textbook.
ditchthattextbook.com
Google AI Quests Free, code-free, game-based AI literacy tool for students ages 11–14. Students step into the role of Google researchers solving real-world problems in climate, health, and science. Co-developed by Google Research and the Stanford Accelerator for Learning. Complete lesson plans and teacher guides included.
research.google/ai-quests
Ethan Mollick — Co-Intelligence: Living and Working with AI (Penguin, 2024) Source of the centaur/cyborg framing. The centaur divides labor strategically between human and AI; the cyborg integrates the two fluidly within the same task. Mollick's Substack One Useful Thing is one of the more practically useful ongoing resources for educators thinking about AI.
Co-Intelligence on Amazon
Cheating research Jake references "Cheating in the Age of Generative AI: A High School Survey Study of Cheating Behaviors Before and After the Release of ChatGPT" — Computers and Education: Artificial Intelligence (2024). Note: Jake mis-attributes this to Stanford — the actual source is below. Key findings: overall cheating volume stayed stable after ChatGPT launched; students who self-reported higher AI competence cheated less; clear boundaries and consequences remained the strongest deterrent.
Full study
A note on homo technologicus was attributed to Yuval Noah Harari. It circulates in academic commentary on Harari's work but doesn't appear to be a direct Harari coinage. The concept maps to themes in Homo Deus, but we can't confirm the specific term originated there. We're leaving it as spoken and flagging it
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When something lands the right way in a classroom, it doesn’t just teach—it transforms. But in today’s climate, that transformation can come at a cost.
In this episode, Jake shares a personal story he's never fully told publicly—about the time a group of parents tried to get him fired for teaching a novel. Not because it was inappropriate. But because it made students think, ask questions, and feel something real. 
Read the full story on Substack: 
Teaching What They’re Afraid Of: To ban a book is to fear what students might understand

📰 Hall Pass Headlines tackles a hard truth: Two in five teachers in the UK report being physically assaulted by students. It’s not just about behavior—it’s about a system that’s stopped protecting the people inside it.
Read the article: The Times – “Two in five teachers assaulted as classroom violence surges”

Mic Check features a voice message from educator Dr. Scott Petrie on the literacy wars—and what’s actually working in classrooms.
 
Want more on behavior? Check out this episode: All About That Baseline with Josh Kuersten: 3 Behavior Strategies Every Teacher Should Know
Links & Resources
Subscribe & review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify
Join the conversation on Substack
Got a question? We'd love to answer it! Leave us a voicemail on SpeakPipe: https://www.speakpipe.com/whatteachershavetosay
Want more EduProtocols from Jake? Check out his book at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and more.

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When the tools, tasks, and teaching all start to change—at what point do we stop and ask: Is this still education?
In this mini episode, Jake Carr dives into the ancient thought experiment known as the Ship of Theseus to unpack what's happening in our schools today. From medieval monks copying texts by candlelight to students copy-pasting AI-generated responses, he asks: What makes learning authentic? What planks are we swapping out without realizing it? And what should teachers choose to hold onto?
Along the way, Jake connects this to his new book The Skills That Last, offers four actionable strategies for preserving human-centered learning, and shares how his Waldorf background prepared him to teach in this new, high-tech era.
Topics Covered:
That classic meme: "My mom wrote the paper and I still got a D"
The Ship of Theseus and its relevance to education
What happens when every part of school is slowly replaced
The invisible slope of AI-assisted student work
When the work isn’t theirs anymore—and how to spot that moment
What authentic learning might look like going forward
Why skills like discernment, empathy, and will can’t be outsourced
A fresh look at the teacher’s role—not as captain, but as keel
Tangible Takeaways:
Shift from Policing to Process
Let students use AI—but teach them to revise, explain, and own their thinking.
Assign What Only They Can Do
Personal prompts. Local connections. Real reflection. Make it hard for AI to fake.
Slow It Down on Purpose
Use oral defenses, Socratic seminars, portfolio walkthroughs, and tools like Snorkl to make thinking visible.
Make Your Pedagogy Visible
Pull back the curtain. Tell students why you’re doing things the way you are—and what you hope they’ll take from it.
Resources Mentioned:
📖 The Skills That Last (Jake’s upcoming book, make sure to subscribe to Substack for announcements and previews)
📝 Teaching at the Speed of Soul – Jake’s latest Substack essay
🗣️ Leave a voice message for the show
📰 Subscribe to our Substack for more essays, questions, and reflections
💬 Join the Conversation:
What plank are you holding onto in your classroom?
Leave us a voice message at whatteachershavetosay.speakpipe.com or tag Jake on social @MrCarrOnTheWeb.
Got a question? We'd love to answer it! Leave us a voicemail on SpeakPipe: https://www.speakpipe.com/whatteachershavetosay
Want more EduProtocols from Jake? Check out his book at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and more.

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A brand-new student walks into a San Diego classroom—fresh across the border, speaking only Spanish. No prep. No warning. Just dropped off mid-morning with a “good luck.”
What happened next? It’s the kind of story that reminds us why AI, when done right, can be the ultimate scaffold.
In this episode, Jake shares the real story of a fifth-grade student who used Snorkl’s AI-powered translation tools to not only access a classroom assignment—but outperform every other kid in the room. What happened when he got a perfect score? The class—and the conversation—shifted.
Key Takeaways:
 Why AI isn’t isolating students—it’s connecting them
 How translation tools create equity and engagement
 Why Lexile-leveling + shared vocabulary = real inclusion
Want to share a story like Scott’s?
 Tap the SpeakPipe link or send us a text (yep, we’ve got that now). Let’s keep lifting up stories that show what’s really possible in modern classrooms.
Subscribe, rate, and review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify to help more teachers find the show.
#AIinEducation #EdTechForEquity #TeacherPodcast #InclusionInClassrooms #StudentVoice #Snorkl #RealTalkEd #snorkl.app

Got a question? We'd love to answer it! Leave us a voicemail on SpeakPipe: https://www.speakpipe.com/whatteachershavetosay
Want more EduProtocols from Jake? Check out his book at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and more.

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AI isn’t storming the gates of education — it’s swimming quietly across the moat.
In this episode of What Teachers Have to Say, Jake unpacks how the traditional moats that once protected education — content, pedagogy, and institutional processes — are quietly eroding as AI reshapes the landscape. Inspired by a thought-provoking LinkedIn post by Steven Bartlett (FlightStory, Thirdweb, The Diary of a CEO), Jake explores how these shifts parallel what’s happening in business and asks:
👉 Are we ready for what comes next?
We’ll explore:
Why content has become a commodity — and what that means for the teacher’s role.
Why sticking to scripted programs and pacing guides won’t protect schools — and how real expertise is more critical than ever.
What new moats schools must build to stay relevant — from fostering authentic community to mentoring students in ways AI can’t replicate.
But that’s not all. Jake also teases insights from his upcoming book with Dave Burgess Consulting, The Skills that Last: Preparing Students for an Unpredictable World, highlighting how curation, critical thinking, and mentorship are the key skills that will future-proof education.
Ready to build stronger moats in your classroom?
 💬 Leave us a message on SpeakPipe — your voice might be featured in an upcoming episode!
🎙️ Subscribe, share, and stay curious.

Got a question? We'd love to answer it! Leave us a voicemail on SpeakPipe: https://www.speakpipe.com/whatteachershavetosay
Want more EduProtocols from Jake? Check out his book at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and more.