OP-ED
Artificial intelligence, or AI as it is commonly referred to, is no longer theoretical; it’s here. As a public school superintendent in Texas, I welcome innovation and the responsible use of technology in classrooms; however, artificial intelligence could never replace a classroom teacher.
Recently, CBS News aired a segment on Alpha School, a private K–8 school with a $50,000 annual tuition, claiming students learn twice as much in just two hours a day as they do in four hours of traditional classroom instruction. It’s an eye-catching claim and one that naturally sparked my interest, but it also reflects a narrow and misleading view of what learning truly is.
Education is not simply about how fast content can be delivered or consumed by our students. If it were, schools would have been replaced by search engines and online videos long ago. Real learning is relational. It depends on human connection, trust, and a trained professional’s ability to respond to students’ needs in real time.
Most students do not learn best sitting alone in front of a screen; asynchronous learning following the COVID shutdowns taught us this. They learn best by interacting with other human beings. Students need someone who knows them, challenges them, and believes in their potential. A certified teacher does far more than present information. Teachers read facial expressions, notice when students are confused, adjust instruction as needed, and provide encouragement when students struggle. They build confidence, model social skills, and create classrooms where students feel safe to take risks.
In many Texas communities, teaching doesn’t end when the bell rings. An AI algorithm doesn’t show up to the Friday night lights to cheer on the kid who finally made the varsity roster, and it doesn’t walk through the ag barn at dawn to help a student prep their steer for the county livestock show. But our teachers do. They know that the trust built in those bleachers and barns is exactly what allows them to push that same student to master tough content in the classroom. Those are the moments where confidence is built, things AI cannot replicate.
Public schools serve all students, including students with disabilities, English language learners, children living in poverty or facing trauma, and those who rely on school for stability and support. These students do not need less human interaction; they need more, much more.
A screen cannot recognize when a child is overwhelmed, hungry, or disengaged. A screen cannot pull a student aside to offer reassurance or call a family to coordinate support. A teacher can, and she does every day.
Models like Alpha School may work for a small, highly selected population, but they are not scalable, equitable, or realistic for the majority of students in Texas or across the nation. Public education is not about educating a few efficiently; it is about educating everyone well.
That does not mean AI has no role in schools. Used thoughtfully, it can be a powerful tool. AI can help teachers analyze data, differentiate in struction, provide targeted practice, and reduce administrative burdens. When technology is used to support teachers, it can enhance learning and free educators to focus on what matters most: building relationships and meeting individual student needs.
The problem arises when we frame education as a transaction rather than a relationship. When success is measured solely by speed, efficiency, or output, we lose sight of the human purpose of schooling. Schools are not factories. Students are not products. And teachers are not interchangeable.
As a superintendent, the most meaningful growth I see in students is not driven by software or platforms. It comes from teachers who refuse to give up on a child, who build trust with families, and who create classrooms where students feel capable and valued. It comes from human connection.
Technology will continue to advance. AI will become more sophisticated. But the need for human connection in learning is timeless.
The future of education is not teachers versus technology. It is teachers with technology, using innovation to enhance what only humans can do best: teach, inspire, and connect.
Dr. Brandon Enos is the proud superintendent and lead learner at Gunter ISD in Gunter, Texas. He serves as the chair of the legislative committee for the Texas Rural Education Association and is an advocate for public school teachers and students.
