On Transformation: What we are really asking of educators

Think of a time you have experienced real transformation, whether chosen or forced. Think about how it felt. Maybe you felt off balance, like you were standing on shifting plates under your feet. Maybe you believed in the "new thing" you were trying, saw its possibility, yet felt like a kid in middle school hesitant to enter the social circle, paralyzed by the fear of getting it wrong. Maybe, at the same time you heard someone say, "There is a new way you could be, a possibility that you could be better in X, Y, or Z way," and you became excited, you also experienced the loss of identity in letting go of how you had defined yourself up to that point. Maybe the transformation brought enormous expansion and thrust you into an exciting period of growth, but at the same time, you felt like an imposter and had to "fake it till you make it" or "act as if", building your confidence one small moment of validation at a time.

Now add to that the weight of an educator who knows that every single moment with a student counts. The biggest ah-ha moment I had teaching in my 20s was the realization that I did not have the luxury of a single neutral moment. In every encounter with a student, I was either creating a positive or negative growth moment for them, either lifting them up or not. On top of that, kids are the most intuitive beings. They lap up authentic connection, but if you try to fake -- saying the right things, but you really don't mean it -- they can sniff you out. They know who is really in their corner.

Now add to that the incredible scrutiny educators face today. Everyone who has ever had a teacher believes they know how teaching should happen, how it could be done better. Your hard-earned, expensive degree (or several) continuously delivering poor ROI in either dollars or gratitude and respect. Laws, policies, flat out gag orders mean academic freedom...or its much quieter cousin, the simple teachable moment...come at the highest price with either your integrity or your job on the line throughout the day.

Early in our work in blended learning transformation, we did a workshop in which an AP calc teacher in Colombia was a participant. Her school was focused on transforming their classrooms to student-centered, blended learning. She was inspired. She really understood the "why" of blended learning -- small group instruction, personalizing for students, being able to spend more time in support of students in class instead of lecturing. And at the end of it, she came up to us and said, "I really believe in what you are doing. But I think I will need to quit my job. I just can't see how to do this. I've been teaching for a long time, and I don't know where to start."

It was heartbreaking to hear. Here was this incredibly experienced professional doubting her place in the classroom. So we started small, leveraging her strengths as a teacher, of which there were many. We focused on her recording her lessons and flipping her class, then working with small groups during class time. Within a year, she had transformed her classroom, the majority of her students dropping the tutors they were working with, showing more engagement, and making more learning gains than when she was teaching conventionally. She exclaimed something to the effect of, "I'm like the Khan Academy of Colombia!" It was a huge and very personal success, but it was not easy by any stretch.

Enter AI. Why did we get so excited to build Yourwai? It is because this teacher and this moment, along with countless others, lives within our work. We recognize the lift we're asking educators to take on in order to "transform learning", starting with their own identities as teachers - from "sage on the stage" to "guide on the side". We're asking them to be vulnerable by relinquishing some control and increasing student agency. We're asking them to be innovative within a multilayered compliance box that often has conflicting frameworks, pedagogy, or curriculum, things that simply do not fit naturally together.

What we saw was the possibility to make continuous improvement lighter and more joyful for teachers by leveraging AI as a bridge to practice. AI won't get you all the way there, but they way we've built Yourwai, that is intentional. There needs to be a space for the skilled human in the loop. But AI can certainly be a very strong starting point for educators, a way to amplify their expertise, and make strides in transforming learning their way. I believe in the transformation of learning so that every student gets the learning experience they deserve. But let's just be clear about what we're asking of educators in the process, and let's do what we can to support and empower them along the way.