Brass Tacks Innovations

If a particular, vulnerable in-school population drew its own conclusion that AI as a tool was safer than other available edu options, then we'd honor that decision and we would imagine you would, as well. As a non-tech analog, home schooling families are making a similar choice, no?

We admit we don't quite understand this and we would like to. AI, as an instructional tool (again, leaving aside whether one thinks it's any good or not), is one of the core use cases being pushed.

to try to see the vast diversity of experiences, access, oppression, and opportunity in our education system. Once more, where we were attempting to elevate a particular population as a way to open the aperture, you experienced exploitation.

Our intention, using a number of points of reference, including predation, was to point out that blanket statements are likely problematic. We don't believe that it is obvious that in 100% of cases, replacing teachers with tech is unworthy of mere consideration. To say as much, we feel, forces us

As we mentioned above, our intention wasn't to suggest zero human contact. We disagree, and not as shills for AI as a tool!, that there is zero reason to believe AI in edu can save children from predators. But our point wasn't to say there is or there isn't.

Where you are seeing theatrics, we're seeing raising awareness. We don’t agree that, in the context of asking the question “Should AI replace teachers?” that if one were talking about a teacher who is a predator that that is exploiting the pain and suffering of the victims.

Very much appreciate you continuing to share your thoughts. We’ve been thinking about your perspective and are not above revising our own! It’s clear we’re not on the same page and we’d like to see if we can get there.

makes sense to us because some folks are explicitly positioning it that way, as you've shared. However, we don't think that, if we center students, that it is in service of students to shut down how a particular new tool might help even just a few students in even just a few use cases.

all of its present hype & confusion, & its potential to be useful in some way. In our view, educators are, understandably and rightly, very protective & defensive of their role in society because of how poorly treated and poorly regarded their work is. That AI is viewed as a threat to teachers. . .

families would have preferred anything to the devastation of the predation. For some families, the comparison is actually real. We could substitute any potentially-less-harmful-than-child-predation option for AI; AI is at the center here because of its dangers, . . .

The intention was to illustrate the importance of moving past blanket statements. One of us has studied the problem of child predation in education and, in that extreme case, if AI, in this case, were to be considered less of a threat than predation, it's highly likely the victims and their. . .

Thank you so much for taking the time to respond and share your thoughts. Let's see if we can work through this. The extreme is intended to highlight the nuance, not suggest that, a priori, AI is better than a child predator.

The graphic depicts Brass Tacks' Teacher Retention Model. The model borrows from the Job Demands and Resources Model common in industries other than education. The model also incorporates intentional adult social-emotional learning skills development and centers the school leader as the most important locus of control for decreasing teacher attention through increased, humanizing teacher support.

Tomorrow we're opening up early registration for our course on increasing T retention, including a 30% discount. Core to the course is the idea that school leaders CAN exert control over the job demands & resources that lead to T stress & burnout. Enroll here: bit.ly/3WyZADX #EduSky #TeacherSky

One of our daughters just named this issue, in response to a fifty-word college essay prompt, as the number one issue humans face. Thanks for sharing!

Thanks, Margo! We think you'll appreciate the nuances we're trying to highlight. Thinking in terms of replacement, rather than centering students, we believe, is reductive and lazy.

The image displays a quote from Brass Tacks Substack on teacher retention: "Beyond content, teaching is about interacting with real people—students, parents, colleagues—all day long. Each of these encounters can spark a range of emotional reactions. Over time, these daily emotional ups and downs can shape a teacher’s job satisfaction, resilience, and effectiveness in the classroom, and too many down days can lead to teacher dissatisfaction and turnover."

The Emotional Path is often an under-utilized concept in school leaders' teacher retention toolbox. retentionmatters.substack.com/p/to-achieve... #EduSky #TeacherSky #TeacherRetention #K12

The image depicts the application of the Job Demands Resource model to education. It compares Personal, Classroom, and Workplace Demands with Personal, Classroom, and Workplace Resources, with School Leaders in the center as essential to managing the balance between demands and resources. The impact of the leaders' work directly impacts teacher well-being.

Teacher retention isn't about more $. Ts cite lack of admin support/supportive culture as key reason to leave. 1 problem? We don't support admin to learn/practice the necessary supporting skills. Our upcoming course on teacher retention does exactly that: bit.ly/3WyZADX #TeacherSky #EduSky

The image depicts a quote from a Substack post on how schools could use AI as a topic of inquiry rather than as a technology tool.

Integrating AI into schools without integrating AI into schools. open.substack.com/pub/aiforedu... #AIED #EdTech #TeacherSky #EduSky

Thanks for the comment! "Instead" is for educators who may be overwhelmed re: how to use AI in their practice. "Instead" offers a path that may be more accessible for now while leading to a more informed & productive use of the tech later on. Those ready for both should absolutely have at!

We try to focus on the context: extremely difficult for overwhelmed/over-burdened educators to find time to think about something as complex as AI w/o letting go of other, equally important, work. Just getting through the day can exhaust any sense-making energy reserves!

The image presents a quote from the linked Substack post: "Here's the shift: Instead of implementing AI tools for classroom instruction or administrative tasks, schools could focus on teaching students to critically analyze AI itself."

AI in edu isn't going anywhere, but that doesn't mean we have to use it in the intended ways. #AIED #EduSky #EdTech

The illustration depicts the Affective Events Theory, supporting the post's statements about how thousands of events impact teachers on a daily basis and lead to emotional responses. Emotional impact ties into a teacher's decision to stay or leave the profession, making an awareness of the Affective Events Theory a useful tool in leaders' and teachers' toolbox.

Easy to learn, hard to master: events impact teachers & teacher retention. 1 event—a student’s kind word, a parent-teacher conference, principal feedback—can spark emotional response. 1000s of events impact teachers daily. Turning knowledge into leadership practice is the tricky part. #TeacherSky

How To Use AI To Supercharge Learning without Using AI Maybe AI's best educational use case has nothing to do with using the technology.

Tomorrow's AI for Edu Leaders post examines how to use AI without using AI: open.substack.com/pub/aiforedu...
#EdTech #EduSky #TeacherSky

To Achieve Success,Should Schools Invest More Effort in the Emotional Path? Don't let this one go less traveled.

Could not agree more!!! retentionmatters.substack.com/p/to-achieve...

To Achieve Success,Should Schools Invest More Effort in the Emotional Path? Don't let this one go less traveled.

retentionmatters.substack.com/p/to-achieve...
"The Emotional Path is about empowering and helping teachers to bring their best selves to their work every day, and sending them home with their best selves intact." #Edusky #TeacherSky #school

The image presents an illustration of the complexity educators face today. The diagram centers the individual, surrounded by complexities in social, policy, school, and personal domains. The main point of the illustration is to highlight how many different and complex factors surround educators on a daily basis, contributing to the stress and burnout of teachers and leaders.

One big reason teachers & leaders are leaving the profession? Complexity. We cover this in Module 4 of our upcoming course on increasing teacher retention. brasstacks.mykajabi.com/opt-in #Edusky #Teachersky #school #K12 #principals

Does AI Really Require Your Attention? For some school leaders, hype may be creating an illusion of importance.

"This isn’t about ignoring AI—it’s about managing your attention and energy in a way that serves your school best. AI might dominate headlines, but that doesn’t mean it has to dominate your leadership priorities." aiforeduleaders.substack.com/p/does-ai-re... #FETC #Edtech #Edusky

Does AI Really Require Your Attention? For some school leaders, hype may be creating an illusion of importance.

This week's Substack on AI for Edu Leaders is out. aiforeduleaders.substack.com/p/does-ai-re... Taking a moment to assess how present AI really is in one's week might lead to new perspectives for leaders' on how much time to invest in the tech. #FETC #EduSky #Edtech

Does AI Really Require Your Attention? For some school leaders, hype may be creating an illusion of importance.

Our weekly Substack on AI for Edu Leaders came out earlier today. You might enjoy it! We try to explore different perspectives to help educators hone in on how to view the tech. aiforeduleaders.substack.com/p/does-ai-re...

The image depicts a road sign that reads "Attention" against a blue sky background. The image aligns to the article's subject of school leader attention to AI.

This week's Substack AI For Edu Leaders comes out tomorrow. We explore a simple, non-scientific way for school leaders to assess just how much attention AI may really warrant in their practice and community. #EduSky #edtech