The Disconnect Wasn’t My Ability

Hello Expressive Friends,

I have to admit, I was so angry when I heard it. My entire body tensed as if to reject the words that were said from across the room.

“I take pride in not using AI to write. Writing hones my thinking. And if our students are using AI to write, they will not think critically.”

That comment sent me straight back to elementary school and the myriad of tests. I didn’t do well in school. I underperformed according to achievement tests. I was tested for a ton of learning disorders with no diagnosis ever reached.

This might surprise you, as I am now a college professor, but I was a late educational bloomer. I couldn’t fully connect the dots until graduate school or beyond. Academics always took an immense amount of effort.

The disconnect wasn’t my ability—it was how I was being asked to demonstrate it.

Being forced to demonstrate knowledge in one way as a child left me with a deficiency I’m not sure I can ever fully overcome.

In many ways, AI has become the leveling field I wish I’d had back then.

AI allows me to think and rework ideas with a trusted thought partner, free from the worry of how I’m perceived. It has catapulted my ability to express myself, make connections, and learn deeply.

I was scolded in math for solving problems in ways that didn’t fit the expected method. Now, my daughter is being taught all the different ways to approach problems. If I had been taught these various ways of knowing and solving, my love for learning would’ve been sparked earlier in life.

The shift in perspective is powerful—and necessary.

Let’s embrace all forms of understanding. Some people think through writing. Others process through conversation, artistic expression, or other forms of creativity. Some need to gather half-baked ideas and work through them with AI.

Forcing students into one form of representation simply because it’s the one we understand limits their potential.

Our goal should be to empower students to learn in the ways that resonate most with them—not to fit them into a narrow mold. Let’s celebrate and even encourage the diversity of how we learn, think, and express ourselves.

AI isn’t a barrier to critical thinking—it’s an ally that helps us think more critically, deeply, and creatively.

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If you need a face for this message, this is one of my favorites of six-year-old Sarah.