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One Teacher’s Resistance To AI Is More Common Than You Think. Here’s How To Respond

Many Teachers Resist AI. Here’s How To Lead With Empathy

Author

Dan Watt
April 28, 2025 • Estimated Reading Time: 7 minutes

Not all teachers are excited about AI. In fact, some are really frustrated.

This week, I unpack a Reddit rant that recently went viral. It reveals a growing tension in our profession. And it highlights how Ruckus Makers can meet the challenge with clarity, courage, and compassion.

Buckle up Ruckus Makers!

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INSPIRATION STATION

It’s okay to steal — Feel free to share any of these links and how we write about them and drop ‘em right into your staff newsletter this week.

A MESSAGE FROM TRANSFORMATIVE PRINCIPAL

THE PROBLEM SCHOOL LEADERS FACE EVERYDAY.

Administrative tasks eat up time that should go to instructional leadership. You want to focus on improving student outcomes, but paperwork keeps piling up.

For a principal, efficiency isn't optional.

Here’s what happens when you approach this strategically:

  • You get back hours each week when routine tasks are automated

  • You make better decisions using real-time data instead of month-old reports

  • Communication becomes seamless across your school community

  • Teachers feel supported to try new teaching approaches

  • Your school stays adaptable to whatever changes come next

Ready to become more strategic and efficient?

Check out the Transformative Principal Newsletter below.

THE RUCKUS MAKER MONTHLY THEME: EXPERIMENTING WITH AI

One Teacher’s Resistance To AI — A Compassionate Response and a Challenge for School Leaders

“I Don’t Want to Use AI in My Classroom.”

This week I read a heartfelt post from a young teacher on Reddit, currently completing their internship. They shared their deep discomfort with AI and how it’s changing education. They noted how their peers rely on AI, and how students are increasingly using it to bypass thinking.

“I don’t want to integrate AI into my lessons,” they wrote. “I like the process of learning what works for students throughout the year… I don’t want to teach my students how to use Gen AI appropriately.”

There’s something deeply human about this post. The frustration, the fear, and the sense of loss is real. Many educators, regardless of age or experience, feel it too. However, the post ends on a note of pride. The students this teacher works with are doing good work, and they’re proud of them. That’s beautiful!

But here’s the rub: just because something scares us or feels wrong doesn’t mean we shut the door on it. Especially not as school leaders.

At its heart, this is a call for care, not convenience. This teacher doesn’t want to lose the art of teaching or reduce students to prompt engineers. Neither do we. But ignoring AI won’t stop its impact. What we can do is lead the change toward deeper learning, not away from it.

As Ruckus Makers we can:

  • Model ethical use by showing how AI tools can support rather than replace thinking.

  • Redesign assessments that reward synthesis, creativity, and connection over simple regurgitation.

  • Teach students how to think with AI instead of not thinking at all.

  • Support overwhelmed staff with tools that give them time to do what matters most — connect with kids.

This isn’t about loving or hating AI. It’s about refusing to hand over the wheel to fear. Our job is to prepare students for the world they’re stepping into, not the one we grew up in.

To the young teacher who wrote that post: your heart is in the right place. Keep it there. And consider this: maybe the future of education isn’t about fighting AI or surrendering to it. Maybe it’s about leading the way forward.

❝

This isn’t about loving or hating AI. It’s about refusing to hand over the wheel to fear.

LEADERSHIP EDGE

MONDAY VIBES

WEEKLY CHALLENGE

🧠 Tame the Busywork Beast

In the Mastermind, we’ve been diving into Cal Newport’s Deep Work and wow, has it been calling me out!

One idea that hit hard is the way shallow work creeps in, wearing the mask of productivity. It feels good to knock out a few quick wins, like checking email, tidying the desk, or grabbing groceries. But that’s motion, not progress.

In order to to Do School Different, we’ve got to “lead different”. And that means protecting time for work that actually matters.

This week, your challenge is to spot the busywork trap and build better boundaries. Try this:

  1. Time block the shallow. Give it a space, 30 mins late in the day.

  2. Name your “One Big Thing.” Each morning, commit to one deep, meaningful task.

  3. Add friction. Log out. Hide the inbox. Guard your focus.

  4. Gamify your deep work. 90-minute sprints with a reward at the end.

  5. Ask: “Is this urgent, or important?” (Greg McKeown would be proud.)

You’ll still get the laundry done. But you’ll also do the kind of work that transforms your school, and yourself.

Keep Making a Ruckus,

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