Many high school administrators and teachers urge students to avoid using AI. Yet, we see them use it themselves, which makes it hypocritical for them to say we can’t use it for our own work.
AI, also known as Artificial Intelligence, is a computer in apps/websites such as Chat GPT, Claude, and Google Gemini, that has the ability to write and create almost any prompt given.
We see it more and more both positively and negatively in and outside of school. On the negative note, it’s seen with scams online, fake stories, students posting ways to use AI and get away with it.
Positively it can be seen by checking your chances in college, reviewing an essay, and using it to further understand the learning topic rather than using it to just get the answer. Teachers need to set the example for students to not use AI.
Since AI came into the picture, students from middle school to college have been seen or caught using AI to complete assignments and essays for them.
This excess use of it takes away students’ ability to understand the subject on their own. If this continues on, they will be heavily dependent on it to the point where they never truly learn.
The use of it has been frowned upon by the teachers, staff, and even the districts of these schools to the point where AI detectors have been implemented into the school grading system. For detectors to be added into the system reveals how much students use AI to complete their work and how the computer is learning more than the students themselves.
I recall finding out about this during 10th grade English class. My teacher, Mr. Kuppersmith showed my class an AI detector when grading assignments.
I didn’t think much of it and I thought it was understandable for the introduction of the detector, since I’ve noticed people simply using AI to get answers for their work.
Now noticing the extent of it both online and in person students use AI to do their last minute assignments and hide it by using a humanizer.AI usage was getting out of hand to the point where students used it for everything.
At HPHS, students automatically obtain a grade of 0 when caught using AI. In addition a parent-meeting is held, and students have a meeting with their academic counselor. If this is a repeating matter, it is then taken to the dean or administrator.
Upon further research, I found articles and even youtube videos of promoting and revealing how teachers can use AI in the classroom.
In the article from the University of Rochester, teachers use AI to create lesson plans, rubrics, make quizzes, and even handle administrative duties.
Also founded by an article from Edweek, it is proven that half of the classroom feels disconnected from their teacher when their class heavily uses AI.
If teachers argue that using AI will not help anyone, how come we see it in our school? AI is being heavily used in school media and physical posts made by the staff and teachers.
From flyers and instagram posts like the “Fire Drill” and “Drop and Cover” announcements, the presentations we watch for the early announcements, to the Schoology posts.
This had me questioning, why not promote students to help create said advertisements? I think instead of having AI make the flyers and advertisements, why not help encourage those who like to do art to make the flyers?
Why not add more opportunities for students to participate with the school? Additionally, it is shown in the classroom with the way teachers figure out their classes grading system, create their class lessons, and other digital class work.
I myself had my experience with AI in the classroom. In 6th period, during my AP government class with Dr. Alamo, a teacher here at HPHS, was passing out our daily quizzes when he mentioned using AI to create these quizzes. “This is the first school year that I have tasked AI with supporting my teaching, mostly by altering assessments.” Said by Dr. Alamo.
Though AI is able to help with their workload, when will that limit end for others? Alongside, is Ms. Solis, a 10th grade English teacher, who uses Slidesgo to “create presentations for lessons in the classroom,” which has a mix of AI and non-AI.
Though she does not necessarily use AI in her classes. Her view of AI is that it “can be a valuable resource for many people in a variety of fields.”
Which is true for its use in the medical research field, which Solis emphasizes, where AI “assists with their understanding and decoding genetic sequences that would take millions of man hours.”
AI may have been created to make tasks easier, but it’s affecting our academic life. When an adult uses it for doing stuff for themselves, it makes no sense at all.
They keep telling us not to use it for the same reasons they use it, which would make them no better than us.
I agree AI in a students life should be used to be sure of a question and to further an understanding of a subject but never to their abuse.
I urge the adults who are meant to be our role models to really set an example for the next generation.
Written by Lunah Chavarria, staff writer