Using AI in the classroom
Q. I start high school soon. In my freshman orientation packet there was a note saying AI is not permitted. I get that they don’t want us to write our papers using AI, but isn’t AI what you use when you search online? Do you think they’re saying we can’t do that? That’s unrealistic. – 15-year-old
Mary Jo’s Response: Your observation is correct; artificial intelligence plays a role in certain aspects of online searching, though it is not universal. In researching your question, two things were obvious: AI is pervasive (Copilot asked me if I wanted help writing this sentence. I declined), and AI is not always accurate. The Tow Center for Digital Journalism recently studied eight AI search engines, including ChatGPT Search, Perplexity, Perplexity Pro, Gemini, DeepSeek Search, Grok-2 Search, Grok-3 Search, and Copilot. They tested each for accuracy and recorded how frequently the tools refused to answer. I found the study interesting. Collectively, the AI search engines were inaccurate 60% of the time.
The study reinforces an important point: Education requires thinking and participation. Using AI to write a paper means the students put in little effort. More importantly, in another study, the researchers discovered students who used AI to write their papers did not retain the paper’s content when tested. In other words, using AI to search when a movie is streaming is handy, but using it in place of active learning is suspect.
Having said this, however, I doubt your high school is forbidding search engines. I suggest talking with your teachers. I’m guessing they want to avoid student written papers that are AI-produced. Have a great high school year.
Q. Last year my English teacher gave me a really hard time with my last paper. She said she could tell I used AI. I didn’t. She made me re-write it, in the classroom, while she watched. I was a nervous wreck with her watching me. Then she said the 2nd paper (the one where she hovered over me) wasn’t as good as the first one, which she said proved I used AI. I just received my schedule, and I have the same English teacher. Ironically, I enjoy writing and would not use AI, simply because I prefer my own words. How can I get her to respect my writing? -17-year-old
Mary Jo’s Response: I can imagine you felt frustrated. I suggest you address this with your teacher before any written assignments. Writing a paper while being scrutinized would be intimidating. I think you need to establish ground rules for your work in her English class. Talk about what happened last year. Show the teacher some examples of your writing. Explain how you felt and tell her honestly you don’t believe the paper you wrote while she hovered over you was your best work. Assure her you do not intend to use AI to write your papers this year.
I’m a college professor myself and I am aware of AI student use. AI is part of our world now, and it is unrealistic for me to think no one uses it. I find it too subjective for me to judge if my students wrote their papers themselves. In other words, my personal opinion clouds my perception of whether a student used AI. To be objective (making judgments based on observable facts), I use an AI checker. This article overviews the best AI checkers for teachers and gives hints for their use: https://rigorousthemes.com/blog/best-ai-checkers-for-teachers.
I’m not sure sharing the article with your English teacher yourself would be well-received, but, if you feel she is pre-judging your work, a trusted adult like your parent could mention it. In my opinion, you deserve fair and unbiased grading. Good luck with school and with writing.
Have a question? Send it to Dr. Mary Jo Podgurski’s email podmj@healthyteens.com.