It's not a matter of the tools or the times. It's a matter of teachers not engaging students in a way where learning is organic. Natural. Fun. When I was in school, we didn't have ai, but when I was asked a question on an exam "what is Jane Eyre's aunt's maiden name" I lost all respect for the teacher and shut off.

A truly good teacher not only has a mastery of the material, they have a compelling and creative way of delivering the content. Class becomes a page turner. I want to keep reading to find out what's next.

Such people are rare, but they share similarities. First, they form meaningful relationships with students. Beyond surface level things like "what's your pet's name". Relationships where students come to the teacher for life advice. Teachers who also do things like go to student events and cheer for them. Like a tennis match or a piano recital.

Good course design is critical. Grades can not be a punishment or something which causes students stress. Grades are the number one reason students cheat. And why wouldn't they? I hate this thing, and I need straight A's to get into that prestigious school (where I will continue to cheat). Perhaps we should just rid of grades all together.

Now, when I say its matter of teachers not doing X, I'm not blaming them. But ai is on the doorstep, and short of turning schools into more of police states, the only way to change is for teachers to change. And it works. There are those of us who have shaped ourselves this way since before ai was an issue.