AI is the disruption schools need to let go of old excuses
AI is disrupting education by exposing issues of time, trust, and equity while offering tools to rebuild schools with more purpose, connection, and opportunity for every learner.
30 Sep 2025
Author: Laurietta Goosen (Deputy Principal)
Like Covid, AI arrived without our permission. Unlike a pandemic, this disruption holds the promise to rebuild, reimagine, and restore what matters most in our schools.
For years, educators have said: if only we had more time. If only we could reach every learner. If only we could focus on authentic learning instead of paperwork.
AI does not solve every problem, but it is already challenging our old excuses.
What this disruption reveals
When schools first shifted online during Covid, we discovered very quickly which practices were essential and which ones simply kept us busy. AI is offering us a similar moment of clarity.
It is exposing three critical areas: time, trust and equity.
Time
Too many teachers and leaders spend more time tracking, reporting, and monitoring than actually teaching. AI is holding up a mirror to systems that have valued compliance over connection.
Trust
The debate about AI cheating is not only about technology. It is about whether we trust students to own their learning. When the focus is only on policing, it reveals that many schools have not built a culture of digital responsibility yet.
Equity
The gap between students who have support and those who do not is growing. Some families can pay for tutors, au pairs, and endless enrichment. Others cannot. AI is making it clear that access to help does not need to depend on what a family can afford.
How AI can help us rebuild
- Reclaiming time for teaching and connection - AI can automate routine tasks that consume precious hours, such as drafting reports, preparing lesson scaffolds, summarising policies, and offering first-draft feedback. When used thoughtfully, this creates space for deeper work.
- Restoring purpose - When teachers no longer spend most of their energy on administration, they can focus on designing learning that engages and inspires. Leaders can dedicate time to culture, strategy, and support instead of simply reacting to daily demands.
- Levelling the playing field - AI has the power to offer every student a personal learning assistant — an assistant that explains, translates, and guides. It can help close the gap between those who can access extra support and those who cannot. From simplifying reading materials to providing instant feedback, these tools are already making learning more accessible.
From excuses to action
We have all said we would do more if we had the time. This moment is showing us that time, while precious, is not the only barrier. The real question is whether we will let go of practices that no longer serve learning and whether we are willing to adopt tools that help us finally do the work we believe in.
AI will not replace our purpose, but it can remove the friction that keeps us from living it fully. This disruption is a chance to choose: will we use AI to entrench old patterns, or to finally create the conditions where every student can thrive?
If Covid taught us anything, it is that schools are capable of extraordinary change when purpose is clear. AI is now testing whether we have the courage to change again, not out of crisis, but out of hope.
AI can transform education: from excuses to action
I invite you to reflect:
- What in your practice or school culture is ready to be let go?
- Where could AI remove friction so deeper work can happen?
- How can we make sure this moment becomes a turning point, not just another trend?
Let us build a more human, more equitable, and more purposeful education system together.