What Teachers Have to Say
What Teachers Have to Say brings together innovative educators to talk about what it means to be a teacher in the modern classroom. Each episode explores the emotional complexity of teaching as hosts Jake & Nathan talk through the trials and triumphs of teaching. We talk access and equity, artificial intelligence, student behavior, teacher burnout, mentorship models & more. Find practical teaching advice and resources presented in an approachable and real way, alongside valuable insights and inspiration in these thought-provoking conversations, for educators at all levels.
What Teachers Have to Say
The Ship of ChatGPTseus: Identity, Authorship, and the Soul of Learning
When the tools, tasks, and teaching all start to change—at what point do we stop and ask: Is this still education?
In this mini episode, Jake Carr dives into the ancient thought experiment known as the Ship of Theseus to unpack what's happening in our schools today. From medieval monks copying texts by candlelight to students copy-pasting AI-generated responses, he asks: What makes learning authentic? What planks are we swapping out without realizing it? And what should teachers choose to hold onto?
Along the way, Jake connects this to his new book The Skills That Last, offers four actionable strategies for preserving human-centered learning, and shares how his Waldorf background prepared him to teach in this new, high-tech era.
Topics Covered:
- That classic meme: "My mom wrote the paper and I still got a D"
- The Ship of Theseus and its relevance to education
- What happens when every part of school is slowly replaced
- The invisible slope of AI-assisted student work
- When the work isn’t theirs anymore—and how to spot that moment
- What authentic learning might look like going forward
- Why skills like discernment, empathy, and will can’t be outsourced
- A fresh look at the teacher’s role—not as captain, but as keel
Tangible Takeaways:
- Shift from Policing to Process
Let students use AI—but teach them to revise, explain, and own their thinking. - Assign What Only They Can Do
Personal prompts. Local connections. Real reflection. Make it hard for AI to fake. - Slow It Down on Purpose
Use oral defenses, Socratic seminars, portfolio walkthroughs, and tools like Snorkl to make thinking visible. - Make Your Pedagogy Visible
Pull back the curtain. Tell students why you’re doing things the way you are—and what you hope they’ll take from it.
Resources Mentioned:
- 📖 The Skills That Last (Jake’s upcoming book, make sure to subscribe to Substack for announcements and previews)
- 📝 Teaching at the Speed of Soul – Jake’s latest Substack essay
- 🗣️ Leave a voice message for the show
- 📰 Subscribe to our Substack for more essays, questions, and reflections
💬 Join the Conversation:
What plank are you holding onto in your classroom?
Leave us a voice message at whatteachershavetosay.speakpipe.com or tag Jake on social @MrCarrOnTheWeb.
Got a question? We'd love to answer it! Leave us a voicemail on SpeakPipe: https://www.speakpipe.com/whatteachershavetosay
Want more EduProtocols from Jake? Check out his book at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and more.
