Zach Czaia
@zachczaia.bsky.social
Poet. High School English teacher. Substack, "Teacher / Poet" here: https://zachczaia.substack.com/
Reposted by Zach Czaia
Omar El Akkad's One Day, Everyone will have Always Been Against This has won the National Book Award. This is a deserving, necessary win. His words need to be on all of our minds and in all of our hearts.
"When it mattered, who sided with justice and who sided with power?"
"When it mattered, who sided with justice and who sided with power?"
November 21, 2025 at 3:26 AM
Omar El Akkad's One Day, Everyone will have Always Been Against This has won the National Book Award. This is a deserving, necessary win. His words need to be on all of our minds and in all of our hearts.
"When it mattered, who sided with justice and who sided with power?"
"When it mattered, who sided with justice and who sided with power?"
Reposted by Zach Czaia
I’m good in the hood.
November 18, 2025 at 7:35 PM
I’m good in the hood.
Reposted by Zach Czaia
Last week, I gave a talk pushing back against claims that AI will democratize education, and I included this slide meant to trouble narratives - and self-serving programs like OpenAI's new "free" ChatGPT for teachers - that focus narrowly on access to technology as some kind of transformative force.
November 20, 2025 at 1:40 AM
Last week, I gave a talk pushing back against claims that AI will democratize education, and I included this slide meant to trouble narratives - and self-serving programs like OpenAI's new "free" ChatGPT for teachers - that focus narrowly on access to technology as some kind of transformative force.
Reposted by Zach Czaia
Okay, so let's do officially do this! a slow-read of Macbeth with Sunday discussion threads starting November 23rd! #SundayMacbethChat
Everyone's welcome! And just like Beloved, I am definitely going to be looking at this with very-fresh (i.e. humble) eyes!
docs.google.com/document/d/1...
Everyone's welcome! And just like Beloved, I am definitely going to be looking at this with very-fresh (i.e. humble) eyes!
docs.google.com/document/d/1...
November 15, 2025 at 2:10 PM
Okay, so let's do officially do this! a slow-read of Macbeth with Sunday discussion threads starting November 23rd! #SundayMacbethChat
Everyone's welcome! And just like Beloved, I am definitely going to be looking at this with very-fresh (i.e. humble) eyes!
docs.google.com/document/d/1...
Everyone's welcome! And just like Beloved, I am definitely going to be looking at this with very-fresh (i.e. humble) eyes!
docs.google.com/document/d/1...
Reposted by Zach Czaia
and: what that viral atlantic article from a while ago did was call into question the “college readiness” part of common core’s claims about “college and career readiness” and i don’t know if enough people understand the nature or stakes of the fight
November 1, 2025 at 11:36 AM
and: what that viral atlantic article from a while ago did was call into question the “college readiness” part of common core’s claims about “college and career readiness” and i don’t know if enough people understand the nature or stakes of the fight
Reposted by Zach Czaia
What do playing with toddlers and almost becoming a professional clown have to do with teaching? They remind me of why I fell in love with teaching. #TeacherSky #EduSky #SubstackSky
open.substack.com/pub/adrianne...
open.substack.com/pub/adrianne...
October 27, 2025 at 11:47 AM
What do playing with toddlers and almost becoming a professional clown have to do with teaching? They remind me of why I fell in love with teaching. #TeacherSky #EduSky #SubstackSky
open.substack.com/pub/adrianne...
open.substack.com/pub/adrianne...
"To tell students not to use AI for the work that was AI-generated for us is, in my opinion, beyond ridiculous. She wants to know what we know. It’s only fair that the same should apply to teachers." Thanks, Scout Snider, for telling it like it is. And @jsanofranchini.bsky.social for sharing.
New Post: A High Schooler’s Perspective on Generative AI by Scout Snider refusinggenai.wordpress.com/2025/10/22/a...
"To tell students not to use AI for the work that was AI-generated for us is, in my opinion, beyond ridiculous."
"To tell students not to use AI for the work that was AI-generated for us is, in my opinion, beyond ridiculous."
A High Schooler’s Perspective on Generative AI
Scout Snider, Morgantown High School Photo by Antoni Shkraba Studio on Pexels.com Being a student in today’s age means having to be surrounded by the constant usage of generative AI. I’…
refusinggenai.wordpress.com
October 23, 2025 at 2:24 PM
"To tell students not to use AI for the work that was AI-generated for us is, in my opinion, beyond ridiculous. She wants to know what we know. It’s only fair that the same should apply to teachers." Thanks, Scout Snider, for telling it like it is. And @jsanofranchini.bsky.social for sharing.
"Never a Dull Moment, Babe": Notes on Surprise--in Teaching, Writing, and Publishing
zachczaia.substack.com/p/never-a-du...
zachczaia.substack.com/p/never-a-du...
"Never a Dull Moment, Babe"
Notes on Surprise--in Teaching, Writing, and Publishing
zachczaia.substack.com
October 23, 2025 at 11:24 AM
"Never a Dull Moment, Babe": Notes on Surprise--in Teaching, Writing, and Publishing
zachczaia.substack.com/p/never-a-du...
zachczaia.substack.com/p/never-a-du...
Reposted by Zach Czaia
AI is not a mere tool for helping teachers. When you remove the human element of teaching and learning, you are not being more efficient nor effective. The ability to learn is what makes us human, and humans teaching humans is a fundamentally human act that is necessary for meaningful engagement.
I strongly urge everyone to not just read this warning from @marcwatkins.bsky.social, but heed it, and be vocal and forceful pushing back against using AI to grade student writing. This must be anathema if we're going to have a world where learning means something. substack.com/inbox/post/1...
The Dangers of using AI to Grade
Nobody Learns, Nobody Gains
substack.com
October 10, 2025 at 1:24 PM
AI is not a mere tool for helping teachers. When you remove the human element of teaching and learning, you are not being more efficient nor effective. The ability to learn is what makes us human, and humans teaching humans is a fundamentally human act that is necessary for meaningful engagement.
Reposted by Zach Czaia
Teachers! If your students are using AI to write their papers, maybe it's because you personally are not using AI enough. Here's my new @mcsweeneys.net www.mcsweeneys.net/articles/i-n...
I Need AI to Write Better Lesson Plans So My Students Stop Using AI to Write Their Papers
I care deeply about my students’ learning, but with all the new technologies available to help them cut corners, I worry that they’re not doing the...
www.mcsweeneys.net
October 2, 2025 at 1:50 AM
Teachers! If your students are using AI to write their papers, maybe it's because you personally are not using AI enough. Here's my new @mcsweeneys.net www.mcsweeneys.net/articles/i-n...
Reposted by Zach Czaia
"Scrupulous and well researched, this is a much-needed portrait of an often-overlooked area of American Catholicism." ~Publishers Weekly #Racism #Identity #Religion
Read the review: https://bit.ly/4mGTM6z. BLACK AND CATHOLIC by @tiaphd.bsky.social is coming soon!
Read the review: https://bit.ly/4mGTM6z. BLACK AND CATHOLIC by @tiaphd.bsky.social is coming soon!
June 16, 2025 at 7:00 PM
"Scrupulous and well researched, this is a much-needed portrait of an often-overlooked area of American Catholicism." ~Publishers Weekly #Racism #Identity #Religion
Read the review: https://bit.ly/4mGTM6z. BLACK AND CATHOLIC by @tiaphd.bsky.social is coming soon!
Read the review: https://bit.ly/4mGTM6z. BLACK AND CATHOLIC by @tiaphd.bsky.social is coming soon!
Reposted by Zach Czaia
Reposted by Zach Czaia
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My new essay on AI (www.alfiekohn.org/article/ai/) includes quotes from, or links to, writings by @emilymbender.bsky.social, @palan57.bsky.social, @stopgenai.com, @ddmeyer.bsky.social, @zachczaia.bsky.social, @lutzfernandez.bsky.social, @empittsdonahoe.bsky.social, @garymarcus.bsky.social ....
My new essay on AI (www.alfiekohn.org/article/ai/) includes quotes from, or links to, writings by @emilymbender.bsky.social, @palan57.bsky.social, @stopgenai.com, @ddmeyer.bsky.social, @zachczaia.bsky.social, @lutzfernandez.bsky.social, @empittsdonahoe.bsky.social, @garymarcus.bsky.social ....
The Chatbot in the Classroom, the Forklift at the Gym
EDUCATION WEEK September 22, 2025 The Chatbot in the Classroom, the Forklift at the Gym By Alfie Kohn [This is a significantly expanded version of the published article, which was given a different ti...
www.alfiekohn.org
September 26, 2025 at 12:19 PM
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My new essay on AI (www.alfiekohn.org/article/ai/) includes quotes from, or links to, writings by @emilymbender.bsky.social, @palan57.bsky.social, @stopgenai.com, @ddmeyer.bsky.social, @zachczaia.bsky.social, @lutzfernandez.bsky.social, @empittsdonahoe.bsky.social, @garymarcus.bsky.social ....
My new essay on AI (www.alfiekohn.org/article/ai/) includes quotes from, or links to, writings by @emilymbender.bsky.social, @palan57.bsky.social, @stopgenai.com, @ddmeyer.bsky.social, @zachczaia.bsky.social, @lutzfernandez.bsky.social, @empittsdonahoe.bsky.social, @garymarcus.bsky.social ....
‘Consider the bad times, and who they are good for.’ Brilliant line and brilliant piece.
Terrible book, terrible guy, great magazine
Mark O’Connell on the flaccid philosophy of Palantir’s CEO
September 11, 2025 at 4:17 PM
‘Consider the bad times, and who they are good for.’ Brilliant line and brilliant piece.
‘Know Where You Stand and Stand There’: Notes on Some of Daniel Berrigan’s Poems and Another School Shooting
zachczaia.substack.com/p/know-where...
zachczaia.substack.com/p/know-where...
"Know Where You Stand, and Stand There"
Notes on Daniel Berrigan's Poems and Another School Shooting
zachczaia.substack.com
September 11, 2025 at 11:19 AM
‘Know Where You Stand and Stand There’: Notes on Some of Daniel Berrigan’s Poems and Another School Shooting
zachczaia.substack.com/p/know-where...
zachczaia.substack.com/p/know-where...
One Subject Press just released our first new book, and it is a beauty. TEACHING WITHOUT TEACHING by Scott F. Parker. zachczaia.substack.com/p/teaching-w...
Teaching without Teaching by Scott F. Parker
Introducing One Subject Press' First New Book!
zachczaia.substack.com
September 2, 2025 at 7:50 PM
One Subject Press just released our first new book, and it is a beauty. TEACHING WITHOUT TEACHING by Scott F. Parker. zachczaia.substack.com/p/teaching-w...
Reposted by Zach Czaia
Minnesota is taking an ungodly amount of hits this year.
August 27, 2025 at 5:31 PM
Minnesota is taking an ungodly amount of hits this year.
Reposted by Zach Czaia
This is one of the absolute toughest things about predatory inclusion — the predation is often fun or a little useful. Criticism makes a reasonable person sound like an asshole. LowerEd weathered me for this kind of social death.
So I’ll say it: your enjoyment does not matter & should not matter.
So I’ll say it: your enjoyment does not matter & should not matter.
I don't fundamentally disagree with a lot of this, especially the environmental cost/ benefit. I'll just offer that as a maker,tinkerer,experimenter, having access to a LLM has massively decreased the time required to design build and debug relatively sophisticated hw/sw prototypes.
August 23, 2025 at 7:01 PM
This is one of the absolute toughest things about predatory inclusion — the predation is often fun or a little useful. Criticism makes a reasonable person sound like an asshole. LowerEd weathered me for this kind of social death.
So I’ll say it: your enjoyment does not matter & should not matter.
So I’ll say it: your enjoyment does not matter & should not matter.
Reposted by Zach Czaia
asking the non-sentient sentence generator that uses sentient authors’ works without their consent if it consents to you using a pastiche of others’ work that you commanded it to produce is some of the highest decoupling I have seen Lo these many years
just checking in with one of the most influential philosophers alive today
August 19, 2025 at 3:30 PM
asking the non-sentient sentence generator that uses sentient authors’ works without their consent if it consents to you using a pastiche of others’ work that you commanded it to produce is some of the highest decoupling I have seen Lo these many years
"Another Round"
A Movie Review & Other Back to School Recommendations
zachczaia.substack.com
August 15, 2025 at 11:13 AM
This about sums it up
When we say “generative AI is the future,” we mean “we just bought into it on everyone’s behalf.” When we say “generative AI is a useful tool,” we mean “you had better find a use for it.”
The @aaup.org report on AI is so hugely important. Among other key takeaways is the fact that most AI programs have been introduced by administrative fiat and by circumventing meaningful faculty, student, & staff consultation.
shorturl.at/InI5Q
shorturl.at/InI5Q
August 1, 2025 at 9:10 PM
This about sums it up
Thank you @alvinahoffmann.bsky.social
On 9 July, the US imposed sanctions on special rapporteur Francesca Albanese. Below I provide a brief context of this unprecedented attack against this body of experts.
UN special rapporteurs provide pro bono advice and expertise on vital latters of international law.
July 26, 2025 at 12:52 AM
Thank you @alvinahoffmann.bsky.social