At a high school in Queens, New York, English teacher Brian Sweeney has found a new way to stop students from using AI tools like ChatGPT to write essays. Instead of letting them write at home, he now gives essay tests on paper, in class, so everyone must write by themselves.
any schools don’t yet have clear rules about AI. Sweeney doesn’t ban it completely but teaches students to use it the right way — as a tool, not a replacement. After writing their essays, students can ask AI to identify weaknesses in their writing instead of fixing everything.
Experts say that students who depend too much on AI learn less and their brains are less active. The goal is to combine traditional learning with new AI technology — using it to help, not to cheat. As one student said, “AI is here, so we might as well use it to help us rather than harm us.”
Vocabulary:
• essay (noun): a short piece of writing on a topic.
• policy (noun): a rule or guideline made by a school or company.
• governing (verb): controlling or managing something officially.
• AI (artificial intelligence) (noun): machines that can think and write like humans.
• disclosed (verb): shared openly or made known.
• handwritten (adj): written by hand, not typed.
• identify (verb): to find or recognize something.
• weakness (noun): a part that is not strong.
• tool (noun): something you use to do a job.
• crutch (noun): something that you rely on too much for help.