Teachers Differ on Generative AI Use

On September 12, 2025, University Liggett School announced a draft AI policy. In classrooms across Liggett, the growing use of AI in a school setting is being questioned by educators, and these teachers debate whether AI can even be used in education or if it has a role in the classroom.

Since its public release on November 30, 2022, generative AI has become embedded in education, with roughly 84% of students using it. This technology has also led to a sharp divide among teachers. Some see it as an amazing asset, time-saver, and creative tool, while others believe it negates critical thinking. 

However, not all teachers agree with the use of AI by teachers; Elizabeth Wagenschutz, an Upper School English teacher at University Liggett, said, “I'm the teacher. I know my material.” She went on to say, “If I can't think of a lesson, then that's a damning indictment of my own inability.”

On the other hand, Christopher Hemler, director of teaching with technology, when referring to the new AI policy, believes in the use of AI as a time-saving method for teachers beyond professional expectations. Hemler has used AI to create reading checks, seating charts, and creative elements.

Hemler followed up by saying that as teachers get “more and more comfortable with the use of the internet for things like research, I think they will get more and more comfortable with the use of AI as well.”