The end-stage dystopia of the deprofessionalization of teachers is already apparent in some parts of the US. A new online charter school, Unbound Academy, plans to teach kids for two hours a day using learning apps driven by artificial intelligence. Afternoons will be spent on activities like public speaking and group projects. Initially approved for grades four to eight, this school replaces teachers with “guides,” who provide emotional support and individual coaching, at a ratio of one guide to every thirty-three students. For the moment, these guides still need teaching degrees, at least according to the charter school’s initial application for approval. Yet the idea that machines should be the ones delivering curricula and humans are needed only as cheerleaders shows how low our appreciation of pedagogues has fallen.
