Faculty and staff members from Episcopal’s Munnerlyn, Beaches, and St. Mark’s Campuses gathered on October 19 for Humans First: Teaching in the Age of AI, a school-wide professional development day exploring how AI can support teaching and learning while keeping human connection, critical thinking, and creativity at the center. The day – designed and executed by ESJ’s AI Committee – featured five nationally recognized experts, 26 ESJ faculty and staff presenters, and 40 sessions. From hands-on workshops to discussions about ethics, assessment, digital citizenship, and AI in the arts, educators explored practical approaches and considered the questions this evolving technology raises for their classrooms.
For English Instructor Peter Vertacnik, the value was both the breadth of perspectives and the practical takeaways: “I left every session with concrete pedagogical nuggets that I will be implementing both in the short and the long term in my classroom,” Vertacnik said. He also appreciated the opportunity to consider his concerns about AI alongside its potential as an educational and cultural tool, describing the overall experience as both “challenge and encouragement.”
Visiting experts brought perspectives spanning classroom instruction, educational technology, computer science, and law. Keynote speaker Liza Garonzik, founder of R.E.A.L.® Discussion and author of Conversation Comeback: A Teacher’s Guide to Class Discussion in a Distracted, Divided World, explored the importance of meaningful discussion in a distracted and divided world. Other guests included Holly Clark, author of The AI Infused Classroom; Douglas Kiang, author of Hands on the Wheel: A Human-Centered Guide to AI in the Classroom; AI and instructional coach Brian Cox; and ESJ alumnus Trace Jackson ’07, who addressed legal and safety considerations surrounding AI.
Just as importantly, ESJ educators learned from one another. Faculty and staff shared experiences and strategies tailored to their subjects, grade levels, and departments, reinforcing that thoughtful AI use requires collaboration and not a one-size-fits-all approach.
The day was the result of two years of work by the AI Committee, which includes representatives across all three campuses and has helped develop a human-centered AI policy, an Acceptable Use Menu, and guidance for AI use in the writing process. This event was made possible by the Cranberg family and their generous support for ESJ’s AI Lab. The event marked a significant step in the school’s ongoing commitment to thoughtful teaching and learning in this rapidly changing educational environment.