They're not Cheating

They're Thinking

The reason kids sound so smart today with all their psycho-babble is not what you think.

They’re not trying to sound smart.

They *are* smart.

When kids get lost, they look for something to turn to. They look for understanding. For a place where they won’t be judged. A place where they can say the thing out loud without being told they’re wrong for feeling it.

Often, their parents don’t understand them — not because they don’t care, but because the world their parents grew up in doesn’t exist anymore.

So kids join clubs.

They take up karate.

They find teams, groups, subcultures.

And all of that is good — necessary, even.

But those spaces still come with rules, expectations, hierarchies, and judgment.

What kids have now that no generation before them had is this:

They have AI.

And they talk to it.

And honestly — are we surprised?

Not long ago, kids were talking to strangers online looking for connection.

Before that, they had pen pals.

Before that, diaries and journals.

We’ve *always* encouraged kids to find outlets for their thoughts.

The difference now is that the outlet talks back.

And it knows things.

A lot of things.

Psychology.

Philosophy.

History.

Religion.

Language.

Patterns.

Context.

Almost anything a kid is trying to figure out — about the world or about themselves — they can work through by talking to AI. And it responds in a way *they* understand. Not condescending. Not rushed. Not dismissive.

So they learn faster.

They understand deeper.

They develop language for feelings adults never had words for at their age.

And when these kids talk about emotional intelligence, it’s not some silly catchphrase they picked up online.

They know what they’re talking about.

They’ve done the work on themselves.

Real work.

The kind adults like to pretend only happens after divorce or burnout or therapy at forty-five.

And the work comes fast for them.

They don’t spend years circling the same confusion because they have something that responds immediately — something that lets them process, reflect, test ideas, reframe thoughts, and keep moving.

They get it.

Then they move on.

They can move through knowledge at a speed, mood, and style that suits them *in that moment* — not when the bell rings, not when the lesson plan says so, not when the rest of the class catches up.

Fast when they’re curious.

Slow when something hits deep.

Repetitive when they need reassurance.

Abstract when they’re exploring identity.

Concrete when they’re solving a problem.

That kind of learning used to be reserved for the lucky few — kids with private tutors, mentors, or parents who had the time and language to walk with them through their thoughts.

Now it’s available to everyone.

And instead of adapting — instead of teaching them how to use this tool responsibly and intelligently — we panic.

We ban it.

We block it.

We keep it out of classrooms.

We build AI detectors to catch “cheaters,” as if that’s the real issue.

Who cares how Jimmy got to his book report on his favorite Robert Munsch book?

Did he understand the story?

Did he grasp the lesson?

Can he talk about it?

Can he move on to the next idea with more curiosity than before?

That’s learning.

AI is one of the most powerful teaching tools ever dropped into human hands.

So the question isn’t whether AI *should* be in the classroom.

The question is:

why isn’t it already there?

And if you’re going into teaching as a profession and you’re fighting it instead of learning how to use it?

You better dust off those gym shoes —

because you’re heading the way of music and art.

Still important.

Still beautiful.

But pushed to the edges by people who refused to adapt.

These kids aren’t skipping the work.

They’re just finally allowed to do it in a way that makes sense to them.