Teachers' Concerns About Digital Tools

We wanted to understand more about the experience of teachers who intentionally rely on paper-based tools and who are cautious or uncertain about bringing AI into their teaching practice. We connected with them via interviews and surveys to understand what they're navigating in this moment.

One thing I didn't expect to hear so consistently was just how tired teachers are. Not tired of teaching but tired of the endless stream of new platforms, ever-shifting logins, constant troubleshooting, and the feeling that every lesson now comes with an IT support shift attached. As one survey respondent put it bluntly, "I spend all my time doing IT support for middle schoolers." Across nearly every conversation and survey response, some version of "tech burnout" surfaced. Teachers told me they're exhausted from navigating tech glitches, monitoring students' online behavior, and feeling pressure to master tools that seem to change every few months.

Screens, Skills, and Classroom Management

Several teachers shared concerns about what increased screen time is doing to students' development. Handwriting and fine-motor skills are slipping. Creativity feels flatter. Attention spans feel shorter than ever. One teacher described, "Students are addicted to screens, and adding more screen time is not something I like doing. They have low attention as is, and digital assignments do not help… They're losing creativity, and there's also the ever-present frustration of students using AI to cheat. They're losing critical thinking skills as a result." And beneath all of this sits an even bigger challenge: trying to manage a classroom where every student has a device that competes for their attention.

Why Teachers Are Both Using AI and Afraid of It

Every teacher I spoke with had used AI themselves. But they also shared new worries when it came to their students using it: plagiarism, inequity, blurred lines around authorship, and whether classic assignments even make sense in a world where a chatbot can produce an essay. However, one teacher in particular explicitly made it a point to mention that this is not his students' fault. He said, "kids are so busy and under so much pressure. AI is meant to make life easier, so of course, they use it for that purpose. But it can come at the cost of thinking for themselves." He didn't blame the students at all. Many of them work jobs, care for siblings, or juggle responsibilities adults don't always see. Instead, he believes the solution is to teach students how to use AI as a tool, and not as a replacement for thinking. He's even begun reevaluating his assignments: If AI can do this for them, should I still be teaching it this way? Not everyone agreed. A few teachers have banned AI outright. This clash of perspectives is real, and it's happening inside the same schools, same departments, sometimes even the same classrooms.

Different Generations, Different Tech Worlds

Another teacher pointed out something we often overlook: "The last four consecutive generations all have different experiences with technology, and we are all expected to work together." Students, parents, teachers, and administrators each have different expectations and comfort levels with technology. And yet everyone is navigating the same tools, often with little guidance or shared understanding.

So What Does This Mean for Those of Us Building EdTech?

When people like us come in wanting to "make something helpful for teachers," it's crucial that we understand the reality we're entering. Teachers don't need one more login. They don't need one more tool to learn on their own time. They don't need another system that adds steps instead of removing them. They need relief. If we're creating technology for classrooms, we should be asking: Does this actually reduce teachers' workload, or are we adding another burden? Are we asking teachers to attend more meetings or trainings on top of everything else? Can students learn this tool easily without teachers needing to be experts in both the technology and their subject? Are we aware of what managing 25 easily distracted students on laptops really feels like? Designing for classrooms isn't just about innovation; it's about empathy. Teachers carry so much already. The least we can do is create tools that give them time back, not take more from them.