Arizona School Introduces AI Teachers

TOP OF MIND

Parent-teacher conferences will never be the same
Last month, Arizona's state board approved an application by Unbound Academy, an online K-8 charter school, to begin enrolling students for the 2025/26 school year.

Why is this newsworthy? Well, because the school will feature AI teachers. That's right. There will be no blood-carrying teachers to guide the students through their learning journey.

Instead, students will use personalized learning programs from companies like IXL and Khan Academy.

But wait, there's more!

The important bits
In addition to being taught by Mr. Roboto, students will only be required to complete two hours of academic instruction per day.

This doesn't mean the kids will be able to play Fortnite with the rest of their day though. Instead, they'll take "life skill workshops" in financial literacy, entrepreneurship, critical thinking, and public speaking.

Thankfully, those workshops will have actual humans running them, but they're not described as teachers. The academy refers to them as "guides," and they won't be required to have previous teaching experience.

MacKenzie Price, a cofounder of the academy, claims the guides are there to motivate the students...

That's cool and all, but just try to imagine if Mr. Feeny was replaced by a robot. We're just saying!

What's it all mean?
The world is changing, and while it’s yet to be seen whether this specific academy has the correct formula in place, AI-assisted learning will likely become more prevalent in the future.

As of now, however, there are still some things only humans can do. Take these 6 things, for example.

DID YOU HEAR

🤩 Don’t have a favorite child? This study says you do!
If you have more than one child, chances are, you've been asked if you have a favorite. And you likely laughed and said something like, "Oh, I could never!" but according to a recent study, if you thought hard about it, you'd likely come up with an answer. The study claims birth order, temperament and gender can all play a factor in liking one kid a little more than the other. Get all the information here.

6️⃣ phrases you should be telling your kids
Psychologist Crystal Saidi says there are six phrases you should be telling your kids and even your grandkids. The most obvious one on the list? "I love you." You can click here to see the rest. Spoiler alert: "Your brother is my favorite" is not one of them.

❌ Red Dye No. 3 has officially been banned
The U.S. FDA just made the decision to ban the use of red dye No. 3 in foods, beverages and ingested drugs. This move comes after a 2022 color additive petition, which pointed to red dye No. 3 as a cause of cancer in animals. Food manufacturers have until January 2027 to make changes to their products. Drug companies will have an additional year. So it's still going to take a bit of time for red dye to die.

😣 How NOT to raise "mentally weak" children
Psychiatrist and bestselling author Daniel Amen has a lot to say about parenting, and according to him, parents are making their kids "mentally weak" by doing everything for them. “If you do too much for your children, you are increasing your self-esteem by stealing theirs," he boldly claims. Read all about it here.

🤦‍♀️ Lazy or ingenious?
You have to see how Amy Schumer made a snowman with her son.

DOSE OF GOOD

BITES WITH KIYAH

I rarely eat breakfast even though I know that there is good reason to do so: eating a morning meal (ideally with a combination of fiber, protein, and healthy fats) can stabilize blood sugar and give you enough energy to last through the morning. 

Still, by the time we finish all our morning activities, my own breakfast is last on the to-do list and often forgotten. But I'm trying to be better. 

In case this resonates with you, too, I've pulled together a board of almost 70 Breakfast Pins that you can use to inspire your own breakfast goals.

Happy eating!

HERE’S A QUESTION

Last week, we asked you how your new year's resolutions were going, and the most popular response was, "Meh," and honestly... we feel that deeply.