Blog for December 9th. 2024
If you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em!
I have been wrestling with something for nearly a year. It is a power greater than myself! It’s called Artificial Intelligence, A.I. As a teacher, this has become quite the proverbial thorn in my side! I’ve tried to seek out advice and help from other educators and the administration I work for, and it seems they are just as perplexed as I am.
I had a great conversation with an old mentor of mine who was my instructor over thirty years ago, she is great and gave me wonderful feedback. I’ve also been praying about this for a while. So, I decided to rewrite my whole class curriculum and re-do my rubrics.
As I was working on my class today, a thought occurred to me to ask A.I. for suggestions to help thwart their abilities to cheat. Sure enough, it not only gave me suggestions, A.I. laid out a whole plan. Wow! That is so crazy to me!
It seems everywhere we turn things are not what they seem to be. They even have movies that star famous people but only use their avatar! It’s not really them at all! I hope they don’t expect people to pay the same price as if they were watching real people. Also, most pictures of people on Facebook and internet are photo shopped. And as if that wasn’t enough, a lot of people these days, mostly women go into surgery for smaller stomach’s, bigger breast, longer eye lashes and more plump lips. Fingernails have gotten so out of hand (lol) that they can barely pick up a coin or type at work. Recently, my sponsor and a relative had their eyebrows- tattooed or threaded or whatever. It cost a whole lot of money, and I believe some pain was involved.
With all this fake stuff going on, how do we maintain our own originality? Our own selves? Our dignity and self-worth? It is becoming too easy to bite into the fakeness of this world, especially for our children. Social media is owning the kids these days. It’s kind of scary.
For me, the solution is simple, first and foremost, stay really close to my Higher Power and work my steps, stay in my recovery. If I am on track with that, then I know I will not be as likely to succumb to everything or anything that comes down the pike. I will know who I truly am and what I should be doing. It is fine if someone else wants to be, or try to be something different than they are, I don’t care, but I just need to know who or what I’m really dealing with. Just trying to stay in reality.
But many people do succumb to the pressures of society, looking good and feeling good. I know of a lady who has had a lot of “work” done because of her job. No, she’s not a model or actress, she’s a salesperson. Bless her heart, all that money and pain so she can sell something, that’s sad. I thought she looked great before all her “work”. I guess she too became a “if you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em” person. I am not trying to bash her or anyone else, because as I said, I too have caved and went ahead and did things I said I’d never do.
These days it’s the A.I. thing, but in the past, when I was using drugs, I kept crossing the line and doing things I said I’d never do. I had very few “nevers” left by the time I got clean and all that does is put another blow in my already low self-esteem. Not ever being true to myself, to God or those I love. Thank God for NA and recovery, thank NA & recovery for God! And there… that was my ultimate, “if you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em”.
I could not beat the fact that I was sick and dying and living outside of God’s will for me. Once I surrendered, I “joined ‘em”, my life, my self-worth and relationship with God improved immensely. So sometimes, giving up the fight and joining the winners or the new ways might be the best thing after all.
Hence, I am going to get on board with A.I. and use it to help impede and hinder students’ efforts to cheat. I am using their own weapon against their cheating schemes. Therefore, “if you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em”. It won’t be the first time I have given in to a new and different way of life.
Question of the Week: Have you ever done the I can’t “beat ‘em so I’ll join ‘em” thing?
