Learning Requires Companionship: Why Connection Powers Growth in the Age of AI

This post is decided to Mrs. Susan Bigelow, my 9th grade English teacher. I never had the chance to tell her how much she's inspired me over the years, by simply believing in me.

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I’ve been sitting with a simple idea. Learning doesn’t happen alone.

We often imagine the path to mastery as a solo pursuit. Push harder. Go deeper. Do it yourself. But in my experience, and in what the research tells us, real learning is deeply relational. It requires companionship. Someone or something to walk with us, to help us process what we’re hearing, seeing, and experiencing.

Sometimes that companion is a teacher. Sometimes it’s a parent, a mentor, or a peer. And in this new era, it may even be AI.

But it’s never just us.

One of the most powerful frameworks in education, Social Cognitive Theory, explains this well. For someone to succeed as a learner, they need three things. First, they need to believe they can succeed. Second, they need to be able to take intentional action toward a goal. And third, they need an environment that supports their growth.

That’s why learning is not just about information. It’s about transformation. It’s about how we think, how we act, and how we make sense of the world around us. And that kind of transformation doesn’t happen in silence. It happens through connection, reflection, and encouragement.

It happens with companionship.

When my daughter, who has Down syndrome, is fully included in a learning environment, something powerful happens. Not just to her, but to everyone around her. People grow through her presence. They become more empathetic. More patient. More curious. More human. Inclusion is not only beneficial to those being included. It strengthens the entire community.

Now that AI is advancing at a pace none of us could have predicted, we are standing at a critical intersection. We can either design tools that isolate learners, or we can build experiences that mirror how humans actually grow. Through feedback. Through trust. Through shared experiences.

AI has the potential to become a learning companion. Not a substitute for human connection, but a presence that adapts and responds to the learner in real time. When designed thoughtfully, it can support growth without replacing the relational moments that define education.

But we have to stay grounded in what we know about learning. We have to remember that even the most intelligent technology cannot replace the feeling of being seen. Of being believed in. Of being understood.

In the end, what we all need is the same thing we have always needed. Someone or something to learn with. A presence that listens. A presence that reflects. A presence that brings out the best in us.

That is how real learning happens. That is how we grow. That is how we become who we are meant to be.

We Need Diversity & Inclusion More Than Ever in the Age of AI

As AI sweeps across our world at a pace few could’ve predicted, we’re standing at a turning point. On one side, we’ve got the chance to use this technology to elevate how we live, work, and learn. On the other, we risk building systems that quietly reinforce everything we’ve spent decades trying to overcome.

So let’s be honest. If we don’t prioritize diversity and inclusion now, we’re building a future that doesn’t reflect all of us.

And for me, this isn’t theoretical.

My daughter has Down syndrome. She’s taught me more about what it means to be human than any device, platform, or algorithm ever could. Every time she’s welcomed and included in her school or community, everyone benefits. She learns and grows. But so do the people around her. They get to see the world from a different perspective. They learn empathy, patience, joy, and connection — things AI can’t replicate.

So when I hear conversations about AI replacing human interaction or streamlining education, I pause.

Because no matter how fast the technology moves, it won’t teach us what we most need to know. It won’t teach us how to listen deeply, how to connect across difference, or how to sit with someone and really see them.

Inclusion can’t be an afterthought.

Too often, inclusion is something we say we’ll get to later. Build the product first. Launch the program. Then come back to diversity when we have more time or budget.

But in the age of AI, later is too late.

If we don’t build with inclusion from the beginning, we’re setting people up to be excluded from the beginning.

And I’ve seen what happens when people like my daughter are left out. We all lose something. We lose out on voices, talents, stories, and ways of thinking that could change how we see the world.

Our greatest technology is still each other.

AI can process data. It can predict and automate. But it can’t replace the feeling of being seen. It can’t teach us how to be present with someone whose life looks different from our own. It can’t model love or resilience or wonder.

Diversity and inclusion aren’t just checkboxes. They’re the soul of any community that wants to thrive. They make our systems stronger, our classrooms more vibrant, and our futures more just.

This is the work we’re called to do.

AI’s going to keep moving fast. That’s a given. But speed doesn’t matter if we’re headed in the wrong direction.

So let’s slow down and ask better questions. Who’s at the table? Who’s missing? And what kind of world are we building with the tools we say are here to help?

If we get this right, we’ll build more than smart technology. We’ll build a future where people still matter. Where inclusion is practiced, not just promised. And where being human isn’t something to work around — it’s the reason we’re here in the first place.

Back to the Basics: Thoughts on AI, Education, and What It Means to Be Human

This past weekend, I stayed in a rustic tree house in the woods. No cell service. No notifications. Just the sound of the forest and the quiet hum of my own thoughts.

We were just a few miles from the California coast, surrounded by redwoods that seemed to stretch endlessly into the sky. At night, we sat around the fire and simply stared. Into the flames, into the dark, into the quiet. It felt like a rare gift. A full weekend to unplug, breathe, and think.

Naturally, I found myself thinking about AI.

More specifically, I kept coming back to a single question.

As technology keeps racing forward, how do we make sure we do not lose sight of what makes education and life so profoundly human?

I keep thinking we have to go back to the basics. The human stuff.

We need to make sure our students are comfortable sharing their thoughts. That they can speak in front of others and know how to really listen. That they are encouraged to stay curious and ask questions that matter, even when it feels a little uncomfortable. Maybe especially when it feels uncomfortable.

Because here is the truth. No matter how much information we have at our fingertips, it does not mean much if we do not know what to do with it.

The goal has never been to simply collect facts. The goal is to become knowledgeable.

Knowledge is not just what you know. It is what you carry with you. It is how you make sense of things. It shapes how you think, how you act, and how you move through the world.

That is what we should be focused on. Not just giving students access to more information, but helping them build the skills to turn that information into meaning. Helping them think clearly, speak with intention, and live with purpose.

Real growth does not come from downloading the right tool or asking the perfect AI prompt. It comes from conversation. From reflection. From community.

Yes, AI will be a powerful part of the future. But it cannot lead the journey.

This is not about choosing between humans and machines. It is about remembering that we are human. And making sure we lead with that.