In response to your question of whether the mundane matters: last night in conversation with my husband, I got to hear from him all the steps forward his career and faith have taken in the last years, and how exciting it is to him (and to me!) I did feel a moment of self pity for all the dreams I've put in hold for him and for our family, but even those goals and hopes are slowly unfolding, and I realized then that every step forward I've taken has grown out of a faithfulness to the mundane, ordinary, humble parts of my life. I could probably write much more, but I'm summary, the mundane matters so much, and I'm slowly learning to be grateful for it.
I agree with what others have said here. So much of our lives are lived in the mundane, and there is such beauty and grace in the ordinary -- in simple dinners, in changing diapers, in slow family walks. There is nothing earth shattering or spectacular about sitting on my back deck drinking a cup of coffee, but there is contentment I find when I close my eyes and listen to the birds. I would also argue that the mundane ultimately leads to mastery. We learn to read by first learning and practicing the look and sounds of each letter, which is (for my children at least) a tedious task. But from there, you learn to put the sounds together, and ultimately sentences, and eventually, great works of literature. I think AI, and many forms of modern technology, instead of taking away "drudgery" from us, are taking us away from what makes us human -- critical thinking, curiosity, contemplation, creativity, connection.
In the world of scholarship, I see no option except to eliminate Ed Tech. I won't speak to academia so much as my thoughts are more geared these days to K-12 education. But it has done no good for today's students, and I see much harm.
Deeply agree with pretty much everything here, and I’m especially worried about the lack of motivation for students to even figure out what they think by writing when they know the instructor really doesn’t care (or their opinion could be outside the bounds of what’s acceptable to say, of course). I worked at an excellent university writing center and even there, students would sometimes come on their own but often would be sent by instructors who, reading between the lines, wanted cleaner easier products to grade. This frequently happened to English language learners, who I’m sure are extra motivated users of AI now to close the gap between themselves and native speakers.
Also it’s cynical or realistic of me but we all know that most people will not read a book or contemplate a sunset while hiking with the free time that AI gives them. They’ll be on tik tok or Netflix or both simultaneously.
Firstly, thank you for these valuable reflections, which have added to my thoughts simmering on the back burner.
I have done much thinking and contemplation on the matter of AI, and came to the conclusion that it is the effort to put the idea of the Tower of Babel into effect. I am a translator and have been paid to contribute to the automatic translation engines. They are aiming to replace human beings and to perfect their 'creation', to be able to do without the troublesome thing that is the human being, to replace what is already perfect. They will fail, inevitably. It is not possible to translate the subtlety of human expression from one language into another using automatic methods that is always satisfying.
Does the mundane matter? Yes, absolutely. I use the mundane to keep me grounded, for example, doing the washing up. In my case, I admit, it is only for the two of us, and thus does not take too long, but having been brought up in a family of eight, I recognise these chores were not always attractive. That said, I am now grateful to my parents for having made me participate and contribute to the family well-being.
The job in employment which I enjoyed most, of which I have tried many and in various countries, was in a hotel, cleaning the rooms. Doing something well is enjoyable, and that experience stays with me as something highly positive.
I really appreciate your reflection on AI and essay writing. As a college writing instructor myself, I’m grappling with so many of the same questions. I like how you emphasize the importance of process, and how AI bypasses the intellectual work in favor of efficiency. I worry how creative problem solving will wane as we embrace AI. When we forgo wrestling with (sometimes maddeningly frustrating) ideas, so much is lost.
I also love your emphasis on writing as play! I hope to find a way to encourage that in my classroom. It is so hard, though, when students feel so much pressure from elsewhere and buy into a utilitarian mindset about education. How do we help them see the value in play, in doing something just for its own sake?
Finally, your point about AI interfering with developing professional relationships between students and teachers is one I hadn’t considered, at least not in those terms.
As a mother, teacher, and sometimes writer who also thinks about such things in bits and snatches, thank you for giving me much to ponder.
Thank you for your thoughtful reflection on AI and the wonderful reminder that the mundane matters - an important idea whether AI were in the picture or not. From one homeschooling mom of small kids to another!
Thank you for a timely and important reflection on the value of mundanity and the risks of AI. The idea of drudgery as inextricably linked to our humanity resonates deeply for me.
In response to your question of whether the mundane matters: last night in conversation with my husband, I got to hear from him all the steps forward his career and faith have taken in the last years, and how exciting it is to him (and to me!) I did feel a moment of self pity for all the dreams I've put in hold for him and for our family, but even those goals and hopes are slowly unfolding, and I realized then that every step forward I've taken has grown out of a faithfulness to the mundane, ordinary, humble parts of my life. I could probably write much more, but I'm summary, the mundane matters so much, and I'm slowly learning to be grateful for it.
"...and I realized then that every step forward I've taken has grown out of a faithfulness to the mundane, ordinary, humble parts of my life." Yes
I agree with what others have said here. So much of our lives are lived in the mundane, and there is such beauty and grace in the ordinary -- in simple dinners, in changing diapers, in slow family walks. There is nothing earth shattering or spectacular about sitting on my back deck drinking a cup of coffee, but there is contentment I find when I close my eyes and listen to the birds. I would also argue that the mundane ultimately leads to mastery. We learn to read by first learning and practicing the look and sounds of each letter, which is (for my children at least) a tedious task. But from there, you learn to put the sounds together, and ultimately sentences, and eventually, great works of literature. I think AI, and many forms of modern technology, instead of taking away "drudgery" from us, are taking us away from what makes us human -- critical thinking, curiosity, contemplation, creativity, connection.
In the world of scholarship, I see no option except to eliminate Ed Tech. I won't speak to academia so much as my thoughts are more geared these days to K-12 education. But it has done no good for today's students, and I see much harm.
Deeply agree with pretty much everything here, and I’m especially worried about the lack of motivation for students to even figure out what they think by writing when they know the instructor really doesn’t care (or their opinion could be outside the bounds of what’s acceptable to say, of course). I worked at an excellent university writing center and even there, students would sometimes come on their own but often would be sent by instructors who, reading between the lines, wanted cleaner easier products to grade. This frequently happened to English language learners, who I’m sure are extra motivated users of AI now to close the gap between themselves and native speakers.
Also it’s cynical or realistic of me but we all know that most people will not read a book or contemplate a sunset while hiking with the free time that AI gives them. They’ll be on tik tok or Netflix or both simultaneously.
Firstly, thank you for these valuable reflections, which have added to my thoughts simmering on the back burner.
I have done much thinking and contemplation on the matter of AI, and came to the conclusion that it is the effort to put the idea of the Tower of Babel into effect. I am a translator and have been paid to contribute to the automatic translation engines. They are aiming to replace human beings and to perfect their 'creation', to be able to do without the troublesome thing that is the human being, to replace what is already perfect. They will fail, inevitably. It is not possible to translate the subtlety of human expression from one language into another using automatic methods that is always satisfying.
Does the mundane matter? Yes, absolutely. I use the mundane to keep me grounded, for example, doing the washing up. In my case, I admit, it is only for the two of us, and thus does not take too long, but having been brought up in a family of eight, I recognise these chores were not always attractive. That said, I am now grateful to my parents for having made me participate and contribute to the family well-being.
The job in employment which I enjoyed most, of which I have tried many and in various countries, was in a hotel, cleaning the rooms. Doing something well is enjoyable, and that experience stays with me as something highly positive.
I really appreciate your reflection on AI and essay writing. As a college writing instructor myself, I’m grappling with so many of the same questions. I like how you emphasize the importance of process, and how AI bypasses the intellectual work in favor of efficiency. I worry how creative problem solving will wane as we embrace AI. When we forgo wrestling with (sometimes maddeningly frustrating) ideas, so much is lost.
I also love your emphasis on writing as play! I hope to find a way to encourage that in my classroom. It is so hard, though, when students feel so much pressure from elsewhere and buy into a utilitarian mindset about education. How do we help them see the value in play, in doing something just for its own sake?
Finally, your point about AI interfering with developing professional relationships between students and teachers is one I hadn’t considered, at least not in those terms.
As a mother, teacher, and sometimes writer who also thinks about such things in bits and snatches, thank you for giving me much to ponder.
Thank you for your thoughtful reflection on AI and the wonderful reminder that the mundane matters - an important idea whether AI were in the picture or not. From one homeschooling mom of small kids to another!
Thank you for a timely and important reflection on the value of mundanity and the risks of AI. The idea of drudgery as inextricably linked to our humanity resonates deeply for me.