The ground is shifting under education, and pretending otherwise won’t help. In this conversation, we sit down with Dr. Sabba Quidwai to map a path forward—one that begins with people, not platforms. The focus? Clarifying strengths, building agency, and using AI as a true teammate with defined responsibilities.

From Recession to Reinvention

Sabba shares how a rocky start to her teaching career during the recession led to a powerful reframe: know your value, share your work, and let curiosity drive serendipity. That same mindset, she argues, is exactly what teachers and students need to thrive right now.

Practical Moves You Can Make This Week

We dig into concrete steps any educator can take immediately:

  • Start with strengths. Use tools like Sparketype and CliftonStrengths to name what you do best, then collect real stories that prove those strengths in action.
  • Ground projects in human needs. Apply the SPARK interview method to understand what people actually care about before building anything.
  • Let AI provide kismet. Use it to generate fresh ideas you can vet, refine, and ship—but keep humans in the lead.

Agency Over Algorithms

Here’s the shift: agency, not rote “thinking,” is the real gap we need to close.

We explore how to assign AI the first drafts and scaffolds while humans lead with insight, judgment, and relationships. Watching major AI keynotes can keep you oriented without chasing every shiny tool that crosses your feed.

The Human Premium Is Rising

As AI models approach average human performance on more tasks, the value of distinctly human capacities rises: empathy, nuanced judgment, storytelling, and collaboration. Context matters—policy and culture shape what’s possible (Finland offers a compelling example of what happens when a society truly invests in people). But the direction is clear.

 

Subscribe, share with a colleague, and leave a review with the one strength you’ll double down on next week.

What’s the one human capacity you’re betting on as AI becomes more capable? Let us know in the comments.