“Class, we’ll have an essay analyzing the rhetorical choices the author uses to develop her argument due tomorrow.”
A melancholic wave of groans flutters across the classroom as my English teacher turns toward the whiteboard. The classmate next to me opens a blank Word document, then immediately split-screens it with the latest Al technology. And a recurring process begins: paste prompt, generate ideas, copy text, substitute a few words here and there, and submit. What could have been a genuine struggle with a text, a moment of grappling with meaning, became a jargon-filled analysis of something never even read. But this is more than simply a classroom annoyance; it’s a symptom of a more complex issue. This dilemma is symptomatic of the paradox of effortless information access; the easier thinking becomes, the less we learn to think. And this is precisely why we must re-implement the humanities in our school system.
Students today are being brought into a world where Al can generate thoughts, arguments, and analyses for them, while concepts like creativity, innovation, and collaboration are being downgraded in favor of convenience and accessibility. The College Board recently released statistics noting a surge from “79 to 84 percent between January and May 2025” of high schoolers using some form of generative AI for schoolwork. But this issue goes far beyond AI. Our ability to thoughtfully engage, think critically, and meaningfully debate abstract concepts is diminishing. Understanding other diverse cultures around us, familiarizing ourselves with our nation’s history and faults, and pursuing general knowledge of contemporary issues are skills that are all fading. We must be able to acknowledge and reflect upon the consequences of human innovation and ambition, and obtain the basic skills to think for ourselves, which is so essential to the progression of humanity.
Renowned philosopher Martha Nussbaum once wrote: “The humanities teach us critical thinking, how to analyze arguments, and how to imagine life from the point of view of someone unlike yourself.”
The pursuit of education lies within these values of seeking to understand the world around us and the people within it while also revisiting ideas and beliefs of those before us, including the ancient philosophers, artistic masters, and writing virtuosos. What truly shapes thoughtful citizens are often the disciplines that are ignored by the current education system. We must shift our focus to literature, history, philosophy, and culture. Reviving these arts in schools would not inflict a financial burden or require grand reinventions. Schools should implement productive seminars throughout the school day, structuring discussions during class time on current issues and prioritizing genuine interpretations of material over AI regurgitation. We must return to reading before summarizing, thinking before searching, and forming an argument before asking technology to create one. These changes are the first step to cultivating students who can critically and independently think rather than conveniently and superficially conform.
Inevitably, an education centered on humanities faces predictable objections, from parents wanting “practical” majors to administrators prioritizing test scores and students trained to equate rigor with quantifiable answers. However, employers across industries often seek critical thinking, communication, creativity, and problem-solving, all core aspects of humanities. Journalist Melissa Russell from Harvard notes that the top 10 skills job employers seek, according to a World Economic Forum report and a LinkedIn survey, “have nothing to do with technology” and that “human intuition, relationships, and decision-making are crucial” even in today’s workforce. While standardized tests like the ACT offer quantifiable certainties, they cannot measure ethics, empathy, and moral character. Humanities cultivate these qualities not by providing a single “correct” answer but by inviting multiple interpretations and perspectives. Their very subjectivity is their rigor: One cannot simply Google one’s way to a universally accepted truth about justice, identity, or historical memory. One must think one’s way there without the continuous dependence on AI. And this is what society urgently needs most: a generation capable of wrestling with “it depends” rather than defaulting to “generate response.” Introducing a curriculum encircling arts, music, culture, and literature is pivotal to developing a generation of critical thinkers, effective communicators, and informed citizens.
These roles embody the very principles that teach us how to face a blank page, how to listen, how to build arguments, and how to empathize with people whose stories differ from ours. But most importantly, such virtues teach us to experience satisfaction and genuine curiosity within the fundamental process of obtaining information and developing a well-informed character. This is why we must revive the humanities in schools, as they remind us not to resist advancing technology but to remain human in the midst of it, both improving and preserving the educational experience.
Nandini Kondisetti, a rising high school junior, is founder and editor-in-chief of the 901 Law Review, the student representative on the Town of Collierville Environmental Commission, and Concertmaster of the Collierville High School Orchestra.
