How do we equip young people for a world that might advance beyond our expectations?
Mat Balez is a local West Vancouver parent. We have had several great conversations in recent years — and just last week, we sat down to talk about Replit, the future of coding, and how fast the world is changing for our kids. I find myself wondering more and more: How do we prepare children for a world that is changing faster than our educational systems?
Mat is one of those people I really value in my professional orbit — someone outside the day-to-day education system who from time-to-time sends me articles and ideas that push my thinking.
Recently, he posted a tweet thread that’s been sitting with me. It starts with a bold premise: Let’s assume superintelligence is going to happen within the next decade.
Then comes the question that matters most to people like us: What does that mean for how we raise and educate our kids?
Of course, there are valid debates about the timeline for superintelligence. Some experts suggest it could be several decades away, while others point to the exponential progress we are seeing as evidence of a shorter horizon. Regardless of whether it arrives in ten years or thirty, the direction is clear — the implications for education are worth considering now.
Mat outlines five big ideas:
Teach AI “super literacy”
Make independent thinkers
Invest in scarcity
Preserve human connection
Double down on the basics
It’s a strong list — one worth amplifying and building on. And as someone who thinks a lot about learning, change, and leadership, I see it as both a roadmap and an invitation.
1. Teach AI Super Literacy
Mat’s right: AI is fast becoming a foundational skill. Not just for those working in tech, but for all of us navigating modern life.
But AI literacy needs to go beyond technical fluency. It’s not enough to know how to use the tools — we also need to understand their implications. What’s trustworthy? What’s ethical? What’s human?
We are raising kids who won’t just use AI — they’ll live in it. And the goal isn’t to be better than other humans at AI. The goal is to be more human in an AI-saturated world.
In the classroom: In some schools, students are beginning to analyze AI-generated essays — for example, essays on climate change — using critical literacy frameworks. In small groups, they identify factual inaccuracies, spot potential biases, and discuss what the AI missed in terms of local context and human impact. These kinds of activities mark a shift: we are not just teaching kids to write, but to think critically about how ideas are generated — and by whom.
2. Make Independent Thinkers
This one hit especially hard. As AI gets better at producing answers, our job becomes helping students ask better questions.
Let’s teach them to think deeply, hold multiple ideas in tension, and resist the temptation to outsource all their thinking to machines. Let’s create learning environments where students develop the confidence — and the discipline — to work through ambiguity and challenge their own assumptions.
If the car can drive itself, we still need to remember (and learn!) how to steer.
In the classroom: Some teachers are experimenting with “first principles challenges” — problems students must tackle without digital tools. The goal isn’t to romanticize pre-digital learning, but to strengthen foundational reasoning and decision-making skills. These exercises help students better understand when to rely on AI — and when to trust themselves.
3. Invest in Scarcity
Mat uses this phrase to point us toward the qualities that remain uniquely human: creativity, emotional intelligence, trust and leadership.
It’s a powerful reminder that as automation rises, it’s not just what we do that will matter — it’s how we relate, how we empathize, how we build community.
We often talk about preparing students for the jobs of the future. What if we also prepared them for the relationships of the future?
That said, a small caution: I don’t think we should frame these traits as competitive advantages. Scarcity doesn’t need to become the next educational buzzword. These qualities matter not because they are rare, but because they make us whole.
4. Preserve Human Connection
There’s a quiet crisis unfolding in this generation — one of disconnection and loneliness. It is something I have written about before as I discussed Jonathan Haidt’s latest book, the Anxious Generation.
As educators, we are in a position to protect what’s most essential: belonging, relationship, connection. Whether through daily check-ins, deep collaboration, or simply being fully present, we can model and foster real human interaction.
Technology is accelerating, but connection still happens at a human pace.
5. Double Down on the Basics
This is a beautiful reminder not to lose the thread. Despite all the disruption, there’s a lot that still works — and still matters.
Reading, writing, listening, speaking, thinking, moving. Respect, responsibility, kindness. These aren’t nostalgic ideas. They’re timeless ones.
So yes, let’s bring in the new. But let’s not forget what got us here.
Aligning With Our Commitments
Looking at Mat’s framework through the lens of our West Vancouver Schools commitments, I see powerful alignment. His emphasis on AI literacy and independent thinking directly supports our commitment to fostering innovation. The focus on doubling down on the basics reinforces our pledge to ensure strong foundations in essential skills. And perhaps most importantly, his call to preserve human connection reminds us that “all means all” — in a technological world, we must ensure no student loses access to the human relationships that make learning and life meaningful.
What would happen if we approached AI not as a replacement for human teaching, but as a catalyst for reimagining what human teachers can focus on? And how might we create spaces where students learn to view technology not as an inevitable force to surrender to, but as a set of tools they have agency to shape?
Getting Started: First Steps for Schools and Districts
For school leaders wondering where to begin, I’d suggest starting with a community conversation. Bring together educators, parents, students, and use local tech professionals as resources to explore these ideas together. What does AI literacy mean in your context? What human capacities do you most want to nurture?
From there, consider forming a small innovation team — not just tech enthusiasts, but a diverse group across roles and with different comfort levels of these changes. Their job isn’t to overhaul everything at once, but to identify meaningful, strategic entry points for these ideas.
Most importantly, create space for teacher learning. In my visits to schools, teachers and other staff are eager to engage with these shifts, but they need time, support and permission to experiment.
So What Else?
Mat ends his thread with a call to continue the conversation — and I think that’s where the real opportunity lies.
The future will be shaped by those who are curious, grounded and willing to learn. But those voices won’t always come from inside our institutions. Sometimes the most important thinking is already happening — at the dinner table, in community conversations or in the inbox from a thoughtful parent like Mat.
We just have to keep listening. And keep showing up — ready to rethink, ready to collaborate and ready to lead with both head and heart.
I’m reminded that in education, we need to keep moving. To stay relevant, we must remain curious about the world changing so quickly around us. Whether we embrace all of these changes is open for discussion, but we should certainly be talking about them. One great piece of leadership advice I received long ago was that leaders in education need to see around corners so they can be the first to know what is coming next — conversations with people like Mat help me do exactly that.
Various AI tools were used as feedback helpers (for our students this post would be a Yellow assignment – see link to explanation chart) as I edited and refined my thinking.
