Author’s Note

I wrote the original articles myself, without using AI. They come largely from my existing body of work and have been edited for this collection. I see this collection as a primer for visitors who want to get a sense of my fully original work.

Some articles are abridged; others appear at greater length to preserve their context. The editing aims to retain as much of my original writing as possible, with corrections and limited changes to transitions for clarity and accuracy.

Each chapter opens with lines drawn from its essays. The conclusion likewise draws from my existing writing. Dated excerpts, brief notes, and links make changes in my thinking easier to follow. Pull quotes reproduce my words from the essays. Questions after the essays invite you to consider your own practice.

How I Used AI

I asked ChatGPT for feedback on my article selection. I also used Astra, an AI model available through ChatGPT, to help:

Organize the book into chapters.
Design the layout and build the EPUB file, including the code for its formatting, navigation, and links.
Create the index.
Select and place excerpts, pull quotes, and photos from my original posts.
Prepare chapter headings, publication credits, and cross-references between essays.
Check hyperlinks.

I also used AI to proofread the collection for typos.

My distinction between teaching about AI and teaching with it also guides this choice. I used AI to help assemble and edit a collection of work I had already written, drawing on years of reporting and classroom experience. That differs from asking students to use it before they have developed the writing and reasoning an assignment is meant to teach. Teachers should decide when a tool supports those goals and when it replaces the practice students need. My use here does not remove the need to question the system’s suggestions or verify its work.

I reviewed the AI-assisted work for accuracy and thoroughness, and I retain full responsibility for any inaccuracies, including those introduced by the system.

The essays are arranged by theme rather than strictly by date. I hope the dates before each entry help you see my evolution as a teacher who is always striving for perfection, even though I know it will forever remain elusive. Verified publication dates appear with each entry where available. Approximate dates are labeled “c.” and their basis is explained in the source notes. Otherwise, the original date is marked unconfirmed alongside the archive date. For many older pieces, that is the date the article moved to Medium in 2018, not the date it was written. Links beneath each title take you to the published or archived article. Source details identify where each selection appeared and which version is included here.