The author balances a 1995 education classic with the reality of AI tools shaping his child's future.
PROGRAMMERS FACE EDUCATION CRISIS AS AI REWRITES LEARNING
*A soon-to-be father, a programmer, confronts the collapse of his trade in an age of AGI. He turns to Neil Postman, Edison, and historic tech forecasts to map a new purpose for schooling.*
A programmer on the cusp of fatherhood stared at Neil Postman’s 1995 *The End of Education* and felt his skill set evaporate. The book, discovered on October 19, 2026, offered a balm for a "confused programmer and soon‑to‑be father" wrestling with the question, "What shall I teach my son?" The author recalls Thomas Edison’s 1913 prophecy that books would become obsolete and that schools would transform within a decade. He also remembers his own 2013 prediction that MOOCs would upend education—an optimism he now labels "sweet summer child". With AGI already mastering mathematics, the author confronts a market that once celebrated dropouts like Steve Jobs and Bill Gates, and wonders whether the classic classroom will survive the AI era.
Will AI render traditional schooling obsolete?
The author cites his own shift from programming to parenthood as a symptom of a broader devaluation of technical skills. He notes that AI agents now solve mathematics that once distinguished the brightest minds, eroding the market advantage of dropouts like Jobs and Gates. Postman's notion of "resourceful"—the ability to wield arbitrary tools to solve problems—has been absorbed by AI tool loops, suggesting the old metric of resourcefulness may disappear. The piece argues that if AI can perform the core intellectual work, the classroom's classic "turn to page 17" routine faces an existential test. The author warns that without a redefined purpose, schools risk becoming relics, much as the Victrola once threatened language teachers.
What did early technologists predict about teachers?
The essay quotes Thomas Edison from a 1913 New York Dramatic Mirror piece: "Books will soon be obsolete in the public schools… Our school system will be completely changed inside of ten years." It also references Edison’s claim that the radio would supplant teachers, pushing educators to backwoods or museums. These predictions echo the 1920s "Teachers and Machines" narrative that technology would reduce teaching to button‑pressing. The author admits his 2013 confidence that MOOCs would upend education was equally misplaced. The pattern shows a century‑long cycle of technologists overestimating disruption, yet schools have persisted through radio, motion pictures, and the internet.
Which purposes have survived in education?
Postman’s historical survey shows education’s endurance stems from shifting purposes: shaping good persons, good citizens, earning a living, improving the world, and imparting basic facts. The author extracts a single‑word purpose—"resourceful"—but later concedes that earning a living remains a central pillar, especially as his own livelihood wavers. He points to Harvard, Yale, and Princeton’s clerical origins, noting that institutions survived the loss of their original religious justification. The essay argues that the staying power of schools lies not in lofty missions but in pragmatic forces: endowments, prestige, and parental demand for supervision.
How are parents redefining learning for their children?
Facing AI‑driven talent displacement, the author proposes co‑creating educational purpose with his son. He draws on Postman’s "Spaceship Earth" and "American Experiment" ideas, urging a collective responsibility for planet and nation. He also cites McLuhan‑inspired "World Makers" to encourage students to build the tools and narratives of tomorrow. The piece aligns with Alfie Kohn’s "doing with" philosophy, treating children as partners rather than objects. By inviting children to help craft curricula, the author seeks a pragmatic, human‑centered response to an uncertain future, echoing his own search for an objective arbiter of "good" in education.
Frequently asked questions
What did Thomas Edison predict about books and schools?
Edison said books would soon be obsolete in public schools and that the school system would be completely changed inside ten years, according to a 1913 New York Dramatic Mirror article.
What purposes of education does the author list as enduring?
He lists becoming a good person, a good citizen, earning a living, making the world better, and learning basic facts as shifting but persistent purposes.
How does the author propose parents address the AI challenge in education?
He suggests parents co‑create the purpose of schooling with their children, invoking Postman’s "Spaceship Earth" and "American Experiment" and treating children as partners, not objects.
The author’s dilemma mirrors a generational crossroads: cling to outdated structures or forge a new educational contract with AI‑augmented children. By inviting his son to help define purpose, he models a pragmatic, human‑first approach that could keep schools relevant beyond the next technological wave. The stakes are personal, but the lesson is universal—education must evolve or risk extinction.
Sources: Hacker News (https://stevekrouse.com/ends)