Still banning AI? Cool. I’ll be over here teaching.

I teach web development at a community college, and my students use AI.
In CTEC 121, our intro to programming class, students work with the CS50 Duck Debugger. It’s an AI tutor available 24/7. No appointment is needed, and there are no weird vibes. Just help when they need it. The Duck shows up more reliably than most people do for Student Hours.

In my more advanced classes, AI becomes a pair programmer. It asks questions, challenges ideas, and helps students actually think about their code instead of staring at error messages like they’re written in ancient Greek.

But AI isn’t a replacement for real understanding. Soon, I’ll be bringing back in-person assessments. Nothing fancy. Just me, the student, a computer, and a problem to solve. One-on-one. No hiding behind copied code or clever prompts. Just a chance to show what they really know and get some honest feedback in the moment.

Meanwhile, some professors still ban AI, as if it were a cheat engine. They ignore it, trash it, and pretend students aren’t already using it.
Let’s get real. AI is already part of how modern developers work. Ignoring it doesn’t make you rigorous. It makes you irrelevant.

We can teach students how to use today’s tools or keep grading like 2009.

I’ll be over here building the future with a duck, a slice of pizza, and a cup of Dunkin’ coffee.