Dean for a Day: How a student’s essay on AI and education led to a day of meaningful conversations

This March, Nipissing University welcomed the return of Dean for a Day, an exciting essay writing contest where the winner gets the unique opportunity to step into the shoes of their Dean.  Students were challenged to submit a short, 500-word essay answering the question: If AI can rapidly gather and analyze large amounts of information, draft plans, and generate optimal solutions, what (knowledge, skills and values) should education in your field prioritize that AI cannot replace?

This year’s winner was Alessia Montroy, a first-year student in Nipissing’s Consecutive Bachelor of Education program, Primary/Junior division. Her submission pointed to the uniquely human ability to express, identify, and manage behaviour and emotion, particularly in a classroom of young pupils.

In her essay, she noted a growing concern amongst her peers entering the teaching profession about whether they would be able to endure the demands of modern-day teaching, or whether they would fall victim to burnout that can affect new and veteran teachers alike. She highlighted questions such as how students in the Bachelor of Education program could be better educated in self-care and strategies for resiliency.

Alessia chose to apply to the Dean for a Day contest because she thought it was a unique way to engage in impactful conversations about her program and to see what goes on behind the scenes of university organization.

While dean for a day, Alessia met with Dr. Todd Horton, Chair of the Schulich School of Education and the senates of the Teaching and Learning Committee.

“I enjoyed the Teaching and Learning Committee the most because I was able to actively engage in meaningful conversations about how professors can evaluate their own teaching beyond the end of the semester student surveys,” she said. “I thought the conversation was really engaging and eye-opening because the conversations that were being had were so similar to many conversations I had had in my program’s classes about reflective teaching practices.”

She shared that this experience reinforced her understanding of the complexities in leadership and decision-making and further sparked her interest in pursuing academic leadership and education policy later in her career.

For Dr. Graydon Raymer, Dean of the Faculty of Education and Professional Studies at Nipissing University, what stood out most was Alessia’s clarity and maturity in articulating what teacher education should prioritize in an era of generative AI. He explained that her submission offered a valuable window into the concerns that possibly many teacher candidates carry with them as they enter the profession.

“Rather than focusing on what AI can do, she described what AI cannot do,” he explained. “Alessia emphasized the uniquely human dimensions of teaching, particularly the ability to understand, manage, and respond to student behaviour and emotion, especially in Primary/Junior classrooms.”

He shared that Alessia’s candid discussion with the Chair of the Schulich School of Education and himself made it clear that resiliency and self-care are not abstract, future concerns for students, but very real and immediate ones.

“It reinforced for me the importance of ensuring that our programs explicitly address strategies for professional longevity and personal well-being, alongside pedagogical skill development.”

He added that the most rewarding part of this year’s Dean for a Day experience was engaging with a student who approached the role with such thoughtfulness and purpose.

“Alessia’s emphasis on learning from ‘the front line’ through faculty and practicing educators reaffirmed the value of our model at Nipissing, where theory, practice, and experience intersect,” he said. He explained that seeing that level of reflection and commitment in a first-year BEd student was both encouraging and affirming.

“I also really just enjoyed being a student again - spending a day in a classroom with Alessia, her excellent peers who made me feel welcome, and our fantastic and inspiring instructors.”