In this episode, I reflect on how much education has changed during my 23 years in the classroom. Technology, curriculum, assessments, standards, expectations, systems, and now artificial intelligence have all reshaped the profession. Yet the longer I teach, the more convinced I become that the most important parts of education remain deeply human.
I explore why relationships, belonging, consistency, and classroom culture continue to shape learning. Students learn differently when they trust the adults around them, feel valued, understand expectations, and know they belong. Those needs do not disappear as technology grows. In many ways, they become even more important.
I also discuss the value of fun, encouragement, and purpose. Joy and rigor are not opposites, and meaningful learning can still include laughter, excitement, and memorable experiences. Students need challenges, but they also need adults who remind them that they can do hard things and who continue believing in them when they struggle to believe in themselves.
As education continues to evolve, I believe the future should not move us away from humanity. Technology may become more powerful, but students will still remember people, relationships, encouragement, and the way a classroom made them feel. Protecting those deeply human elements may be one of the most important responsibilities educators carry forward.
Show Notes
What has changed during 23 years of teaching
Relationships as the foundation of learning
Belonging, consistency, and classroom culture
Why fun and rigor can exist together
Encouragement and purpose in education
Protecting humanity as technology grows
Key Takeaways
Relationships remain central to meaningful learning
Belonging can shape confidence and persistence
Consistency creates stability and emotional safety
Fun can strengthen engagement without reducing rigor
Technology makes human connection more important, not less
Transcripts
Funky Teacher, Nicholas Kleve:
This is Mr. Funky Teacher with BeAFunkyTeacher.com. I'm coming to you with another Be a Funky Teacher podcast.
Welcome back, everyone.
Today's episode is called What Will Always Matter in Teaching.
Education has changed a lot over the last 20 years.
Technology has changed.
Curriculum has changed.
Testing has changed.
Standards have changed.
AI has changed things.
Expectations have changed.
Systems have changed.
And honestly, sometimes it feels like education changes constantly.
But there are some things I'm actually more convinced about now than when I first started teaching.
Relationships matter.
Human connection matters.
Consistency matters.
Belonging matters.
Culture matters.
Fun matters.
And what's interesting is that the more technology grows, the more important those human things seem to become.
Well, before we get into it, I want to ground myself in gratitude. Here are three things that I'm thankful for.
The first thing that I'm thankful for is finding old photos that bring back memories.
Pictures have a way of reminding us how much life changes over time.
The second thing that I'm thankful for is the smell after it rains.
There's something calming and refreshing about that smell.
And the third thing that I'm thankful for is people who intentionally make others feel included.
Belonging matters deeply.
Well, let's get back into the main topic.
People spend a lot of time talking about what education is becoming.
AI.
Technology.
Automation.
Systems.
Innovation.
And those conversations matter.
But another question matters too.
What stays?
So the topic once again is What Will Always Matter in Teaching?
Here's what I've been thinking about.
Relationships remain foundational.
Relationships shape learning deeply.
Students learn differently when trust exists.
Relationships create safety in a learning environment.
Relationships create encouragement, accountability, and connection.
Technology may evolve, but relationships still remain central.
Human connection still matters deeply.
Students want to feel seen.
Students want to feel heard.
Valued.
Understood.
Human connection creates belonging.
And belonging impacts learning greatly.
That need has not disappeared.
It may actually be increasing.
Consistency creates stability.
Students benefit from predictable adults, consistent routines, clear expectations, and reliable relationships.
Consistency creates emotional safety, especially during uncertain times.
That steadiness matters deeply.
It is vital.
It is critical.
That consistency creates the stability students crave and desperately need.
Culture shapes everything.
Classroom culture impacts the risks students take in a learning environment.
Participation.
Behavior.
Relationships.
Learning.
Strong culture creates stronger opportunities for growth.
Culture work remains essential.
It remains vital.
It remains critically important.
Classroom culture is not going away.
And it may be even more important now.
Belonging changes outcomes.
Students need to feel like they matter.
They need a space where they belong.
Belonging impacts confidence.
Participation.
Motivation.
Persistence.
Human beings thrive when they feel connected.
Creating spaces where people feel like they belong is not extra.
It's foundational.
And fun still matters.
Joy matters.
Humor matters.
Laughter matters.
Energy matters.
Students remember experiences.
Excitement often strengthens engagement in a classroom.
Fun is not the opposite of rigor.
We know rigor is important.
But fun is not the opposite of rigor.
Sometimes fun supports rigor in a real and authentic way.
Technology increases the importance of humanity.
More technology does not automatically reduce the importance of people.
Not at all.
In many ways, it actually increases it.
Human skills become more valuable when tools become more powerful.
That tension matters as we move forward and think about humanity and learning.
Students still need encouragement.
Students still need struggle.
Students still need to doubt themselves sometimes.
They still need to face challenges.
And they also need reassurance.
“Hey, you've got this.”
“You can do hard things.”
“You are unstoppable.”
Encouragement remains powerful.
We don't want to make things easy for kids.
But we do want to encourage them as they doubt themselves and face challenges.
Encouragement is still vital.
It remains powerful because human beings still need people who believe in them.
I know you do.
I know I do.
I think any human being living in this world wants people to believe in them.
We need encouragers.
I don't think that goes away just because technology is becoming more central and more incorporated into our everyday lives.
Purpose matters.
Teachers need purpose too.
Students need purpose too.
Purpose helps people navigate change, stress, and uncertainty.
Staying connected to purpose creates resilience.
Ultimately, humanity remains at the center.
Systems change.
Technology changes.
Programs change.
But humanity stays.
Humanity is what remains central.
Relationships.
Connection.
Empathy.
Joy.
Belonging.
Those things remain essential to the humanity we bring into our classrooms.
What will always matter in teaching may ultimately be the deeply human things we sometimes overlook.
As I do a reflective close, I think about where I am right now after 23 years of being a classroom teacher.
I am less convinced that technology will solve education.
And I am more convinced that human connection still drives it.
Because students remember people.
Students remember relationships.
Students remember belonging.
And honestly, the more our world changes, the more important those things seem to become.
Maybe the future of education is not about becoming less human.
Maybe it's about protecting humanity even more intentionally.
Well, if you found value in this episode, head on over to Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen to your podcast and hit me up with a five-star review and let me know what you think.
It helps more teachers find this space.
And as you go into your day, I want you to remember to inspire greatness in young people.
