On the United Nations 2025 International Day of Education, educator Rashida Haveliwala shares her thoughts on teaching and experiential learning in an age of AI and automation.
In her bustling classroom in Texas, Rashida Haveliwala guides her students through a lively discussion on historical events and their modern implications. The chatter of debate fills the room. For her, this isn’t just teaching—it’s about connecting learning to real emotions and experiences. “When you live it, breathe it, and feel it, it stays with you forever,” she explains.
On the United Nations 2025 International Day of Education, this year’s theme—"AI and Education: Preserving Human Agency in a World of Automation"—invites educators like Rashida to reimagine how education can empower students amidst rapid technological change. What role does human agency play in an era dominated by automation? And how can educators ensure that the essence of learning—curiosity, critical thinking, and empathy—is not lost in an algorithm?
For Rashida, these questions are not abstract or theoretical musings; they’re embedded in her lifelong mission toward learning. Teaching, for her, doesn’t rest in memorizing facts and figures from the 19th century but in helping students explore their curiosity, connect ideas, and continue to grow. At its heart, it’s all about being human.
What are your earliest memories of education shaping your life?
I grew up in a family of educators, so education was everywhere. My father, aunt, and brothers were all involved in teaching, and their commitment inspired me. When I was five, I’d gather my siblings and play school. Play teacher. Teach them things. Looking back, I realize teaching was a part of me even back then.
My youngest brother had a significant impact on how I saw education. He was dyslexic, and I remember watching him struggle when I was 16. I’d teach him something verbally, and he’d pick it up so quickly. But then, with reading, he’d hit a wall. Made me wonder—why could he do one thing but not the other?
During my first year as a teacher, I was mindful about observing my students. I wanted to understand how they learned and what might be holding them back. That awareness has stayed with me ever since.
My father’s journey, though, was a defining factor in my life. He grew up in a one-room house, the eldest of five children, and lost his father at 11. A person who struggled to come from nothing, he always believed education was the pathway to independence. In order to reach the top, you have to be able to take yourself there on your own two feet. Otherwise, you’ll always be dependent on something. Realizing how he made it taught me the importance of education.
What led you to pursue a teaching career?
It wasn’t one moment—it was a series of choices and principles. By 16, I was volunteering in Spanish immersion programs and creating lessons from scratch. I loved it—crafting connections, making learning exciting. It felt natural.
From the onset, I was deliberate about working in underserved communities, including Title 1 schools and inner-city districts in Texas and California. I chose the toughest environments on purpose. Teaching students who felt abandoned by the system, students who had every reason to give up, who were treated the most unfairly in life, taught me how to inspire and challenge them to raise their own expectations. If you can teach children in those circumstances, you can teach anyone.
I made it my mission to learn every aspect of education, its every role and process: how curricula are created, the purpose of registrars, the responsibilities of administrators. I’d be game for anything —managing budgets, writing federal forms, even leading summer schools. I saw every task as a chance to build my skills and deepen my understanding.
A defining chapter came during my role managing federal and state programs at a struggling school. The principal wasn’t very involved—he gave me his login and password and let me handle everything. I wrote the instructional plans, developed the budget, and reallocated resources. Over four years, we went from one of the worst-performing schools to one of the best. District officials started asking for my strategies, and that’s when I realized: I want to build and run my own school.
Every step—every role I took—was about preparing for that. Whether public, private, or charter, I immersed myself in understanding what makes a school work. The point is, change doesn’t happen by accident. It happens when you live through the system, learn it inside out, and use that knowledge to transform it.
Can you share a story that reminds you why teaching is so important?
I’ll never forget the time I started a Model UN program in an inner-city school. Most of my students were second-language learners, and public speaking was completely foreign to them. But I told them, ‘You’re capable of more than you think.’
I stayed late after school, helping them research and write position papers. Years later, one student, a high school football player, reached out. He told me he became a youth representative for the U.S. at the UN, and all he could think about was the confidence he gained in my class. Moments like that remind me why I teach.
How do you view AI’s role in education?
I think AI is a powerful tool, but it’s not a teacher. AI can enhance learning, but it can’t replicate the emotional connections or critical thinking that define true education. Studies show that students retain more when reading from paper versus screens. We need to ask ourselves: are we using technology to help students, or is it becoming a crutch?
For me, the key is balance. Modern tools can support education, but they shouldn’t replace the fundamentals—curiosity, empathy, and connection. The fundamentals that make us human.
You’ve worked in diverse settings. What’s one experience that stands out?
Once, I filled in as an interim director for our community Montessori school. I’d never worked with toddlers before, but I was tasked with creating a curriculum for preschoolers. I designed a week-long program around storytelling, crafts, and hands-on activities.
Months later, during a sermon in our masjid, I saw one of the toddlers pause, their eyes lighting up as they recognized a story taught at the school from weeks earlier. It was a magical moment. It showed me that even the youngest learners can form deep, emotional connections to their lessons.
How do you define a teacher?
Teaching taught me that everything is translatable, no matter background or age. It’s a responsibility that requires empathy and humility. These traits allow you to teach with genuine passion. It’s so important to recognize that you’re not someone who knows everything. Too often, people in positions of authority forget this.
Many people can step into a classroom, but to truly educate, you have to embrace the weight of that responsibility. If you don’t value it—if you treat it lightly—you risk doing real harm. That’s a scary thought, isn’t it? To know you could shape someone’s future for better or worse.
Students sense it when you care, just as they sense when you’re just skating by. It’s the genuine teachers who stick with them—the ones they gravitate toward. And for the rest? They may not even remember their names or lessons.
For me, teaching isn’t about drilling facts or dates. It’s about teaching students how to think. Can they articulate their thoughts? Defend their ideas? Write with clarity and purpose? That’s what matters. Those are the skills that shape lives.
What message do you have for educators?
Teaching isn’t just a job; it’s a responsibility. Every interaction you have with a student can change their life. That’s the weight and privilege of this work.
And education doesn’t stop in the classroom. A mother, a teacher, a friend—it doesn’t matter what you do. Even when you’re a professional, you’re an educator and a student. Even to this day, I’m a student. I have so much more to learn.
The essence of education is not about just delivering information. It’s about equipping every student with a skill they can carry for the rest of their lives. AI may be a tool, but we are the ones who inspire.
