Valedictorians tell Pearland ISD teachers: balance flexibility and rigor as AI, social media reshape classrooms
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Summary
On the district podcast, Pearland ISD valedictorians urged teachers not to give up on students affected by social media and AI, and recommended flexible supports — such as brief extensions — while maintaining academic standards.
On the Building Blocks podcast Superintendent Berger asked Pearland ISD's valedictorians what advice they would give to teachers. The students urged educators to balance flexibility with rigor and to avoid giving up on students struggling with literacy and technology-driven distractions.
Lydia Greer, Turner College and Career High School valedictorian, said, "If you show that you care about the assignment, you care about the curriculum, and then you care about how the students are interacting with that curriculum, it goes a long way." She added that openness to student questions and communication about assignments matters.
Caden Vo, Pearland High School valedictorian, described the classroom effects of social media and AI and argued teachers should not abandon students who are falling behind. "With the rise of AI and the rise of like social media and everything being online... I think addiction is a sickness. It's not something you don't blame — I don't think you should ever blame an addicted person for being addicted to an addictive substance," Vo said. He urged teachers to "not give up on these students that are using AI and not give up on these students that have obviously fallen behind in learning."
The students suggested specific classroom practices. Greer recommended that teachers be willing to explain assignments and, when appropriate, grant short extensions. Vo recommended teacher flexibility when students face personal crises and called for maintaining high standards while adapting instruction to students' needs. In his remarks Vo said schools should "try to be flexible to student needs while also not sacrificing rigor in the classroom."
All three valedictorians framed their advice as a balance: provide compassion and accommodations when students face genuine obstacles, but retain expectations that push students to learn. They noted the complexity teachers face with large, diverse classes and said they had no single solution; they urged commitment and persistent effort from teachers despite the challenges.
The comments were given in a district-produced podcast episode intended to highlight student voices as the school year concluded.
