The rise of generative AI in classrooms has sparked a powerful question:
If students can use AI to write, do they still need to learn how to write at all?
At Write2Succeed, we believe the answer is clear:
Foundational writing skills and AI can coexist!
This isn’t a battle between old-school skill-building and new-age technology. It’s an opportunity to equip students with the thinking tools they need before handing them the digital tools they’ll use.
We’re not anti-AI. In fact, David and I are excited about what’s possible. As a teacher and a PhD researcher focused on AI-integrated writing instruction, I’ve seen how tools like ChatGPT or Gemini can support revision, spark ideas, and even boost confidence. But these tools are only effective when students already understand how writing works, when they’ve practiced organizing ideas, structuring arguments, and reflecting on their unique writing voice.
Writing is more than just putting words together. It’s about thinking clearly, expressing meaning, and building identity. No AI tool can do that work for students. It can only build upon the foundation they already have.
That’s why we created our workbooks, Bridging Languages and Bridging Potential. Both offer 40 weeks of scaffolded writing instruction designed for students who are often left out of the traditional writing conversation: multilingual learners and students receiving special education services. These learners are full of ideas, they just need tools that meet them where they are and grow with them over time.
And here’s what we’ve learned: when students feel confident in their ability to write without AI, they engage more critically with AI. They ask better questions. They recognize good writing when they see it. They treat digital tools like partners, not shortcuts.
In other words, they don’t lose their voice. They strengthen it.
So yes, we believe in AI. But we believe in writing first.
Let’s give students the tools to write with clarity, and the literacy to use AI with purpose.
Happy Writing,
Amelia
Write2Succeed 