<![CDATA[Reach Every Student with Jon Bergmann.]]>https://www.reacheverystudent.comhttps://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!-_V8!,w_256,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb57008ef-df33-46b4-8ada-330de179847a_128x128.pngReach Every Student with Jon Bergmann.https://www.reacheverystudent.comSubstackTue, 11 Aug 2026 02:46:58 GMT<![CDATA[How I Memorize Every Student's Name Before Day One - Reach Every Student #86]]>https://www.reacheverystudent.com/p/jack-cade-haley-how-i-memorize-everyhttps://www.reacheverystudent.com/p/jack-cade-haley-how-i-memorize-everyMon, 10 Aug 2026 09:30:34 GMTStudents walk into Room 231 tomorrow, and this week I’ve been doing everything I can to be ready for them — inside the MasteryFlip framework. In this episode, I give you a real walkthrough of how I set up my classroom, communicate with students and parents, and get ready for a new year: the AI Engines, the Analog Roots notebooks, and the Mastery Vivas I’m upping the game on this year. Plus — the seating-chart trick I’ve used for 40 years to learn every student’s name before they even sit down.

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In this episode:

  • How I communicate the MasteryFlip framework to students and parents before day one

  • Setting up AI Engines: why I’m sticking with EdPuzzle this year (and where Perusall might fit for you)

  • A tour of my Analog Roots notebooks — GMO and AP Physics C

  • Why laptops live in backpacks, not on tables

  • The seating-chart method I use to memorize every student’s name in two days

  • What’s changing with the Mastery Viva this year (3-point → 4-point thinking)

  • My day-one script and the “question of the day” ritual

Links mentioned in this episode:

Follow along:

Go out and reach every student.

Key Moments

Here it is as a plain list — this format should preserve line breaks when copied:

0:00 – Cold open: “Jack, Cade, Haley...”

0:15 – Welcome & why this episode

0:57 – Communicating MasteryFlip to students & parents

2:15 – AI Engines: EdPuzzle vs. Perusall

4:03 – Analog Roots: the notebooks & room setup

7:16 – Scripting day one

9:41 – Mastery Vivas: upping the game to 4 points

11:04 – How I memorize every student’s name

16:51 – MasteryFlip Certification v1.1

17:26 – Closing: a story about Mia

]]><![CDATA[Season 4 Kickoff: The Human-Centered Classroom | #85]]>https://www.reacheverystudent.com/p/season-4-kickoff-the-human-centeredhttps://www.reacheverystudent.com/p/season-4-kickoff-the-human-centeredMon, 03 Aug 2026 09:30:28 GMTWelcome to season 4 of the Reach Every Student podcast.

As I sit in my classroom, students are soon to arrive. I am preparing for what I hope will be an outstanding year. This will mark my 41st year in education, and as I prepare, I’m reminded about just how much what we teachers do matters. We have a unique opportunity to reach every student.

And boy are we facing challenges. AI has changed the world and certainly changed our classrooms. There is a growing techlash from parents, policymakers, and fellow teachers - that the misuse of technology in the classroom has harmed kids.

In the midst of all of this change, I come into this school year feeling extremely positive. Last year I felt that I had more impact and connection with students than ever in my long career. I attribute much of this connection to my implementing the MasteryFlip Framework, where human-centered conversations play such a big role. Built into the model are “mastery vivas,” short targeted conversations. And though the conversations focused on science stuff, it also helped me get to know my students so much better.

Free 2-Seat License for MasteryFlip

And over the summer, I continued to think about how to make this model better. In this episode, I walk through the steps I will be taking in the coming year to teach in the age of AI. Below are a few thoughts:

Improvements to the MasteryFlip Model

  • 4-point scale for formative vivas: Last year, after a student did a mastery viva with me, I either gave them credit or not. This year, the rubric will change. If they understand the content of a lesson, they get a 3. If they can extend it, they get a 4. My hope is that they will strive for deeper understanding and even use AI to prepare them for the vivas.

  • Vivas on Summative Assessments: My amazing colleague, Erin - a math teacher - took the MasteryFlip Certification course and brainstormed with me about how she would implement it. She will use vivas formatively, but also make it a part of summative evaluations. I did this with a big PBL project last year (The Trebuchet Project) - but I didn’t do it on a regular basis. This coming year, I will make every student answer one question orally on every summative assessment, and it will account for a decent portion of their grade.

MasteryFlip Certification

Teachers and teams of teachers from around the world are starting to use the MasteryFlip Framework. I just got off a Zoom call with the Ministry of Education for a province in Missiones, Argentina, and they will be making it their primary teaching strategy for PD in the coming year.

If you are interested in becoming MasteryFlip Certified, you can simply go to the links below. There are three options:

Season 4 Teaser

Starting in early September—when schools nationwide are fully back in session—Season 4 will feature deep-dive interviews with world-class education leaders

  • Dr. Tony Wagner (Harvard/LPI) on why the global economy no longer cares what students know, but what they can do

  • Dr. Tina Grotzer (Harvard Project Zero) on the biological necessity of paper friction and user manuals for the mind

  • Dr. Justin Reich (MIT Teaching Systems Lab) on why Silicon Valley engineers can’t train novices with AI copilots

  • And others…

Episode 85 Key Moments: The Human-Centered Classroom Blueprint

]]><![CDATA[The 1-Teacher Pilot: How to Test an AI-Proof Classroom | Episode 84]]>https://www.reacheverystudent.com/p/the-1-teacher-pilot-how-to-test-anhttps://www.reacheverystudent.com/p/the-1-teacher-pilot-how-to-test-anMon, 27 Jul 2026 09:30:10 GMTLast week we talked about the techlash schools are facing. Parents, community members, policymakers, and teachers are clamoring for less tech. Though it is simplistic to say that all tech is bad, there is truth in the fact that so much of what we have done with edtech in the past decades hasn’t helped students. Certainly, in the case of social media and cell phone usage, there are demonstrable damages done to young people.

So how do we move forward with a more nuanced approach that embraces the best use of technology while also giving students space and time to process and learn in an environment where they will thrive?

Claim Trial Seat for a MasteryFlip Pilot

To that end, I have developed the MasteryFlip model, which takes into account the reality that AI, when used as a shortcut, will harm students while also leveraging its strengths to prepare them for a future world where they will have ready access to all things AI.

In this video podcast, I share an extended keynote where I mapped out the MasteryFlip framework for professors at a medical college in Brazil. I share the blueprints - this is a masterclass on how to teach in the age of AI. In this video/episode I walk through the three pillars of the MasteryFlip framework and take you into my classroom and see how it actually works. You will virtually meet a few of my students and watch real “mastery vivas” where my students have to defend their knowledge. I am also vulnerable and tell you how I have failed and tweaks I will make this coming year.

If you want to get MasteryFlip certified, I created a four-hour class that teachers and professors can take to prepare to teach in the age of AI. Teams of four or more can get 50% off.

Learn more MasteryFlip

Are you a school principal, dean, or department chair trying to figure out how to handle AI in your classrooms? We’re offering a sponsored 30-Day Executive Pilot of our Harvard and MIT-backed MasteryFlip Framework for school leaders. Head over to jonbergmann.com/masteryflippilot to claim a trial seat for your school today.

Claim Trial Seat for a MasteryFlip Pilot

Enjoy this video podcast. I hope you can get the passion for which I share about the future of education.

Key Moments in this Episode

]]><![CDATA[Facing the Techlash: Reclaiming Classroom Trust]]>https://www.reacheverystudent.com/p/facing-the-techlash-reclaiming-classroomhttps://www.reacheverystudent.com/p/facing-the-techlash-reclaiming-classroomMon, 20 Jul 2026 09:31:38 GMTSchools everywhere are reconsidering technology. Cell phone bans are sweeping multiple states, and districts across the country have begun imposing rigid classroom screen-time limits.

We are watching a quiet educational rollback. Systems are buying paper textbooks again, subscription software budgets are being frozen, and the “techlash” movement is gaining massive steam. At several recent spring graduations, when commencement speakers attempted to extol the frictionless virtues of artificial intelligence, college graduates openly booed them.

So, is technology inherently evil in our schools? Should we retreat into a permanent Luddite posture? Is all generative AI toxic for our students?

As a 41-year classroom veteran who was at the forefront of the global Flipped Learning movement, I see the real, systemic dangers of automation in my room every single day. I have watched firsthand as students use shortcuts, offloading their cognition to AI and actively stupefying themselves. Using AI to complete an assignment is like bringing a forklift into the mental weight room: you get a clean floor, but you build absolutely no muscle.

But I also refuse to be a Luddite. There is a definitive path in which technology serves as an engine for human expertise rather than a bypass of it.

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Our unwavering priority must always be to protect the productive struggle—ensuring our students thrive by leaning into the messy, irreplaceable qualities that make us fundamentally human.

In the masterclass video above, I lay out the explicit operational architecture to solve this cognition crisis. The centerpiece of this video is the unreleased keynote address I delivered in May 2026 to university deans and medical educators in Curitiba, Brazil. In it, I break down the physical mechanics of the classroom space and outline the definitive solution.

That solution is a new structural system I developed called the MasteryFlip Framework. To turn our classrooms into true attention sanctuaries, we must integrate three distinct pillars:

  • AI Engines: We shift raw information delivery completely out of the room. Using the best elements of Flipped Learning with an AI twist. This is the flip in the MasteryFlip

  • Analog Roots: The moment the bell rings, the devices disappear. Laptops go into backpacks, phones are put away, and desks return to raw pencil, paper, and physical text real estate to enforce biological neural friction.

  • Mastery Vivas: We completely change the assessments. To make grading entirely AI-proof, student evaluation is moved back to a face-to-face, human-to-human verbal defense of logic. If a student cannot defend their thinking on the mastery bench, they do not move forward.

If you are a principal, curriculum coordinator, or department head ready to standardize this across your entire building this fall, you don’t have to navigate the transition in isolation. I have packaged this into a fully asynchronous, four-hour MasteryFlip Certification Course.

Are you a school principal, dean, or department chair trying to figure out how to handle AI in your classrooms? We're offering a sponsored 30-Day Executive Pilot of our Harvard and MIT-backed MasteryFlip Framework for school leaders. Head over to jonbergmann.com/masteryflippilot to claim a trial seat for your school today.

Claim Trial Seat for a MasteryFlip Pilot

Educational leaders are moving fast to get ahead of the autumn semester. In fact, just today, a block of nine educators from a single school registered together.

To support building-wide deployments, if you register a team cohort of four or more educators from your campus, the price is cut in half.

Stream the full presentation above to understand both the problems and the promise of AI in your classrooms. Look inside my physical classroom and see how to scale real-time oral defenses across high-capacity rosters without causing staff burnout.

If your school is ready to survive the techlash and hardcode focus back into your classrooms, click the framework link below to claim your team passes.

Click on the link below to get your building/team MasteryFlip Certified

Get MasteryFlip Certfied

Quotes from Certified MasteryFlip Educators

"I think this is my favorite opportunity for AI use... the Socratic Mastery Viva thought partner (either practice for the summative with the teacher), or similarly as a check on understanding and completion of pre-work before the next class." — Certified MasteryFlip Participant

"I love a good 20 minutes (30 if I'm being honest) of direct instruction during class. I do sincerely think it is one of my strengths as a teacher and it is much fun for me, which helps me sell it. However, I'm not sure each and every student is learning enough from it to warrant the use of class time in that way to that number of minutes." — MasteryFlip Graduate

"Relying only on the finished project invites the temptation of students using AI or not actually showing mastery. By having a Mastery Viva or human aspect to the grading it allows for that friction and critical thinking to take place in front of the teacher." — Classroom Teacher

Key Moments in the Presentation

]]><![CDATA[Being the Dumbest Person in the Room: Lessons from Learner Mode]]>https://www.reacheverystudent.com/p/being-the-dumbest-person-in-the-roomhttps://www.reacheverystudent.com/p/being-the-dumbest-person-in-the-roomMon, 13 Jul 2026 08:30:20 GMTIt’s been a long time since I was the dumbest person in the room. This past week, I attended an AP Physics C (Calculus) institute at Loyola University in Chicago, and of the other six participants, I was the weakest physicist. The vast majority of them had dedicated degrees in Physics, and some had Master's in Physics. When a difficult problem was posed by our brilliant instructor, I had to ask for more help or had to ask for clarification.

I lived this week in what I am calling “learner mode.” I stepped into the shoes of my typical student who might be lost with the concepts I teach. I lived with productive struggle all week. And you know what? It was good for me! Not only did I make significant progress in my comprehension, but it gave me empathy for my struggling students.

Thanks for reading/watching! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.

In this week’s episode, I reflect on what it means to be an uncomfortable learner. I also encourage you, teachers, to find something you don’t know and haven’t mastered and go into learner mode.

I am increasingly convinced that, in the age of AI, the three-pronged approach to teaching is best addressed by the MasteryFlip Framework. I needed to spend my week analog working through difficult concepts, and when I verbalized my understanding (Mastery Vivas), the presenters (and the other participants) were quick to correct my thinking - which led to greater comprehension.

If you are still sitting on the fence about the MasteryFlip Certification course, here are a couple of comments from some of our recent graduates:

“I think this is my favorite opportunity for AI use... the Socratic Mastery Viva thought partner (either practice for the summative with the teacher), or similarly as a check on understanding and completion of pre-work before the next class.” — Certified MasteryFlip Participant

“I love a good 20 minutes (30 if I’m being honest) of direct instruction during class. I do sincerely think it is one of my strengths as a teacher and it is much fun for me, which helps me sell it. However, I’m not sure each and every student is learning enough from it to warrant the use of class time in that way to that number of minutes.” — MasteryFlip Graduate

Are you a school principal, dean, or department chair trying to figure out how to handle AI in your classrooms? We’re offering a sponsored 30-Day Executive Pilot of our Harvard and MIT-backed MasteryFlip Framework for school leaders. Head over to jonbergmann.com/masteryflippilot to claim a trial seat for your school today.

Claim Trial Seat for a MasteryFlip Pilot

Now go out and reach every student.

Jon

Key Moments in the Podcast

  • (00:00:00) — Entering Learner Mode: Sitting in the “productive struggle” at the week-long AP Physics C symposium in Chicago.

  • (00:01:05) — A Dose of Humble Pie: Navigating a calculus-based course after a 42-year break while surrounded by physics master’s degrees.

  • (00:01:51) — Sleeping on It: How a night of sleep cleared cognitive overload, allowing a deep dive into the calculus of “moment of inertia”.

  • (00:02:54) — The Derivation Breakthrough: Confronting the power rule and chain rule, and how stepping out of your comfort zone in your 41st year of teaching builds deep student empathy.

  • (00:04:32) — Validating the MasteryFlip Framework: How this intense experience proved the need for analog roots and real-world human verification over the digital “AI easy button”.

  • (00:06:55) — The “Justify” Hurdle: Failing a sample board problem’s justification criteria, and why students must write conceptual sentences rather than just throwing down math equations.

  • (00:08:55) — The Roadmap for Next Year: Planning workflows for the new class using AP Central videos for the AI engine alongside printed paper packets.

  • (00:10:41) — Special Editions & Open Invitations: Teasing the upcoming full-length interview drops with Harvard and MIT professors, and inviting MasteryFlip practitioners onto the show.

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]]><![CDATA[From the Canyon Rim to the Calculus Bench Embracing the Novice Shoes |Episode 81]]>https://www.reacheverystudent.com/p/from-the-canyon-rim-to-the-calculushttps://www.reacheverystudent.com/p/from-the-canyon-rim-to-the-calculusMon, 06 Jul 2026 10:40:03 GMTThis past week, I returned home from my Fuller Center Canyon Cycling Adventure, where I cycled about 700 miles and stopped to help those who are home-challenged. That was one part emotional, one part physical, and one part spiritual. I came home to my beautiful wife and had a couple of days to reorient, and then off we went on a cross-country drive to visit our grown daughters in Wisconsin for the Fourth of July.

While in Wisconsin, I reflected on the founding of our country and the sacrifices that were made for the freedoms I have. I remember my friend David Carter, who was killed in Afghanistan, and remember that the freedoms I have were not free. Many paid the ultimate price for the freedoms I enjoy.

This week served as a transition week. From analog reset and vacation mode back to full-on school mode.

This week I jump into “leaner mode.” I will be attending an AP Physics C summer institute in Chicago, where I will learn the AP Physics content. I am nervous about teaching the class because the last time I took calculus was 42 years ago.

I encourage you to listen/watch my reflections from Wisconsin.

And as you jump back into “school-mode,” consider taking the MasteryFlip Certification course where you will learn how to teach in the age of AI. Some of the reflections from those who have taken the course are very powerful, and the certification is helping many teachers. If you want to take the MasteryFlip Certification as a team, you can get it at 50% when you buy four or more licenses.

Key Moments & Timestamps

  • (00:00:45) — The Wisconsin Landing: Transitioning from the cross-country trail to a July 4th family gathering.

  • (00:02:15) — Unpacking Episode 80: Highlighting the deep physical and personal friction from the canyon rim.

  • (00:04:10) — The Novice Perspective: Why veteran teachers need to periodically experience the fear of failing a concept.

  • (00:06:38) — Banning My Own Easy Button: Rejecting automated shortcuts during my master-level physics prep.

  • (00:08:52) — Reclaiming the Bench: How manual erasures and raw pencil tracking build long-term conceptual mastery.

  • (00:11:15) — Summer Strategy: Utilizing the vacation buffer to restructure your standards and scale human oral checks.

]]><![CDATA[No Walls: Ditching the AI Voice at the Edge of the Canyon |Episode 80]]>https://www.reacheverystudent.com/p/stepping-away-from-school-to-rechargehttps://www.reacheverystudent.com/p/stepping-away-from-school-to-rechargeMon, 29 Jun 2026 11:31:00 GMTI’ve been on my bicycle adventure, cycling 700 miles from Salt Lake City, Utah, to Flagstaff, AZ. Listen in/watch my reflections right after I watched the sunrise over the canyon.

Learn about the woman in tears as she first saw the canyon, my reflections after a couple of our riders crashed, and a commitment to my own authenticity.

I hope you also have time to both literally and figuratively step away from the craziness of life and school. Enjoy this deeply reflective podcast.

Jon

ReachEveryStudent.com

]]><![CDATA[From the Canyons Episode 79]]>https://www.reacheverystudent.com/p/from-the-canyons-episode-79https://www.reacheverystudent.com/p/from-the-canyons-episode-79Mon, 22 Jun 2026 10:30:50 GMTI’m on a cycling adventure that is one part physical, one part spiritual, and one part service. In this short episode I share about how it is necessary for each of us to recharge from the incredible demands of teaching.

I hope you enjoy this episode

From the Canyons

Jon

]]><![CDATA[The Forklift in the Weight Room: Reclaiming Neural Friction in the Age of AI | Episode 78]]>https://www.reacheverystudent.com/p/the-forklift-in-the-weight-room-reclaiminghttps://www.reacheverystudent.com/p/the-forklift-in-the-weight-room-reclaimingMon, 15 Jun 2026 09:31:11 GMTIf you are listening to this on Monday morning, I am already out on the asphalt, somewhere on the road for the Fuller Center Bike Canyon connector. I’m pedaling a grueling 750-mile journey from Salt Lake City straight down to the rim of the Grand Canyon.

But before I zipped away my laptop and completely unplugged from the tech grid for the next 20 days, I spent my morning grinding out miles in the brutal Houston humidity to get my legs ready. I rode 90 miles on Monday and followed it up with another 75 miles on Tuesday.

It makes me think about a fundamental truth of how we grow: How do you actually get better at anything? Whether it’s running a marathon or conquering a complex concept, the blueprint is exactly the same. You have to embrace the resistance.

The 90-Mile Flush: Clearing the Brain

Teaching is an exhausting profession because you are forced to make a million micro-decisions a day—everything from structural lesson delivery down to, “Can I use the restroom?”

When I get out on a long-distance bicycle ride, life becomes elemental. It becomes visceral. My only objective shrinks down to the very next pedal stroke. That physical challenge flushes the brain and creates an attention sanctuary where true, deep thinking actually happens. Eleven books later, I can tell you that my best ideas have never been born sitting at a computer screen; they were hammered out on a bicycle saddle or during a long run.

But to get to that level of cognitive clarity, you have to build the muscle through consistency.

The Two-Block Blueprint: One Step at a Time

I wasn’t always an avid cyclist. Back in my 30s, I was overweight, out of shape, and feeling profoundly disconnected from my trajectory in life. While on a family trip, I picked up a copy of Runner’s World at a friend’s house and thought, I wonder if I could do a triathlon?

The next day, I went out for my very first run. I ran about two blocks, almost threw up, and ran (or rather, jogged, or more like wobbled home.

But I had already committed to the race. So the next morning, I ran to the third block. The day after that, the fourth block. One tiny, painful step at a time.

I stuck with it, and it permanently altered my life. I do have regrets—there were seasons where I overemphasized the physical exercise at the expense of my wife and children, which was a bad choice that hurt the people closest to me. But navigating that friction taught me how to coach my own mind through difficult transitions.

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The Ultimate Choice: Lift the Weight or Outsource the Brain

This brings us right back to our students and the current landscape of modern education. The only way our students grow cognitively is through productive struggle and neural friction.

As Ted Chiang wrote in The New Yorker: using generative AI to complete your assignments is like bringing a forklift to the weight room. You might move the weight, but you receive absolutely zero biological benefit.

When a student hits the digital “Easy Button” to generate an essay or solve a physics problem, their brain completely bypasses the mental road of logic, categorization, and synthesis. They are walking away from the heavy lifting.

This summer, I want you to go to the beach, open a physical book, and completely escape. Unburden your mind. But when you are ready to look at a sustainable blueprint that protects student cognition from the path of least resistance, take a look at the MasteryFlip Certification framework. The 4-hour course is officially live at https://www.jonbergmann.com/MasteryFlipCert. It is designed to help you streamline your workflows and move the heavy cognitive lifting back to the classroom bench where it belongs.

Stay in the fight. I’ll see you on the road.

Jon

Key Moments:

  • 00:00 - Live from the Trail: The 750-Mile Canyon Trek

  • 00:32 - 90 Miles in Houston Humidity: Stupidity or Practice?

  • 01:25 - The Forklift in the Weight Room: Bypassing the Mind

  • 02:08 - An Educator’s Mandate: Please Escape This Summer

  • 02:51 - Visceral Classrooms: Why My Best Ideas Happen on a Bike

  • 03:33 - Turning Point: Almost Throwing Up After a 2-Block Run

  • 05:01 - Raw Reflections: Balancing the Fitness Passion with Family

  • 05:38 - The Decision Fatigue of School: Flushing the Cognitive Noise

  • 06:55 - Reclaiming Cognition: The MasteryFlip Certification is Live

  • 08:02 - Special Edition Preview: The Brazil AI Keynotes Drop this July

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]]><![CDATA[The 40-Pound Classroom: Lightening the Burden for the Fall | Episode 77]]>https://www.reacheverystudent.com/p/the-40-pound-classroom-lighteninghttps://www.reacheverystudent.com/p/the-40-pound-classroom-lighteningMon, 08 Jun 2026 09:31:16 GMTRight now, I am in my workshop looking over a staging pile of cycling gear. I’m getting ready to head out on a 750-mile trek with the Fuller Center for Housing, riding from Salt Lake City down through Bryce Canyon all the way to the rim of the Grand Canyon. It’s a wonderful organization similar to Habitat for Humanity, where we actually stop and spend days building homes for people who are housing-challenged.

But the organizers of this ride have one strict, unyielding rule: Your bag is limited to 40 pounds.

For a 16-day trip, that means they are so specific that you are only allowed to bring exactly four pairs of underwear. Think about that for a second. It sounds completely crazy.

But as I look at that pile of gear, I can’t help but look forward to the upcoming school year and think about the professional burdens we ask our teachers to carry. You probably aren’t carrying a lean, agile 40-pound pack into your building. Instead, you’re dragging around a 100-pound pack. It’s weighed down by curriculum, parental anxieties, administrative mandates, and the exhausting, constant noise of split-screen grading in a world full of AI tools.

Teaching is arguably one of the hardest jobs on the planet, especially right now. My advice to you as we enter this summer break? Drop the weight. Take the pack off. Go be with your families, do the things you are deeply passionate about, and let your mind completely unburden.

Family, Friction, and Re-Learning AP Physics

This trip is packed with a lot of emotion for me. This episode drops on Monday, and on Monday morning I’m flying out to see my 88-year-old father. He recently suffered a minor stroke. The good news is he’s doing better and getting his therapy, but he’s in another state, and I need to be there just to be with him before my trip. Family matters! We can get so utterly obsessed with our professional mission to rescue the next generation that we forget to take care of our own.

When I finally hit the road on my bike, my laptop is staying completely behind. I am zipping the tech away for 20 days. Yet, if I’m being honest, I spent most of this morning sitting at my desk doing something incredibly nerdy: manual physics problems. This fall, I’m teaching AP Physics C— with Calculus. The last time I took calculus was 42 years ago in college. I am genuinely terrified of it, but I’ve got my physical notebook out and am solving problems by hand with a pencil, a calculator, and a piece of paper. And you know what? I kind of love it. It forces my mind to slow down and embrace the resistance.

Moving the Cognition to the Class

That exact tactile resistance—what we call Analog Roots—is the key to human-proofing our classrooms from the AI crisis this August. We have to accept a permanent shift in the landscape: You cannot send cognitively complex assignments home anymore. If you do, students facing the path of least resistance will reach into their pockets, push the digital ‘Easy Button’ of generative AI, and let a machine do their thinking.

No technology evangelist is going to walk into your building with some software that solves this crisis. The only people who are going to save our students' minds are the practicing teachers like you and me, standing right at the classroom bench, doing the real work of school.

Take this summer to rest, simplify, and unpack. And when you are ready to look at a sustainable blueprint that streamlines your prep and protects student cognition, take a look at our MasteryFlip Certification framework at https://www.jonbergmann.com/MasteryFlipCert

I’ll see you on the road.

Jon

Key Moments:

  • 00:00 - Only 4 Pairs of Underwear?

  • 00:23 - Are You Carrying Too Much “Weight?”

  • 01:33 - Real Priorities: Flying Out for My Father’s Recovery

  • 02:21 - 20 Days Unplugged: Intentionally Leaving the Laptop Behind

  • 02:47 - Terrifying Prep: Manually Solving Calculus After 42 Years

  • 03:30 - An MS 150 on Steroids: 750 Miles with the Fuller Center

  • 05:04 - The MasteryFlip: Simplifying Your Life via Analog Roots

  • 06:04 - Beating the AI Easy Button: Moving the Hard Stuff to Class

  • 07:56 - Next Stop: Recording Live from the Canyons of Utah

]]><![CDATA[What I Learned Teaching Brazilian Doctors About AI | Episode 76]]>https://www.reacheverystudent.com/p/what-i-learned-teaching-brazilianhttps://www.reacheverystudent.com/p/what-i-learned-teaching-brazilianMon, 01 Jun 2026 07:31:30 GMTLive From Curitiba

I am standing in my hotel room in Curitiba, Brazil, completely energized and absolutely exhausted. I just wrapped up delivering two keynote addresses to an international group of medical educators, doctors, deans, and medical students about the MasteryFlip framework.

To be completely honest, it is deeply humbling that a high school science teacher would be flown down here to have these brilliant medical minds listen to my blueprint. But as I stepped off the stage, a realization hit me: The border lines don’t matter. The age gap doesn’t matter. The language doesn’t matter. The crisis facing education is completely universal.

Whether you are teaching sophomore chemistry or third-year neurosurgery, students everywhere are pushing the “Easy Button” of AI, and professors everywhere are staring back at the exact same “AI Glaze”.

The Two Medical Students (Listen at 01:24)

During the Q&A sessions, two distinct interactions perfectly illustrated the psychological battle happening in our classrooms right now:

  • The AI Defender: A third-year medical student stood up and challenged me, wondering if my perspective was just a generational gap (she basically called me old, which got some great laughs). She fiercely defended her use of AI, arguing that her medical school workload was so overwhelming that she had no choice but to use it to survive. We had a brilliant, productive conversation afterward about where technology is useful and where it becomes toxic to actual learning.

  • The AI Fearful: A different medical student stood up on the second day and expressed the exact opposite anxiety. She said, “I’m terrified to use AI because I want to be the absolute best doctor I can be, but my professors assign so much reading that I am completely drowning.”

What I told her next had the entire room of medical faculty laughing and nodding along: I looked at her and said, “Look, you went to medical school, and it’s supposed to be hard. My gut tells me you need to manually read the material... because someday, you might be the doctor treating me.”

Bringing Back Socratic Friction (Listen at 03:52)

The biggest takeaway from the trip came from a conversation with the Dean of the College of Medicine. He pulled me aside and said we must fight to protect friction and productive struggle in the learning process.

The medical leadership here is intrigued by the MasteryFlip model. In fact, one visiting medical director announced that his faculty is going back this Monday to completely redesign their small tutorial sessions around Mastery Vivas (interactive oral examinations) to bypass AI cheating.

As the Dean brilliantly noted: “Jon, what you are doing isn’t new. Socrates did this.” That is the heart of the movement. MasteryFlip isn’t about chasing the next tech fad; it is about bringing old-school, Socratic human dialogue back into the modern machine to preserve human cognition.

The Tower of Babel vs. The Way of Nehemiah (Listen at 07:05)

During my long layover in São Paulo, I read the new 42,000-word encyclical/treatise by Pope Leo on artificial intelligence. It is a masterful, profound piece of writing that sets a historic baseline for this civilizational shift.

In it, he contrasts two biblical narratives.

  1. The Tower of Babel: Built on rapid consumerism, human pride, and isolation. The Pope warns that our current tech trajectory is building a modern Babel that threatens to completely dehumanize us.

  2. The Way of Nehemiah: A movement built on collective collaboration, shared purpose, community, and human dignity to rebuild what was broken.

We have a direct civilizational choice to make in our schools. Do we choose the easy, automated isolation of Babel, or do we stand up and build the collaborative, deeply human way of Nehemiah?

The Delayed Harvest (Listen at 12:01)

I closed my international keynote with a story that happened to me just a week ago at my home church in Houston. A young woman I didn’t immediately recognize walked up to me and said, “Mr. Bergmann, I had you six years ago for chemistry. I’m starting pharmacy school this fall, and you are one of the reasons I am where I am today.”

Teachers, we are in a delayed-harvest profession. You might be bone-tired, navigating administrative nightmares, and fighting AI shortcuts from your students. You may never get a student who tracks you down in the wild to say thank you. But please hear me: What you are doing matters, and the echoes of your work travel further than you will ever know.

The Road Ahead

I land back in the States early Saturday morning, hit the wedding of the spectacular teacher who works in the room right next door to me, and then I am officially off grid.

My 17-day, 750-mile bicycle ride through the canyons begins. I will be recording raw updates from my bike seat for a few weeks coming up.

(Note: I did record both 45-minute keynotes here in Brazil, and I will be releasing them as special extended masterclass editions later this summer once they are edited!)

Don’t hit the easy button this summer. Hit the subscribe button, unplug your computer, and let’s start the reset.

Ride on,

Jon

00:00 - Live from Curitiba: High School Methods in Medical School

00:53 - Explaining the “AI Glaze” to Deans and Doctors

01:24 - The Student Q&A: Overloaded Workloads vs. The Easy Button

02:42 - Why Medical Students are Afraid to Shortcut Their Learning

03:52 - Reclaiming Socratic Friction: Medical Schools Adopt Mastery Vivas

05:28 - Out of My League? Navigating Faculty Development Globally

07:05 - The Pope’s AI Warning: The Tower of Babel vs. The Way of Nehemiah

09:54 - Rehumanizing Education: Overcoming the Dehumanizing Tech Push

12:01 - The 6-Year Harvest: A Surprise Encounter with a Former Student

13:50 - The Next Step: Home for a Wedding, Then the 750-Mile Bike Ride

]]><![CDATA[42 Years Later: Why I’m Terrified to Teach Next Year]]>https://www.reacheverystudent.com/p/42-years-later-why-im-terrified-tohttps://www.reacheverystudent.com/p/42-years-later-why-im-terrified-toTue, 26 May 2026 11:01:54 GMTThe 42-Year Calculus Challenge I just walked out of my end-of-year evaluation with my assistant principal, and I was handed my assignment for next fall: AP Physics with Calculus. I am one part excited and one part completely terrified. I am a chemist by trade. I understand physics well, but my last calculus class was 42 years ago.

To prepare, I am practicing exactly what I preach to my students: Analog Roots. I have a massive physics textbook on order, and I bought a simple, blank composition notebook. I will be manually solving every single problem by hand this summer to stay at least a unit or two ahead. I am stepping completely back into learner mode.

The Heartbreak on the Final Exam (Listen at 01:58) As I record this, the final bells have rung and the desks are empty. But right at the finish line, my mood turned sour. I discovered that a student I deeply care about made a very poor choice regarding academic integrity on his final science test.

It broke my heart. It’s an administrative hassle, yes, but more importantly, it’s a painful reminder of the shortcuts kids are taking today. But as educators, we have to reframe these moments. This isn’t just an infraction; it’s a critical opportunity for a young man to grow, learn about consequences, and find a better path forward.

Flipped Learning Goes Global (Listen at 03:06) By the time you listen to this, I will be on a plane to South America. The largest medical school in Brazil has invited me to speak to their doctors, professors, and dentists about the MasteryFlip model and how to teach clinical logic in the age of AI.

The pace of digital change is moving faster than any time in human history. As educational researcher Justin Reich famously noted, nobody truly knows how to teach in the AI era yet—we need thousands of teachers stepping up to try things out.

That experimentation led me to launch the MasteryFlip Certification. The battle-tested blueprint is ready, and the 50% off introductory window is open at jonbergmann.com until this Friday.

The 750-Mile Escape (Listen at 04:44) Once I return from Brazil and spend a week with my incredible wife, I am disappearing into an Analog Reset. I am joining a small crew to cycle 750 miles over 17 days from Salt Lake City to the Grand Canyon through Bryce Canyon.

We are riding with the Fuller Center for Housing to build homes for the unhoused along the way. The rules are simple: we are limited to a 40-pound bag, and electronics are strictly discouraged. I need to get away from screens and reconnect with God, nature, and humanity.

Our summer batteries are at zero percent. Whether it’s a bike ride, summer school like my daughter is teaching, or traveling to see family, protect your time. Unplug. Recharge. Reclaim your sanity so you can come back next fall ready to transform lives.

Ride on, Jon

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Ke Moments

00:00 - Terrified & Excited: My New AP Physics Assignment
01:20 - The Silence of an Empty Room 229
01:58 - Heartbreak at the Finish Line: An Academic Integrity Mistake
03:06 - Flipped Learning Goes Global: Heading to Brazil
04:44 - The Analog Reset: 750 Miles to the Grand Canyon
06:15 - Solving the Calculus Problem with Old-School Notebooks
07:05 - Why Nobody Knows How to Teach in the Age of AI
08:15 - The "Good Grief" of Saying Goodbye to My Seniors
09:20 - MasteryFlip Certification Launch (Founding Member Special)
10:00 - Summer Challenge: Reaching Your Own Family First

]]><![CDATA[It’s Sucking My Soul”: Why I Choose Teaching Over Corporate Success | Episode 74]]>https://www.reacheverystudent.com/p/its-sucking-my-soul-why-i-choosehttps://www.reacheverystudent.com/p/its-sucking-my-soul-why-i-chooseMon, 18 May 2026 09:30:38 GMT👉 Listen/Watch the full episode above on Substack. You need to hear the tone and emotion of this week’s message.

This week started in the green room at church. I was talking to one of my bandmates on the worship team, and he confessed something heavy: his corporate job is “sucking the life out of him.” He feels like a gear in a machine driven by grind and greed that doesn’t care about his soul.

It hit me in that moment: I am exhausted. It’s “Manic May” in Room 229, and I am bone-tired. But as I told my friend—and as I break down in the first two minutes of this episode—there is a profound difference between being drained by a system and being poured out for a mission.

The Machine vs. The Mission (Listen at 02:11) Let’s be honest—teaching is brutal right now. But if you feel like your soul is being sucked dry, it’s rarely because of the kids.

When we close the classroom door and engage in the “Human Check”—that’s our oxygen. We fight the system all day just to earn the right to have those 30-second meaningful moments where a student finally “gets it.”

This is exactly why I built the MasteryFlip Certification, which officially launches tonight. I wanted to create a professional “reset” to help you reclaim the human heart of your classroom from the digital machine. In the video, I walk through the three specific pillars designed to buy back your time:

  1. AI Engines: Offloading the logistics.

  2. Analog Roots: Reclaiming the power of the pencil.

  3. Human Checks: Interactive 2-minute oral assessments.

The Auburn Letter (Listen at 03:55)

If you only have five minutes today, scroll to the 3:55 mark of the audio and listen to the letter I read. I recently received a note from a young lady I taught for the last two years who is heading to Auburn University this fall. I read her exact words aloud in this episode because every exhausted educator in America needs to hear them right now. If you’ve forgotten why we stay in the trenches, let her message remind you of the “delayed harvest” we are planting.

The “Good Grief” of May

As graduation approaches this Friday, I’m feeling a sense of grief as I say goodbye to my seniors. But in this episode, I want to challenge how you view that end-of-year sadness.

I’m arguing for a concept I call “Good Grief.” My corporate friend doesn’t experience this pain because he doesn’t share our mission. Tune in to hear why the heartbreak of the last day of school is actually the ultimate evidence that your life is echoing.

🚀 Launch Invite: Become a Founding Member

I want to help you start next August with a clean slate. The MasteryFlip Certification online course is officially open. It’s the distillation of everything I’ve learned about reaching every student while preserving your own sanity.

Because you are part of this Substack community, you can claim a Founding Member seat at 50% off before the doors close on May 29th.

Summer Plans: The 750-Mile Analog Reset

At the end of the episode, I share my upcoming summer itinerary—including a trip to Brazil to present this framework, followed by a massive 750-mile bicycle ride where I will try to reset and go analog.

The podcast isn’t stopping. I’ll be recording raw updates from the road every single Monday all summer long. Hit play to hear how you can ride along with me.

Ride on, Jon

Key Moments in Episode 74

]]><![CDATA[Mr. Bergmann Changed My Life": The Echo of Impact in the Age of AI | Episode 73]]>https://www.reacheverystudent.com/p/the-echo-of-impact-why-teaching-ishttps://www.reacheverystudent.com/p/the-echo-of-impact-why-teaching-isMon, 11 May 2026 09:30:51 GMTThe Story of the Echo

Teaching is a delayed harvest profession. This week, I received a message from a student I taught four years ago that reminded me why the 'Human Check' is more important than any AI in education tool

Yesterday, I received a message from a friend in Kansas that stopped me in my tracks. He had been talking to a former student of mine—now a sophomore in college—who told him, “Mr. Bergmann really impacted my life.”

I didn’t hear that four years ago when he was sitting in my Chemistry class. I didn’t see it on a course evaluation. I am hearing it now, vicariously, through an “echo.”

If you are a teacher in the middle of “Manic May,” feeling exhausted and wondering if you’re actually getting through, this episode is for you. Teaching is a delayed harvest profession. You are planting seeds today that you might not see bloom until 2030.

The Year in Review: Reclaiming the Classroom

As I sat through my final teacher evaluations this week, I looked back at the journey we’ve been on since September.

  • The AI Pivot: We started the year trying to figure out how to “enmesh” AI into Physics. But as the months went by, the goal changed. I found myself warning students about “Stupefaction.” If we offload our thinking to the machine, we lose the “productive struggle” that actually grows the brain.

  • The Letters to Students: I wrote two letters to students. The first is more personal to my students, and the second is a joint effort with a consortium of STEM professors across the United States.

  • The Mastery Flip: This year gave birth to a new framework: AI Engines, Analog Roots, and Human Checks. My wife actually helped me name it: The Mastery Flip.

  • Analog Roots: In a world of “digital glaze,” I actually went out and bought used physical textbooks for the fourth quarter. We moved away from online platforms and back to paper, pencil, and face-to-face conversation. Why? Because the “Analog Root” is what keeps the student grounded in their own thinking.

The “Motor” Moment

The payoff for all this “Analog” work happened this week during our electricity unit. I watched a student—one who has struggled with traditional work all year—build an electric motor from scratch. He was so proud that it spun for 30 minutes straight.

In that moment, I wasn’t just a teacher; I was a Vision Caster. I told him, “You need to be an electrical engineer.” That’s the “Human Check” that no AI can provide.

The Final Word: Stay for the Echo

I’ve been doing this for 40 years, and I still get tired. But then I get a message from Kansas.

To the “Village” of teachers listening: Don’t judge your success by how you feel today. Judge it by the echo that is coming. Stay in the fight.

Episode Timestamps:

  • 00:00 - The Message from Kansas: A 4-Year Echo

  • 02:51 - Is AI Stupefying Our Students?

  • 06:44 - The Mastery Flip: AI Engines & Analog Roots

  • 08:11 - Why I’m Returning to Physical Textbooks in 2026

  • 11:45 - The Motor Project: When a Student “Comes Alive”

  • 15:01 - Parent Feedback: The Power of Being Seen

  • 16:17 - Year 40 Encouragement: Stay for the Echo

P.S. If you're watching this on YouTube, please hit the 'Hype' button on the video! It helps the algorithm push this encouragement to other tired teachers who need to hear it this week

]]><![CDATA[An Open Letter to My Students about AI]]>https://www.reacheverystudent.com/p/an-open-letter-to-my-students-abouthttps://www.reacheverystudent.com/p/an-open-letter-to-my-students-aboutWed, 06 May 2026 12:56:41 GMT

Note: this is a repost from my website. It was one of the must read posts on my website of all time. It was a letter I wrote to my students during the summer of 2026 about AI. Enjoy - and use it if will help start the conversation about AI with your students

What an exciting time to be young and on the cusp of adulthood. You have been born into a world full of opportunities and challenges. Over the past year and a half, I have been delving deeply into all things AI. I am both concerned and optimistic about your future. My greatest hope is that you will thrive and flourish in the world that lies before you.

The Fourth Industrial Revolution?

Over the past few hundred years, historians have identified three industrial revolutions:

  • 1st Industrial Revolution: (1700s-1800s) The replacement of manual labor with the power of steam engines. Factories were built in cities, and the assembly line was invented.

  • 2nd Industrial Revolution: (Late 1800s - Early 1900s) The widespread use of electricity was the key feature of this era. Electricity enabled scaled manufacturing and introduced communication technologies, such as the telephone.

  • 3rd Industrial Revolution: (Mid 1900s to Early 2000s) The invention of the computer and the internet.

Each of these “revolutions” dramatically changed the world. Though each revolution brought many positive changes, each also caused significant human suffering.

Many believe we are currently in the fourth industrial revolution, with AI and biotechnology serving as the primary drivers. This era is happening more rapidly than previous revolutions and has already disrupted many lives.

Andrew Ng, the founder of Coursera, a Stanford researcher, and one of the top AI researchers in the world, said the transformation to an AI world is similar to the change of the 2nd Industrial Revolution: from no electricity to electricity.

You have never known a world without electricity unless you remember the deep freeze of 2021 in Texas or one of the myriad hurricanes that have beset Houston. If you lived through those events, you know how much we rely on electricity. Imagine the world before electricity. That world relied on manual labor, natural light, slow communication, and limited mobility.

Those living during the advent of the electric age were living during exciting times. Thomas Edison’s electric lights stunned the world. Before electric lights, you either clustered around a fire or had oil lamps. With electric lights, people began to stay up after dark. Electricity revolutionized numerous industries and transformed where people live and even how homes are designed. Fast forward to Willis Carrier’s invention of the air conditioner. The world changed, especially for those of us in warmer climates. Houston’s hot, humid climate made it unappealing. When air conditioning became available, the population of Houston (and other cities in the South) increased significantly. Electricity so utterly transformed the world you probably take for granted. It is the most versatile form of energy ever invented. It heats your home, drives your car, runs your computer, cools your food, and powers all the devices you own.

Being a young person during the dawn of electricity must have been an exciting time. The world was transforming before their eyes. Opportunities abounded for those who embraced the change and who found new and innovative ways to harness the power of electricity.

Each Industrial Revolution was marked by rapid change. In each revolution, many people struggled with the change. Factories were often unsafe, and some used child labor. Urbanization created environments where disease could spread rapidly. with every large-scale social/technological revolution, there were winners and losers. The change hurt many people, yet many saw this as a great opportunity to embrace the new change, and they succeeded beyond their wildest dreams.

The AI era is already changing how you live. Many are embracing it wholeheartedly and see it as the best thing that ever happened in their lives. Many others and I are calling for caution, especially for young people such as yourselves. When Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost took the name Pope Leo XIV, his stated reason was his concern that AI would pose challenges comparable to those faced during the First Industrial Revolution. He fears that AI will denigrate our humanity. I share his concerns.

You are living in a time of significant change. How you prepare yourself for the future will make all the difference. Although the Second Industrial Revolution occurred quickly, the pace of change was significantly slower than the AI revolution. In light of the crazy times we live in, how can you best prepare yourself for this new era?

You Are Living in Exciting Times: How to Prepare With Seven Suggestions

  • Over-reliance on AI Will Harm You

In a recent study, Michael Girlich concluded that: “The findings revealed a significant negative correlation between frequent AI tool usage and critical thinking abilities, mediated by increased cognitive offloading. Younger participants exhibited higher dependence on AI tools and lower critical thinking scores compared to older participants.” (Girlich, 2025) When students use AI to do some of their thinking, they become poorer thinkers. Overreliance on AI will stupefy you.

Ted Chiang recently wrote:

“Using ChatGPT to complete assignments is like bringing a forklift into the weight room; you will never improve your cognitive fitness that way.”

I know most of you are using AI for schoolwork. But I caution you. If your goal is to make something of yourself, you must do the hard work of learning. Many of your peers will take the path of least resistance. They will shortchange their learning and will not become the outstanding person they could become. Don’t be that person.

Instead, be like Moria Gleason, a twenty-year-old college student at Hillsdale College, who wrote this about AI:

Writing an undergraduate paper isn’t about the actual paper. As an English major, I write to understand what I have read. Using artificial intelligence to write a term paper for my Shakespeare class wouldn’t only be dishonest, it would rob me of my education. The odds of my saying something novel about “To be or not to be” are about zero, and I know academia isn’t hurting for the musings of a 20-year-old student fueled by energy drinks in the library at 2 a.m.

I write not because anyone else needs to read my thoughts, but because I need to write them. Delivering a finished paper takes hours of reading, rereading, outlining, drafting and editing. Even then, as one of my professors said, papers are never really finished, they are only due. Writing may be draining, never perfect, but it’s always rewarding.
Slaving over term papers every semester for three years has made me a more careful reader, insightful thinker and articulate writer. When my professor grades my work, he judges the merit of my thought and engagement with the text. The page must reflect me, then, not the output of a chatbot.

One of the reasons you came to our school was to become a leader. We develop leaders here, and it will take a great deal of willpower to resist the temptation to cut corners. As you know, I love science, and I geek out about how the brain works when learning. So, a quick science lesson: When you learn something new, actual structures in your brain grow and adapt. If you exercise your brain, your brain’s “muscles” become more efficient, allowing you to process complex concepts more easily. In many ways, the brain is like a muscle that grows best when stressed. If you lift weights, you know that to develop more muscle, you need to push yourself with either more repetitions or a slightly higher weight than you can handle. In the educational context, this is often referred to as productive struggle. You learn best when you are struggling - you are at the edge of your cognitive ability, and when you push through the difficulty, that’s when you see the most significant gains.

  • You Should Still Use AI

AI is a powerful tool that can change the world, both positively and negatively. Scott Latham, a business professor at the Manning School of Business, recently wrote on LinkedIn that those students who used AI to do their rough draft and then tweaked the work afterwards showed significant declines in their performance. However, those students who put in their own hard work first and then utilized AI - wow! The quality of their work was outstanding. In other words, you do the work first and then add AI. Don’t let AI do the first draft, and you tweak it.

Another group of researchers found that when an expert uses AI, it amplifies their work and accelerates the tasks they can accomplish. However, when AI is used by a novice, it’s too tempting for the novice to let the AI do the work. And the result is the novice learner doesn’t get the benefit of actually learning. Regardless of what class you are taking at our school, you are likely seeing this material for the first time. I have news for you: you are a novice! AI will almost for sure do better on high school work than you can. But it isn’t about getting the answers right or the paper perfect. The point of school is to develop your cognitive capacity. You are learning how to learn and self-correct during the process.

There are undoubtedly many great examples of how you will use AI productively and it has the potential to enhance your life and can set you up to thrive in the world to come. I don’t know exactly what that will look like, but I encourage you to carefully consider the consequences, both intended and unintended, that may result from your AI usage as a student.

  • Don’t Believe Everything You See

AI is not perfect. It makes mistakes and it often “hallucinates.” That means it makes stuff up that isn’t real. In New York, a team of lawyers had ChatGPT write a portion of their legal brief, and ChatGPT cited several court cases to support the brief. The problem was that some of the court cases it cited didn’t exist. You can read more here. One of the difficulties you will face is that since you are most likely a novice learner you may not be able to know if AI is hallucinating.

You probably already know that it is hard to even believe a video is real anymore because AI can create “deep fake” videos of almost anyone doing or saying anything the creator wants them to say. I believe this will be one of the most significant challenges you will face in this new era. What and whom will you believe in? You are going to develop your mind such that you can discern what is reliable and what is false.

  • Avoid AI companion Apps

Apps like Character AI promise friendship and companionship, but they are a poison, and like any poison, they will only hurt you. We have been put on this earth for real relationships. Relationships with flesh and blood humans. Though an AI boyfriend or girlfriend will always be attentive to you, they are not real! Real relationships are messy.

I have been married for 34 years, and I have news for you - it’s hard, yet it is also glorious. My wife and I sometimes fight - that’s normal. As you interact with your parents, peers, teachers, and community, you need to learn how to navigate the complexities of real relationships. An “AI Relationship” is a counterfeit of the real thing. It may satisfy you in the short term, but you will miss the real thing - which requires work. Don’t settle for the fake. It will stunt your relationships and make you lonelier.

  • Choose College Majors Carefully

During the age of electricity, many people lost their jobs. AI will replace many careers. I encourage you to carefully read about what professions will disappear or diminish in the years to come. I don’t have any specific majors in mind, but you should conduct thorough research on this before spending four years preparing for a job that may no longer exist.

  • Lean into learning

I believe the best way for you to prepare yourself for this new era is to become a voracious learner. Be curious about everything. Don’t settle for superficial learning. Dive into every class you take with gusto. Ask questions, experiment, and embrace the messiness of the learning process. Because if you are a learner, you will be much more able to adapt and change as the world changes. And read books! Read books of substance. Read old books that have stood the test of time. Read history, science, literature, and think deeply about things.

  • Surround Yourself With Outstanding People.

People who will push your thinking are invaluable. Motivational speaker Jim Rohn said You are the average of the five people you spend the most time with. Find peers who are motivated to succeed. Find peers that lift you. Find peers that will challenge you.

Also, find mentors. Every good story has a wise old man or woman who guides the young hero or heroine on their quest. It’s awesome to be young and full of life, but you need a mentor who will help you grow into the person you aspire to be. Find a teacher or counselor or pastor or parent who can help you navigate all the challenges you are facing. There is nothing better than someone who is further down the path of life than you to help guide your way.

I don’t really know how AI will be used in your future. It will be integrated into the fabric of your life in ways that I can’t foresee in the same way that people before electricity couldn’t fathom the idea that power running through a wire could cool their food and power devices they never would have conceived. As you explore how to use AI, remember that however you use it, don’t let it take away any aspect of your humanity. You are built for relationships with real people. You were built to think and act of your own free will. Don’t waste your life on frivolous things and ideas. Become a man or woman of substance.

Each of us has one shot at this life. I want each of you to leave our school ready for the uncertain, changing, and challenging world you will enter. I want you to utilize the tools at your disposal to their fullest potential, while also maintaining your humanity and dignity. We are counting on you to make the world a better place - for all of us!

Mr. Bergmann

]]><![CDATA[Sal Khan’s Treadmill Problem: Why AI Tutors are "Non-Events" Without You | Episode 72]]>https://www.reacheverystudent.com/p/sal-khans-treadmill-problem-why-aihttps://www.reacheverystudent.com/p/sal-khans-treadmill-problem-why-aiMon, 04 May 2026 09:30:43 GMT“Manic May” is here. We are in the “Long Sprint”—that exhausted, emotionally spent stretch where the finish line is visible, but the legs are heavy. Technology is supposed to save us time, but I’ve found that the most important work we do in 2026 doesn’t come from a processor; it comes from the heart.

In this episode, I dive into a recent, shocking admission from Sal Khan. He noted that despite all the billions invested, AI tutoring (Khanmigo) has been a “non-event” for most students.

The “Grandpa” Letter Insight:

“Your words remind me that I don’t need to be loud like others to be influential... You kind of remind me of my grandpa... it has been a long, long time since I earned appreciation from an elderly person. Now, I feel like my grandpa is watching me from heaven...”

Why? Because access does not equal action.

I break down the “Treadmill Problem”: Why having an AI tutor is like having a high-end treadmill in your basement—it’s objectively great, but without a “Personal Trainer” (you), it usually just ends up hanging your laundry.

I also share the emotional payoff of the 150 individual “Vision Videos” I just finished recording. You’ll hear the letters my students sent back—including one that reminds us that while AI can explain Chemistry, it can never replace the “Grandpa” factor in a child’s life.

Key Highlights in This Episode:

  • The Motivation Gap: Why Sal Khan realized that a “teacher in the back of the room” (even a digital one) isn’t enough.

  • The Personal Trainer Metaphor: Why students do the “extra rep” of mastery for a human, but never for an algorithm.

  • Scaling the Heart: How I managed to “see” each of my students individually during an exhausting week.

  • The “Grandpa” Letter: A raw look at a student response that proves why the “Human Check” is our true superpower.

  • Key Moments

    • 00:00 – Introduction: Heart over Technology

      • Jon reflects on why the most important work in 2026 comes from the heart, not just a processor.

      • An update on the seven-year tradition of “Vision Videos” and the surprising responses they generate.

    • 01:13 – The Sal Khan “Non-Event” Admission

      • Discussing Sal Khan’s admission that AI tutoring (Khanmigo) has been a “non-event” for most students.

      • The problem with AI acting as a “teacher in the back of the room” that students never visit.

    • 01:44 – The Treadmill Metaphor: Access vs. Action

      • Why having an AI tutor is like having a treadmill in your basement—always there, but often just used to hang laundry.

      • The need for a “Personal Trainer” who is invested in student progress and encourages that “extra rep”.

    • 04:18 – Legacy: “He Never Let Me Get Away With Anything”

      • A powerful story from Senior Chapel about a student being influenced by high expectations and accountability.

    • 05:13 – Scaling the Personal Trainer for 150 Students

      • How to act as a personal trainer at scale without burning out.

      • Holding 150 students accountable through “Human Checks” and Mastery Vivas.

    • 05:54 – AI as Your Chief of Staff

      • Turning Gemini into a “Chief of Staff” to handle behind-the-scenes executive assistant work.

      • Instructing AI to push your thinking rather than just agreeing with you.

    • 09:00 – The “Grandpa” Letter: Why Being Seen is the Superpower

      • Jon reads a deeply emotional student response that compares him to a late grandfather.

      • Why AI can never replace the feeling of being “seen” and validated by a human mentor.

    • 11:45 – The Motivation Gap & The Human Solution

      • How teachers serve as the “personal trainers” who make kids run on the treadmill.

      • Reflecting on 40 years in the classroom and encouraging teachers to stay in the profession.

    • 14:00 – Teaser: The Grief of the Launch

      • Reflecting on the coming end of the school year and the emotional weight of saying goodbye.

]]><![CDATA[ The Exhaustion of Excellence: How to Scale the "Human Check" |Episode 71]]>https://www.reacheverystudent.com/p/the-exhaustion-of-excellence-howhttps://www.reacheverystudent.com/p/the-exhaustion-of-excellence-howMon, 27 Apr 2026 09:30:59 GMTSummary

It is April, the “Long Sprint,” and I’m exhausted. Over the last few days, I have been pouring my heart into Vision Videos. These are individual, raw, high-energy recordings for every single one of my students where I look them in the virtual eye and tell them exactly who they are becoming. It takes a massive emotional toll—it’s draining, it’s hard, and it’s arguably the most taxing thing I do all year.

But I do it because it builds the “Relational Cache” I need for the rest of the year. When I sit down with a student for a Mastery Viva, they know I see them, they know I care, and they are far less likely to push the “Easy Button” of AI cheating.

In this episode, I’m pulling back the curtain on how I manage the logistics of the Mastery Viva (oral assessments) with lots of students. I share my playbook for “clumping” students to speed up check-ins and how I use AI Proxies (like Flint K12) as a “Safety Valve” when I simply can’t be in ten places at once. This is how we scale the soul of teaching without losing our own.

Inside the Episode: Key Timestamps

]]><![CDATA[The April Burnout: Why I’m Not Pushing the "Coast Button"|Episode 70]]>https://www.reacheverystudent.com/p/the-coast-buttonhttps://www.reacheverystudent.com/p/the-coast-buttonMon, 20 Apr 2026 09:30:28 GMTIf you were to look at me right now, you’d see one tired teacher. You’d see the mid-April exhaustion. And if you’re a teacher, I know you’re feeling it too.

We are currently in the “Long Sprint.” The finish line is in sight, and there is a massive temptation to push what I call The Coast Button. It’s that internal switch that tells us to just “mail it in,” put on a movie, and cruise until June.

But here is the hard truth: How you finish the last 10% of the year defines the version of you that your students will remember ten years from now.

In this episode, I’m sharing why I’m fighting the urge to check out and providing a tactical playbook for staying in the arena with your students—even when you’re running on fumes.

Inside the Episode: A Guide for the Tired Teacher

[0:00] – The Temptation to Coast I’m being vulnerable: I want to push the button. I describe the specific mid-April fatigue that makes “letting it ride” feel like the only option, and why our students are often rooting for us to check out right along with them.

[1:45] – The 10% Rule: Why the work we do in the final weeks matters more than the first few months. I discuss the danger of “ruining” a year of built bridges by becoming a ghost in your own classroom during the final stretch.

[3:10] – Shifting to Discovery Mode: When the “Industrial Model” of teaching feels too heavy, it’s time to pivot. I share how my Physics students are building motors and my Geology students are creating their own instructional videos. This isn’t just “busy work”—it’s high-level engagement that re-energizes the room.

[4:31] – “But I Don’t Teach Physics...” I address the English, History, and Elementary teachers. The “Stay in the Arena” playbook isn’t subject-specific. It’s about human presence.

[5:40] – Tip 1: The Vulnerability Pivot: How to model grit by simply being honest. I share the exact script I use to tell my students: “I’m tired too, but I’m choosing to be here for you.”

[6:45] – Tip 2: The 3-Minute Desk Sit A simple tactical move to reclaim your presence. Get out from behind the computer and spend three minutes just sitting with a student. It’s the ultimate “Human Check.”

[7:35] – Tip 3: Micro-Visioning If you’re too tired for big projects, try this. I explain how 60-second handwritten notes can act as a “Relational Cachet” deposit that students keep for years.

[8:15] – Tip 4: Finding Your Passion Pivot: How to fight boredom by finding one thing in your subject that still makes you curious, and leaning into that for a day to break the monotony.

[9:05] – The Final Word: Stay in the Arena: My closing charge to the Village. We are building bridges, and we aren’t going to stop until the final bell rings.

The Takeaway

You don’t have to be perfect in April, but you do have to be present. Don’t let the Coast Button win. Your students are worth the last 10%.

Let’s finish strong.

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]]><![CDATA[[Special Edition] Tom Daccord: The "Mastery Viva" and the Future of AI Integrity | Episode 69]]>https://www.reacheverystudent.com/p/special-edition-tom-daccord-the-masteryhttps://www.reacheverystudent.com/p/special-edition-tom-daccord-the-masteryThu, 16 Apr 2026 10:05:38 GMTSummary

I know it is not Monday morning, but sometimes a conversation is so timely and important that it demands a special mid-week release . Today, I am joined by my long-time friend and educational technology legend, Tom Daccord . Tom has been a pioneer in our field for decades, and right now, he is doing some of the most grounded work regarding AI in the classroom.

In this extended conversation, we move past the Silicon Valley hype to discuss the “Great Bifurcation”—the growing gap between students who use AI as a crutch and those who use it to enhance their learning. We dive into the “Mastery Flip” framework, exploring how to maintain productive struggle and human connection in an age of instant answers.

The “Big Rock”: The Mastery Viva

If you only have ten minutes to listen today, jump to [16:23].

Tom and I discuss the “Mastery Viva” (or the Human Check), a short, 2-to-3-minute verbal assessment where the teacher and student have a focused conversation about the learning process. In a world where AI can generate a perfect paper or lab report, the only way to truly verify mastery is to look a student in the eye and ask, “How did you get here? Tell me why this works”.

Inside the Episode: Practitioner Show Notes

  • [0:00] – The Mid-Week Drop & Intro Jon explains why this conversation with Tom Daccord couldn’t wait until Monday and provides a sneak peek at the upcoming “Coast Button” episode.

  • [1:36] – Meet Tom Daccord Tom and Jon reflect on their shared history in edtech since 1986 and Jon’s role as the co-founder of the global flipped classroom movement.

  • [7:39] – The “Great Bifurcation” A warning about the two paths students are taking: using AI as a crutch that “stupefies” or using it to become leaders of the new world.

  • [11:05] – The Mastery Flip Framework Jon breaks down his three-step model: AI Engines for content introduction, Analog Roots for classroom practice, and Mastery Vivas for verification.

  • [14:41] – Analog Roots: High Brain, Low Tech What Jon’s classroom looks like today—paper, pencils, and physical circuits while laptops stay in bags to preserve cognition.

  • [19:01] – Why We Need “Wrappers” Around AI

    The problem with AI built for efficiency instead of education. We need systems that prioritize productive struggle over instant answers.

  • [23:29] – The “Easy Button” vs. The Gym

    Why you can’t “bring a forklift to the weight room.” Students need the intellectual “reps” to grow.

  • [31:13] – Preparing for a World of AI Agents

    How companies are hiring fewer graduates because AI agents are taking entry-level roles—and how students must learn to use AI to teach themselves anything.

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]]><![CDATA["I See You": Spending the Relational Cachet You’ve Banked All Year #68]]>https://www.reacheverystudent.com/p/the-most-important-video-your-studentshttps://www.reacheverystudent.com/p/the-most-important-video-your-studentsMon, 13 Apr 2026 09:31:01 GMTThe COVID Tradition That Stuck

In March of 2020, we sent our students home and never saw them again. I realized then that I needed a way to find closure—a way to let them know they weren’t just a row in a Zoom grid. So, I made a personalized video for every single student. What started as a pandemic necessity has become a seven-year tradition and, quite honestly, the most important thing I do every year.

The “Long Sprint” and Your Relational Bank Account

I know you’re exhausted. We are deep in the “Long Sprint,” and the finish line feels like a mirage. But here is the truth: Right now, you have more relational cachet with your students than you will ever have again. You have spent a year building a bridge of trust. You’ve banked “Relational Capital” through every lab, every conversation, and every JB Signature. Now is the time to spend that capital to speak life into their future.

The “Vision Video” Blueprint

Yes, this is a significant time commitment. It is a heavy lift at a time when you are already carrying a lot. But the ROI is eternal. Here is the workflow:

  • The Mastery of the List: Use a physical list. Check off names as you go. Don’t skip anyone. Every child needs to be “seen” before they walk out your door.

  • Beyond the Grade: This isn’t a recap of their GPA. It’s a casting of a vision. You are looking at the student they are today and telling them who you see them becoming tomorrow.

  • The Universal Blessing: In my setting, this includes a prayer. In yours, it might be a “wish for the future.” Whatever the form, the intent is the same: A formal, human acknowledgment of their worth.

Does it actually work? Just ask Claudia.

I reached out to one of my former students, Claudia Moore, to ask if I could share her story. Her response tells you everything you need to know about why we do this:

“I have your video saved on my phone and I watch it every now and then when I need some extra encouragement. Your words were so kind and I think it would be so cool for other teachers to start doing it too!” — Claudia

Two Lives Changed: Samuel & Claudia

In this episode, I share the actual “Vision Videos” I sent to two of my students (with permission):

  • Claudia: A high achiever who moved from “Achievement Mode” (checking boxes) to “Discovery Mode” (curiosity and heart).

  • Samuel: The star of my recent keynote. I celebrate the Grit and “consistent obedience” that led to his 100% mastery.

Key Timestamps

  • 00:00 — The “most important video” question

  • 01:08 — The COVID-2020 origins of the tradition

  • 01:46 — Why you have “Relational Cachet” right now

  • 03:02 — Logistics: Why I still use a physical paper list

  • 04:42 — Framing the “Blessing” and the Prayer angle

  • 05:58 — Claudia’s Video: Achievement vs. Discovery

  • 09:44 — Samuel’s Video: Grit and 100% Mastery

  • 14:18 — The Eddie Anderson Legacy: Why I became a teacher

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Socratic Challenge: I became a teacher because my chemistry teacher, Eddie Anderson, believed in me. Who was the teacher that “spoke life” into your context?

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