"Critical thinking is not merely a buzzword. It is an essential tool that children must learn at an early age."

From Tying Shoes to Artificial Intelligence - Eileen F. Toplansky

"In fact, states are at long last now reintroducing cursive handwriting because it appears to boost brain development, reading comprehension, and fine motor skills. As of 2026, New Jersey districts require cursive handwriting instruction."

. . . "Of particular note is the finding that students who “used ChatGPT as a study aid retained significantly less knowledge 45 days after instruction than students who studied without it (Barcaui, 2025). Thus, short-term performance gains masked long-term learning deficits. 

"So, from tying shoes to the exponential growth of AI, we need to consider how well we are creating critical thinkers. In far too many instances, AI actually shortcuts the critical learning process, i.e., brainstorming, drafting, revising, justifying.

"If in the learning process, AI generates the product, the student loses the important steps of knowledge attainment because the effort has been removed as a consequence of the machines doing the work.

"Also, as Eng points out “[i]t is also worth remembering that AI developers have profit motives that have nothing to do with improving student learning. The enthusiasm of technology companies should not be mistaken for evidence of pedagogical effectiveness.”

"Children need to be exposed to the steps of learning. Instead, we are creating mental passivity and cognitive apathy. Passive acceptance without active thought creates boredom, which, in turn, creates a lack of desire to engage mentally.

"Critical Thinking is not merely a buzzword. It is an essential tool that children must learn at an early age. In the digital age, far too much is being done by machines.

Children deserve the right to discern for themselves; they need the challenge of discovery and the exhilaration of accomplishment.

"How do we create a balance? Are we cheating the children in our quest for increased technology?"

Check out Eileen’s new book titled Won Ton is Not Now Backwards. Available at Amazon, it is a collection of very short stories, and is a book that parents, grandparents, speech therapists and young people will find useful and most importantly enjoyable.