This year, the Sidwell English Department has introduced a significant change, which requires students to write all major essays during class time. The decision aims to promote academic honesty by addressing increasing student reliance on AI in writing assignments.
Although the administration’s goal is understandable, this policy harms the majority of students who do not use AI and require time to craft thoughtful, high-quality work.
Instead of working on essays over several days, students now have only two or three class periods to plan, write, and revise. This time crunch inevitably leads to rushed and less polished work. Strong essays require reflection and revision, which is hindered by this restrictive new policy.
Coinciding with the rise in AI tools, a concerning number of students have been caught or admitted to using programs like SparkNotes or ChatGPT on their English assignments.
In an effort to ensure that students submit work that is purely their own, the English department has chosen to assign only in-class essays.
However, this policy creates several challenges for students and prevents many from doing their best work. While it is valuable to assess how students articulate their thoughts with time constraints, this approach is not representative of how deeply they can engage with texts when time is not a limiting factor. As pressure rises, quality inevitably drops. Furthermore, the 45-minute class period limits students’ momentum.
With this interruption in thought process and workflow, it is difficult to construct a cohesive and well-developed argument. Essays written across multiple days, as was the previous norm, allowed students to revisit, refine, and strengthen their work.
Lastly, the classroom environment itself also creates inequity and other challenges.
For students who are easily distracted, it is unfair for them to have to work in a non-conducive focusing environment. Those who thrive under time pressure will continue to succeed, while others — who may be equally talented writers — will be at a disadvantage. Ultimately, the English department’s new policy compromises the quality of student work in the name of academic integrity.
A better solution would address plagiarism and AI misuse without stripping students of the time, space, and flexibility necessary to produce their best writing. Preventing academic dishonesty is important, but it should not come at the cost of genuine learning and thoughtful engagement with literature.
