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At the end of our 5-day “Travel and Learn” program in Beijing (see this post for background of the program), each participant had to give a short reflection on what we had learned. I thought hard about what I wanted to say.
Throughout the trip, I found myself in a constant state of awe—especially at how far AI has already been integrated into everyday life. During our visit to iFlytek, a company focused on speech and language AI, we saw how their tools are used in education. Teachers (or students) can upload a handwritten essay or maths worksheet, and the AI grades it instantly. It highlights errors, gives feedback, and even visualises weak areas in a bubble chart.
I was stunned.
Later, I found out that some of this technology is already being used in NTU. But many public school educators have never seen it. It reminded me of a quote that’s often attributed to fiction author William Gibson:
The future is here - it’s just not evenly distributed
As I watched these demos, I kept thinking about my students, and my mother. She was a teacher in the Singapore public school system for more than 30 years. I kept making mental notes of what to share with her when I returned home.
So when it came time to give my reflection, I wrote it the way I would have told her about the trip if I had gone home that night to chat. I read it aloud to a class of almost 50 people.
This is the original speech in Mandarin, you can find the English translation at the end of the blog.
妈妈， 中国跟我们小时候去的时候很不一样了，变得您无法想象。 您记得以前您当老师的时候，改卷子改到三更半夜吗？ 现在，只需要上载文档，人工智能就能够自动批改作业。在两秒钟以内。神奇吧！ 我在这整个行程里就反复在思考，我们身为老师要如何准备孩子能够迎接这个已经来到的未来。 我可以用三个字来总结我到现在为止的一个想法。那就是：跳、跌、韧。 跳：跳出现在的思维框架。我们的孩子必须意识到现在并不代表未来。 跌：塑造未来不会容易。他们会跌倒。我们要让他们知道，失败不是坏事，只是找到了另一个不可行的方法。 韧：我们要培养他们的韧性。勇敢尝试，认清自己在未来的价值，并且享受这个过程。 妈妈，您几时有空？我带你去中国看看那些已经落实的未来。
If I had to summarise the above in one question, it would be this:
As educators, how do we prepare our children for a future that already exists—but just hasn’t reached them yet?
Jump. Fall. Resilience. That’s what I brought home from Beijing.
See here for English Translation:
Mum, China is very different from when we visited in our childhood—so different you might not even recognise it. Do you remember how, back when you were teaching, you used to mark papers late into the night? Now, all it takes is uploading a document. AI can grade the work automatically—in under two seconds. Amazing, isn’t it? Throughout this trip, I kept thinking: as educators, how do we prepare our children for a future that has already arrived? I can sum up my thoughts so far in three words: Jump, Fall, Resilience. Jump – Jump out of the current way of thinking. Our children must realise that the present does not define the future. Fall – Shaping the future won’t be easy. They will fall. We need to help them see that failure isn’t a bad thing—just a way of discovering what doesn’t work. Resilience – We must build their resilience. Encourage them to try bravely, understand their value in the future, and enjoy the journey. Mum, when are you free? I’ll take you to China to see the future that’s already here.