Lately, I’ve been bombarded with dire predictions that ChatGPT will render college writing instructors obsolete. These doomsayers clearly wouldn’t know the first thing about teaching if it hit them with a red-inked rubric. Sure, ChatGPT is a memo-writing marvel—perfect for churning out soul-dead reports about quarterly earnings. Let it have that dreary throne.

But if you became a college instructor to teach students how to write memos, you’ve got bigger problems than artificial intelligence. Teaching writing isn’t about bullet points and business reports—it’s about persona, ideas, and the eternal fight against chaos.

First up: persona. Good writing isn’t just about clarity; it’s about identity. How do you craft a voice that commands attention? When students read Oscar Wilde, Frederick Douglass, or Octavia Butler, they’re not just reading—they’re witnessing mastery. Wilde nailed it: “The first task in life is to assume a pose.” A well-crafted persona—sharp, witty, and confident—has real power. Once students catch a glimpse of that, they want it. They crave the ability to shape how the world sees them. And let’s be clear—ChatGPT isn’t in the persona business. That’s your turf.

Next: ideas. You became a teacher because you believe in the power of big, messy, mind-expanding ideas. Great ideas don’t just fill word counts; they ignite debates, reshape worldviews, and stick with students for life. Take Bread and Circus—the notion that the masses are pacified by cheap food and empty entertainment. Students eat that up (pun intended). Or nihilism—the grim philosophy that nothing matters. They’ll argue over that for hours. And Rousseau’s “noble savage” versus the myth of human hubris? It’s the Super Bowl of philosophy.

ChatGPT doesn’t sell ideas; it regurgitates language like a well-trained parrot. But you? You’re in the idea business. If you’re not selling students on the thrill of big ideas, you’re failing at your job.

Finally: chaos. Most people live in a swirling mess of distraction and stress. You teach students how to push back with discipline, focus, and what Cal Newport calls “deep work.” Writers like Newport, Oliver Burkeman, and Angela Duckworth offer blueprints for resisting chaos. ChatGPT won’t teach students perseverance. That’s on you.

So keep honing your pitch. You’re not just teaching writing; you’re shaping thinkers, debaters, and problem-solvers. ChatGPT can crunch words all it wants, but when it comes to shaping human beings, it’s just another tool. You? You’re the architect.