Reflections from Emerging Literacies Session - 18th July 2026

Quick recap: Chapter 2
Sandeep Dutt led a book discussion session on Yuval Noah Harari’s “21 Lessons for the 21st Century,” focusing on the future of work and automation. He explained how artificial intelligence and robotics are transforming jobs, noting that while some traditional roles will be automated, new human-AI collaboration opportunities will emerge, particularly in healthcare and creative fields. Sandeep Dutt emphasised the importance of developing character and citizenship skills rather than just the traditional 4Cs (critical thinking, creativity, collaboration, and communication), arguing that character is fundamental for success in the changing job market. The session included technical improvements to the meeting format, removing registration requirements and waiting rooms to make it easier for participants to join, and Sandeep Dutt announced that future sessions would continue this more open access approach. 

Dolly Chandoke - Jodhamal Public School, Jammu
Work: When You Grow Up, You Might Not Have a Job,” made me think deeply about how rapidly technology is changing our lives. Harari explains that artificial intelligence, automation, and robotics are no longer replacing only physical labour but are increasingly capable of performing cognitive and creative tasks as well. This could fundamentally reshape the job market in the coming decades. 

One of the most striking ideas in this chapter is that the future of work is uncertain. Unlike previous technological revolutions, AI may replace many jobs faster than new ones are created, making continuous learning and adaptability essential. This challenged my belief that education alone guarantees lifelong job security. Instead, Harari emphasises the importance of developing skills such as critical thinking, creativity, emotional intelligence, and the ability to learn new things throughout life.

Sahar Banu, Sunbeam School Ballia
Technology is changing the way we live and work. Some jobs may change or even disappear, but people are always more important than jobs. We should help people learn new skills and grow with changing times. Every person deserves care, respect, and equal opportunities. Machines can do many tasks, but they cannot replace kindness, creativity, or human values. Real progress is not just about better technology; it is about making life better for everyone.

When You Grow Up, You Might Not Have A Job

 

Masterclass for Emerging Literacies

To discuss the future of work and AI’s impact on jobs.

Key Takeaways

• AI’s Threat to Jobs: AI’s ability to hack human biology (emotions, decisions) and its non-human advantages (connectivity, updatability) threaten even creative and cognitive roles, not just physical ones.

• The “Useless Class”: A new class of people may emerge who are economically redundant, not just from job loss but from a lack of emotional stamina to cope with constant retraining and career volatility.

• The Human Edge: Jobs requiring complex motor skills, empathy (e.g., nursing, caregiving), and dealing with unforeseen scenarios are more resistant to automation.

• New Session Format: The session is now a direct-link meeting with no registration, simplifying access. Recordings and notes are on the My Good School YouTube channel.

Topics

New Session Format

• Access: Direct-link meeting, no registration required.

• Rationale: To simplify access and focus on engagement over data collection.

• Resources:

  • Recordings & Notes: My Good School YouTube channel.

  • Weekly Newsletter: GSI.in.

  • Certificates: Available for ₹3000 via separate registration.

The Future of Work (Chapter 2: 21 Lessons for the 21st Century)

• The Automation Debate:

  • Pessimistic View: Automation will create mass economic redundancy.

  • Optimistic View: Automation will create more jobs, as in past industrial revolutions.

• AI’s New Capabilities:

  • Hacking Humans: AI is learning to understand and manipulate human emotions and decisions by analysing biochemical patterns (facial expressions, voice, body odour).

  • Non-Human Advantages:

    • Connectivity: All AI units can be linked into a single network, enabling perfect coordination and communication.

    • Updatability: The entire network can be updated instantly with new information (e.g., traffic laws, medical research).

• The “Useless Class”:

  • Problem: New AI-related jobs (e.g., data analysts) require high expertise, leaving unskilled workers behind.

  • Analogy: The 19th-century wagon driver became a taxi driver, but the horse was pushed out of the job market entirely.

  • Emotional Toll: Constant retraining and career volatility can lead to a “global epidemic of stress,” creating a class of people lacking the emotional stamina to cope.

Human-AI Collaboration & Competition

• Collaboration: Humans can service and leverage AI, creating new roles (e.g., drone maintenance, data analysis).

• Competition: AI’s rapid learning and creativity are surpassing human capabilities.

  • AlphaZero Example: In 2017, Google’s AlphaZero program learned chess from scratch in 4 hours and defeated Stockfish 8, the world’s computer chess champion.

  • Implication: AI is already demonstrating creativity that judges in human tournaments suspect is computer-generated.

Educational Framework: 4 C’s + 2 C’s

• Traditional 4 C’s: Critical Thinking, Creativity, Collaboration, Communication.

• Proposed 2 C’s: Character and Citizenship.

• Rationale: The 4 C’s are tools for building Character (perseverance, resilience, honesty) and Citizenship (engaging with diverse values for sustainability). Without these foundational qualities, the 4 C’s are ineffective.

Next Steps

• All Participants: Reflect on the key statements shared in the WhatsApp group and post comments.

• All Participants: Review the session recording and notes on the My Good School YouTube channel.

• All Participants: Join the next session on Saturday, August 1, at the bookmark shared in the WhatsApp group.

Who is Right?

I was reading the final chapter of The Courage to Be Happy by Ichiro Kishimi and Fumitake Koga, when my son, who was watching True Detective on Netflix, paused the serial and said, "Listen to this dialogue. Rust Cohle, a character in the series, says, “I think human consciousness is a tragic misstep in evolution.”

He continued, "The problem with people is that they are too self-aware.”

We know we will die. 

We worry about the future. 

We regret the past. 

We compare ourselves with others. 

“That's why human beings suffer."

I smiled, and he looked at me curiously. I read aloud from the book I was reading: "The world is simple, and life is too. Keeping it simple is difficult." I said, "Isn't life simple? It's the meaning we attach to it that makes it complicated. 

Take this example. Someone criticizes me. The criticism is the event. 

Then my mind starts creating stories: 

'They hate me.' Everyone thinks I am incompetent.' 'I am not good enough.' The event was simple. The interpretation became complicated." 

"That's not simple," he interrupted. "People get hurt." 

"Yes," I replied, "people do get hurt. Pain is real." I continued, "A dog gets wet in the rain and moves on. A human gets wet in the rain and thinks: 'Why does this always happen to me?' 'My day is ruined.' 'Nothing ever works out.' The rain is the same. The experience becomes different because of the meaning we give to it." 

He immediately replied, "That's exactly what the dialogue means when it says consciousness is a tragic misstep in evolution. 

“Animals don't think like that. Humans do. Consciousness causes suffering." After saying that, he returned to watching his serial. 

As I returned to my book, I realised that perhaps the philosopher and the character in the serial were asking the same question but arriving at different answers. 

The character in the serial sees consciousness as the source of suffering. The philosopher in the book sees consciousness as the source of freedom. A few minutes later, I withdrew to my book, and he withdrew to his serial. 

Yet, in our own ways, both of us were thinking about the same thing—human consciousness. So, who is right? 

Perhaps both are. Consciousness gives us the ability to suffer, but it also gives us the ability to rise above suffering. It can trap us in fear, but it can also help us choose courage. It can make us anxious about life, but it can also help us find meaning in it. Perhaps happiness begins when we find the courage to use our consciousness not to dwell on fear, but to choose love, and to choose life. 

The world is simple. Life is too. Keeping it simple is difficult. 

As we wrapped up The Courage to Be Happy in our Masterclass, I realised that the most meaningful learning often happens outside the pages of a book—in conversations, in questions, and sometimes in an unexpected dialogue between a mother reading a book and a son watching a serial. The book may have ended, but the reflection continues.

- Gurdeep Kaur

Using AI to identify out-of-school girls

Read and Lead Thursday

To discuss the book’s chapter on using AI to identify out-of-school girls, from Every Last Girl by Safeena Husain.

Key Takeaways

• Inefficient Saturation Model: The initial door-to-door survey was unsustainable, taking 6 years per district and wasting resources on villages with no out-of-school girls.

• AI-Powered Precision: A machine learning model trained on 10 years of data from ~1M households now predicts high-need villages, increasing the average number of girls found per village from 18 to 42.

• Concentration of Need: A key insight revealed that ~40% of out-of-school girls live in just 5% of villages, making targeted intervention feasible.

• “Combination Therapy”: The model’s success was amplified by aligning with government policies (RTE, Beti Bachao), which addressed systemic barriers such as school access and son preference.

Topics

The Problem: Inefficient Saturation Strategy

• The initial strategy was a door-to-door survey in 13 districts, aiming for 100% saturation.

• Inefficiencies:

  • Slow: Estimated 6 years per district (e.g., 100k homes).

  • Wasted Resources: ~20% of villages had no out-of-school girls.

  • Overwhelmed Teams: Some villages had 100+ girls for one volunteer.

• The Goal: Find a faster, more cost-effective way to reach high-need villages.

The Solution: AI-Powered Prediction Model

• The Idea: ID Insight proposed using a machine learning model to predict where out-of-school girls live.

• The Data Goldmine: 10 years of survey data from ~1M households provided the necessary training data.

• Predictor Variables: The model was trained on 313 indicators from the Indian Census and UDISE, including:

  • Parent literacy, caste, income, and household size.

  • School proximity, infrastructure, and enrollment rates.

• Human-Machine Synergy: The model guides volunteers to high-need villages, but human intelligence is still required for on-the-ground work and for navigating real-world challenges (e.g., mountainous terrain, difficult officials).

The Impact: Precision Targeting & “Combination Therapy”

• Initial Test: The model found 50–100% more girls than the human-led survey in the same villages.

• Improved Efficiency: The average number of girls found per village increased from 18 to 42.

• Strategic Focus: The model enables targeting the 5% of villages that contain ~40% of all out-of-school girls, making the problem manageable.

• “Combination Therapy”: The model’s success was accelerated by aligning with government policies that addressed systemic issues:

  • RTE (Right to Education): Mandated schools within 1km, removing distance as a barrier.

  • Rajasthan Govt. Scheme: Offered financial incentives for girls’ enrollment.

  • Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao: Tackled son preference and elevated the value of girls’ education.

Discussion: Human Cost & Ethical AI

• Human Cost: The group discussed the emotional impact of reading about girls named “Falthu” (useless), reflecting deep-seated societal devaluation.

• Ethical AI: The model was praised as a positive example of AI use, in which technology amplifies human impact rather than replacing it.

Next Steps

• Brinda: Resolve the Zoom background issue with the IT team.

• All: Meet next Thursday to continue reading the book.

FATHOM AI-generated notes.

We must think about the human love that is neither divine nor animal

Masterclass with Sandeep Dutt

Discussing Adlerian psychology and the nature of love from The Courage to be Happy.

Key Takeaways

• Adler’s “Community Feeling” vs. Freud’s “Death Drive”: Adler’s psychology, formed while a WWI medical officer, proposes that conflict is prevented by seeing others as comrades—a direct counterpoint to Freud’s theory of an innate destructive impulse.

• “Give, and It Shall Be Given”: True respect is earned by giving it first, not by demanding it. This “giving conduct” requires a spirit of abundance, not a “beggar of the spirit” mentality that waits to receive.

• Love as a “Human” Task: Love is not a passive “falling into” but an active “building up” through will and effort. This “human love” is distinct from both “divine” (lofty, impractical) and “animal” (instinctual) forms.

• “The Literacy Project”: A new initiative to extend the NEP’s focus on quality literacy. It has three pillars: Financial Literacy, Food Literacy, and the Human Edge in AI.

Topics

Adler’s “Community Feeling”

• Adler’s psychology was shaped by his WWI service as a medical officer, where he felt like a “prisoner” treating soldiers to return them to the front lines.

• This experience led him to propose “community feeling”—the awareness of all people as comrades—as a way to prevent conflict.

• This contrasts with Freud’s “death drive” (Thanatos), which posits an innate destructive impulse.

• Core Principle: “The important thing is not what one is born with, but what views one makes of that equipment.”

• Actionable Advice: Start building community feeling with the person in front of you, regardless of their cooperation. This small, everyday accumulation of confidence is the only place to begin.

“Give, and It Shall Be Given.”

• The text addresses a teacher’s feeling of being disrespected by students and society.

• Analogy: Giving respect is like giving money. Only those with an abundance of spirit can give freely; waiting to receive first is being a “beggar of the spirit.”

• Adlerian Principle: “Give, and it shall be given unto you.”

• Outcome: Feeling useful through contribution provides intrinsic respect, eliminating the need to seek external validation.

The “Literacy Project”

• A new initiative to extend the NEP’s focus on quality literacy, driven by the Principle that “joy of giving will translate into joy of learning.”

• Three Pillars:

  1. Financial Literacy: Understanding money, saving, and giving.

  2. Food Literacy: Understanding food choices and their impact.

  3. Human Edge in AI: Exploring the unique human skills that remain vital.

• Partnerships: Surya Kant will collaborate on financial literacy; other partners will focus on food literacy. A school from Vatrali will also participate.

Love as a “Human” Task

• The discussion shifts to love as the final, most difficult life task.

• Common View: Love is a passive “falling into” an uncontrollable impulse.

• Adlerian View: Love is an active “building up” through will and effort, not a prescribed destiny.

• Three Types of Love:

  • Divine: Lofty, impractical, religious.

  • Animal: Instinctual, driven by subconscious urges.

  • Human: A practical, active choice that is neither divine nor animal.

• Key Quote for Reflection: “We must think about the human love that is neither divine nor animal.”

Next Steps

• Gurdeep Kaur: Write a reflection on the quote, “We must think about the human love that is neither divine nor animal.”

• All Participants: Share reflections on the quote in the masterclass group.

• Sandeep Dutt: Post the quote in the group to prompt discussion.

• Sandeep Dutt & Surya Kant: Meet in Dehradun to strategise the Financial Literacy pillar of the Literacy Project.

FATHOM AI-generated notes.

Rigorous Education and Student Empathy

Masterclass

To discuss Adlerian psychology concepts from The Courage to be Happy.

Key Takeaways

• Empathy is a Skill: Defined as imagining another’s life to understand their perspective, not merely agreeing with them (sympathy). It requires horizontal relationships built on mutual respect.

• Teleology Over Aetiology: Adlerian psychology asserts that present goals, not past causes, drive behaviour. The past is a subjective narrative constructed by the “self now” to justify current choices.

• Change Requires Courage: True change is difficult because it requires “death” of the old self. People resist this by affirming their current state and retroactively justifying their past to avoid the unknown.

• Respect is Contagious: Educators must model respect to teach it. This creates a “contagious” effect, building a community where others adopt the same attitude.

Topics

The Problem: Vertical Relationships & Sympathy

• The session began by challenging the traditional teacher-student dynamic, which is often vertical (authority-based).

• This model fosters sympathy (agreeing with feelings) instead of true empathy.

• The Youth character in the book argued that educators must prioritise scholastic results, not empathy, to be considered effective.

The Solution: Horizontal Relationships & Empathy

• The Philosopher advocated for horizontal relationships in which teachers and students interact as equals.

• Empathy Defined: A skill that involves imagining another’s life to understand their perspective and motivations.

• Contagious Respect: Modelling respect is the first step. Like a torch on a dark road, it shows others a path, eventually inspiring a community of shared respect.

The Rationale: Teleology & The Subjective Past

• The core of Adlerian psychology is teleology—the belief that behaviour is driven by present goals rather than past causes.

• Example: A person claims a “dark personality” due to a bad home environment (aetiology). Adlerian view: they chose that personality to achieve the goal of avoiding hurt (teleology).

• The past is a subjective narrative constructed by the “self now” to justify current choices.

• Example: A student who thanks a strict teacher later is affirming their current success and retroactively painting the past in a positive light to justify it.

The Challenge: Why Change is Difficult

• Change is difficult because it requires “death” of the old self—abandoning past habits and identities.

• This is a frightening prospect, so people often choose to affirm their current state, however unsatisfactory, to avoid the unknown.

• The Youth character’s resentment toward past teachers was interpreted as a way to justify an unsatisfactory “self now” by blaming the past.

Q&A: Clarifying “Human Beings Can Determine Themselves”

• Question (Vishaaka, Grade 6): What does “human beings can determine themselves at any time” mean?

• Answer (Sandeep Dutt): Your thoughts shape your present moment. By managing your thoughts, you can manage your life. This requires aligning your mind, consciousness, and thought.

Next Steps

• All Participants:

• Review the session recording and notes on www.happyteacher.in

• Join the next Masterclass on March 14.

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• FATHOM-AI Notes, read with care.