Virginia Principal Uses AI to Manage Cognitive Load
A Virginia school leader argues AI's value lies in restoring mental clarity and presence, not just saving time on administrative tasks.
Key points
- A Virginia principal argues AI's main benefit is reducing cognitive load to restore mental clarity, not just saving time.
- The leader uses voice-based AI tools during her commute to structure reflection and prepare for difficult conversations.
- AI serves as a low-stakes sounding board that supplements, rather than replaces, human coaching and professional judgment.
Many school administrators view artificial intelligence primarily as a tool to speed up routine tasks like drafting emails or summarizing meetings. However, one principal in a large Virginia school division argues that this perspective misses the more significant benefit.
The true value of AI in school leadership is not the time saved, but the restoration of mental clarity and presence during the day.
Monika Vereb explains that leaders often face a shortage of uninterrupted attention rather than just a lack of hours. The constant cycle of fragmented focus, compliance demands, and communication priorities can erode the mental space needed for strategic thinking and relationship building. By using AI to reduce this cognitive load, she finds she can be more present in classrooms and make better decisions when they matter most.
Commute becomes structured reflection space
Vereb uses her one-hour daily commute as a dedicated time for preparation and reflection. Instead of passively listening to media or replaying difficult conversations, she engages in hands-free voice conversations with AI assistants. On the way to school, she outlines the day's priorities and anticipates challenging interactions. On the way home, she processes what went well and identifies specific next steps for the following day.
To make these conversations productive, she prompts the AI to act as a thought partner grounded in specific leadership frameworks. For example, she might ask for help outlining open-ended questions for a sensitive staff discussion or analyzing a recent meeting for blind spots. The goal is not to get a perfect answer from the machine, but to slow down and organize her thinking before entering the school environment.
Supplementing human coaching relationships
These tools are used selectively throughout the day to synthesize information and coach her thinking between competing responsibilities. After a classroom visit, she may input nonconfidential notes to identify patterns in behavior or clarify next steps. She also uses AI for image creation to streamline feedback on daily walk-throughs, which is essential for her school’s improvement order.
Vereb emphasizes that AI does not replace human coaching. Trusted colleagues and coaches provide professional judgment, context, and care that a machine cannot. Conversational AI serves as a low-stakes sounding board between formal coaching sessions, helping her return to those human relationships more centered and focused.
Strict privacy boundaries maintained
A critical trade-off in this approach is the need for rigorous privacy management. Vereb states clearly that she never inputs confidential student or personnel information into these tools. The usage is strictly limited to ways that protect privacy, ensuring that the convenience of AI assistance does not compromise the ethical obligations of school leadership.
