Before You Teach AI, Teach This
SAFE AI: A Human-Centered AI Literacy Curriculum for the Next Generation
We’re rushing to bring AI into classrooms.
But we haven’t stopped to ask the first, and maybe most important, question:
Who do students become when they use tools that mimic understanding?
That question kept me up at night.
And it’s the reason I created SAFE AI.
What Is SAFE AI?
SAFE AI (Symbolic Alignment for Education) is a trauma-informed, 20-day curriculum module designed to ground students in ethical awareness and creative agency, before they engage with generative AI tools.
This isn’t a coding course.
It’s a consciousness course.
It was built for students who don’t see themselves reflected in traditional tech spaces:
- Neurodiverse learners
- Disengaged or disillusioned youth
- Emerging designers, ethicists, and thinkers who need space to develop a voice before automating it
What’s Inside SAFE AI: Module 1 – Self-Awareness
Module 1 is a complete 4-week experience. It’s flexible, deeply reflective, and designed for grades 6–12. Each day includes:
- Opening rituals to check in emotionally and develop metacognition
- Scaffolded activities for journaling, decision-making, and ethical AI design
- Final project where students build their own Consciousness-Centered AI System rooted in values, not just outputs
Each day invites students to ask questions like:
- “What part of my voice am I automating?”
- “How do I stay grounded when a machine sounds fluent?”
- “Who am I becoming when I co-create with AI?”
What Educators Get
- ✅ Student Workbook: Printable, editable, and adaptable for many settings
- ✅ Full Teacher Guide: Scripted daily lessons, discussion prompts, and rubrics
- ✅ Free Sample Week: First five days available to try before purchasing
- ✅ Bundle Option: Full teacher + student pack, discounted
SAFE AI is currently being piloted in a California classroom and has been shared with leaders at Code.org for feedback and strategic insight.
📚 Where to Access It
SAFE AI is available now on Teachers Pay Teachers:
- Student Workbook (20-Day Curriculum)
- Teacher Guide (Scripted Lessons)
- Free Week 1 Sample
- Bundle: Student + Teacher Pack
Each product includes 20 full days of curriculum designed to fit into advisory periods, STEM courses, ethics modules, or cross-curricular explorations.
💬 Why This Curriculum Exists
Most AI literacy focuses on the tools.
SAFE AI focuses on the student.
Because alignment doesn’t begin with machine learning.
It begins with self-awareness.
We don’t just need students who can prompt AI.
We need students who can stay themselves while doing it.
This curriculum was created to support that vision.
It’s the start of something bigger—and I’m already working on additional modules focused on design ethics, symbolic systems, and long-term alignment thinking.
🤝 Want to Collaborate or Review?
I’m actively sharing SAFE AI with educators, researchers, and curriculum leaders for feedback and implementation insight. If you’re interested in piloting, reviewing, or adapting this work for your own context, I’d love to hear from you.
Let’s Build the Future — Intentionally
SAFE AI is more than a lesson plan.
It’s a commitment to keeping students grounded in their humanity, even as they build with tools that imitate thought.
Because in a machine-shaped world, we don’t just need skills.
We need voice.
We need values.
We need symbolic agency.
And we need it now.
