Rich Bertrand, a Georgetown University and SUNY New Paltz graduate, teaches English in the Clarkstown Central School District. As a tech liaison and District-Wide AI & Technology Committee member, he integrates technology to enhance student engagement, fostering dynamic learning spaces that bridge the humanities and STEM. His curriculum empowers students to become “Future Ready,” recognizing that large language models emerge from the alchemy of language arts, mathematics, and the sciences.

Bertrand’s coursework evolves in step with student needs, granting learners greater agency through Design Thinking, UDL principles, and multimodal expression. Using IDEO’s EDIPT (Empathize, Define, Ideate, Prototype, Test) framework, students approach texts as designers—viewing authors as engineers of meaning, problem-solvers who craft language with purpose. He continues to explore new approaches to modernize the writing workshop, blending human and AI-driven feedback in ways that preserve critical thinking, elevate reflection, and place ethical decision-making at the heart of curriculum design.