Teacher agency is the educator’s ability to guide, override, and interpret the learning process instead of letting an automated system decide everything. In AI-supported classrooms, it means the teacher can change a recommendation, introduce an exception, slow down a lesson, or redirect students toward broader learning goals.
In cyber security, teacher agency matters because it is a form of human-in-the-loop control. Automated educational platforms can be manipulated through bad data, model errors, or content injection, and over-reliance on machine decisions can make those problems harder to spot. A teacher with real authority can review outputs, block unsafe or inappropriate material, preserve logging and oversight, and keep the system from becoming a closed loop. The same principle appears in defense everywhere: automation should assist judgment, not replace it.