The AI Conversation Every Teacher Needs to Join

In 2023, a Pew Research study asked teachers how they felt about AI tools in K-12 education. With 2025 in full swing, the question feels even more relevant—if not urgent. Is AI hurting education, helping it, or just complicating everything?

Here’s the reality: no matter where you land on the spectrum of opinions, one truth remains—AI isn’t going anywhere, and yes, it changes everything.

As teachers, it’s not just about whether we’re “for” or “against” AI. It’s about how we choose to adapt, educate ourselves, and model this evolving tool for our students. I’ve seen firsthand how AI can enhance what’s already happening in our classrooms—and even spark creativity in unexpected ways.

My Evolving Experience with AI in the Classroom

I started using ChatGPT within a month of its release. At first, it was simple things—class discussion questions, generating out-of-the-box answers to support me in guiding the class conversation to deeper levels. When I started using it for lesson and unit planning, that's when it really clicked: I no longer had to scroll endlessly through Teachers Pay Teachers hoping to find the perfect resource. I could build it myself—faster, better, and more tailored—with the help of AI.

One of my favorite examples? Wanting to spice up a unit on Confederation, I had this vision of a drama circle to bring it to life. I used ChatGPT to brainstorm scenarios and dialogue, then pulled it together using a Canva template. It was exactly like I had pictured it and better—engaging, historically accurate, and from multiple perspectives. And I made it in a fraction of the time it would have taken me before.

The real magic happened when my co-teachers and colleagues started using AI as well. Collaborating and sharing ideas unlocked new possibilities with this tool. We used it for everything from seating plans and IEP strategies to literacy interventions and EAL annotations. The potential expanded as we worked together, exploring how AI could not only support individual tasks but also enhance our collective teaching practice.

From Buzzword to Game-Changer

By the following year, AI was starting to show up in edtech meetings and conventions, but still not much in student conversation. That started to change in 2024. Suddenly, there were AI-powered tools for everything—from lesson creation to image generation to assessment.

And yes, it was overwhelming. But my gut reaction then—and now—remains:

This is a tool that can take work off my plate, boost creativity, and bring fresh energy into my teaching.

What About the Role of the Teacher?

That hasn’t changed. If anything, it’s been reinforced.

AI allows us to refocus on our students—on the relationships, the reflection, and the engagement that make real learning happen. It helps reduce the cognitive load of the constant juggling act teachers do every day, giving us the space to analyze data, differentiate, and connect more deeply.

What About the Risks?

Sure—there are valid concerns:

Misinformation
Equity and access
Overdependence on AI

But none of these are new issues. We’ve been teaching critical thinking, media literacy, and responsible tech use for years. This is just the next step.

The difference we can make now as educators is how we model AI use and embed it into our activities. When students see it used as a collaborator, not a doer, they learn to use it responsibly. The goal isn’t to ban it (they will always find a way)—it’s to guide them in how to use it meaningfully.

My Students’ Experiences

One of my students—a passionate coder—started using ChatGPT at home before we’d even talked about it in class. He was experimenting with it ethically, exploring its capabilities with curiosity and integrity. His excitement was contagious, and I found myself learning from the ways he pushed boundaries creatively.

Another student used it in a very different way—submitting a short story clearly written by ChatGPT. This was before we’d even had a class conversation about AI. After a gentle discussion, he admitted it. We talked about authorship, effort, and pride. Our class was getting ready for a book publishing party complete with printed copies, student awards, and book sales. Surrounded by classmates beaming with pride over their work, he felt… disappointed. The conversation wasn’t about punishment—it was about exploring what it really means to create something of your own. And it’s a conversation we’ll need to keep having with all students.

By the following year, I was openly modeling AI use with my classes. They watched me:

Brainstorm topic ideas for poetry assignments
Break down and organize multi-step assignments—exploring prioritization and time management
Prompting ChatGPT to build outlines for speakers presentations that would fill 6 minutes

These weren’t shortcuts—they were scaffolds. AI didn’t replace their thinking. It gave them a foundation. For many students, it actually made it easier to get started and dig deeper.

So, Where Do You Start?

In Masterclasses, Achieve More with GenAI (with Ethan Mollick, Manuel Sainsily, and Allie K. Miller), their recommendation for beginners was:

Just start by keeping ChatGPT open during your day both at work and at home for a week.

Use it for emails, lesson intros, report card comments, meal planning, time-blocking, or whatever’s on your plate. The goal isn’t to master it—it’s to get comfortable. Learn where it helps, where it doesn’t, and how to prompt it to do what you need.

You need to understand its value in your own life before you can fully unlock its potential in the classroom.

We Can’t Predict the Change—But We Can Shape It

AI is here. It’s reshaping the way we teach, plan, and learn. And while that can feel intimidating, it can also be incredibly empowering.

The reality is, we can’t predict exactly how AI will continue to evolve or how it will ultimately change education. But what we can control is how we approach it. As teachers, we don’t need to have all the answers, but we must stay curious, keep experimenting, and lead by example.

It’s about modeling how to use AI responsibly, teaching our students to collaborate with it rather than rely on it, and encouraging them to harness its power to fuel their creativity. AI isn’t here to replace us—it’s here to help us push the boundaries of what we can achieve, both as educators and learners.

Ponder This:

We would love for you to share your answers in the comments or simply take a moment to reflect yourself:

Where do you find yourself on the AI benefiting education or harming it scale? If you are leaning to the harm side, why? What work can counter your concerns?
How can you start modeling AI in a way that empowers your students to think critically and ethically?
What’s one area of AI you could explore more deeply to better support your teaching practice and your students?