How AI Can Help Teachers (Even If You’re a Beginner)

Let’s be real, teaching has never been easy, but these days, the demands are sky-high. Between lesson planning, grading, emails, documentation, and trying to keep your classroom running smoothly, it can feel like there just aren’t enough hours in the day.

Enter: AI.

Before you click away, I’m talking about a few simple tools that can actually make your life easier. Even if you’re not tech-savvy, these AI tools are made with teachers in mind, and they're designed to save you time, reduce burnout, and give you more space to do what you love, which is teach. There are so many tools out there but I'm sharing three that are easy to use and super helpful. These tools are for everyone, including absolute beginners.

ChatGPT: Your Brainstorming Buddy

Use it for:

• Drafting parent emails

• Generating creative lesson ideas

• Writing sub plans in seconds (so you can take off without it being MORE work)

• Creating discussion questions

• Rewriting or creating a rubric

  
  

ChatGPT works like a super-smart assistant you can talk to. You just ask it for help. For example, “Give me a fun intro lesson on ecosystems for 5th grade.” It gets to work right away! The more specific your request, the better the response. You can refine and guide the response, but it’s a great head start when you’re stuck or short on time.

Free to use with an account

Great for writing help and creative brainstorming

MagicSchool.ai: AI Built Just for Teachers

Use it for:

• Generating IEP goal ideas

• Writing lesson hooks

• Making differentiated questions

• Summarizing academic articles

• Leveling texts

• So much more!!!

  
  

This free platform is a game-changer because it's made for educators. It has built-in templates you just fill out, and it does the heavy lifting. If you’ve ever spent an hour trying to come up with standards-aligned questions or rewrite a text for different reading levels, this is your shortcut.

Free teacher accounts

Dozens of tools specific to classroom needs

Canva AI Tools — Pretty + Productive

Use it for:

• Creating worksheets and presentations

• Writing text with Magic Write

• Designing class newsletters or student certificates

  
  

Canva is already a favorite among teachers for making beautiful classroom resources. But did you know it also has AI built in? With features like Magic Write, you can generate quick content right inside a design. And Text to Image lets you create custom graphics. No design background needed.

Free Canva for Education account

Easy drag-and-drop with smart suggestions

Are you just starting out with AI and want to learn more?

I’ll be hosting a FREE Beginner’s AI for Teachers Workshop, where I’ll walk you through these tools step-by-step. No experience required. Just curiosity and the desire to save time.

You’ll get:

• A live walkthrough of each tool

• Real classroom examples

• Time to try it all out

• Q&A session to ask anything

  
  

The workshop is completely free, with an optional donation if you found it helpful (I've got kids in college...lol)

Check out the events tab for dates!

Teaching is hard enough — let’s make your tools work for you. AI isn’t here to replace teachers; it’s here to support you. And once you dip your toe in, you might be surprised how much time (and stress) you can save.