For over two decades, Jen Roberts, an English teacher at Point Loma High School in San Diego, has embraced educational technology. When ChatGPT emerged in 2022, she saw not a threat, but a lifeline. Burnout is rampant in education, and AI offered a way to survive—and improve—the workload.
From Burnout to Breakthrough: How AI Changed One Teacher’s Approach
Roberts’ experience highlights a critical reality: teachers are exhausted. The pandemic amplified this, but even before that, educators were struggling with ever-increasing demands. AI doesn’t magically erase these pressures, but it does offer tools for efficiency and fairness.
Roberts didn’t wait for official guidance. She started experimenting immediately, testing if AI could speed up feedback and ensure consistent grading. The core idea was simple: use AI as a second evaluator. When a student’s work receives conflicting scores from two human graders, a third score is required to resolve the discrepancy. Roberts asked: why not let AI be that third scorer?
Faster Feedback, Better Revision Cycles
The benefit isn’t just time saved, but quality time. Rather than rushing through comments, AI provides thoughtful suggestions while teachers can focus on more strategic feedback. Students receive work back in days instead of weeks, leading to more frequent and effective revisions.
Tools like MagicSchool further enhance this by allowing students immediate access to AI-powered feedback based on teacher-defined rubrics. The speed of this process is remarkable: students can iterate on their writing multiple times within a single class period.
Combating Cheating: A Multi-Layered Approach
The concern about AI-generated work is valid. Roberts addresses this head-on with a combination of technical measures and psychological deterrents.
- Version History: All writing is done in Google Docs, allowing teachers to track revisions.
- Chrome Extensions: Tools monitor the writing process, even recording video playbacks.
- Peer Review: Requiring students to present their work to writing groups makes AI-generated submissions impractical.
The strategy isn’t about catching cheaters but about demonstrating that teachers will know if AI is misused. Transparency and ethical use cases are also key: by showing students how to leverage AI for feedback, outlines, and sentence structuring, they’re less likely to rely on it for wholesale plagiarism.
Beyond Lesson Plans: AI for Material Creation and Cognitive Relief
The hype around AI generating complete lesson plans is largely overblown. Roberts finds AI far more valuable for material creation. Tools like Brisk can take existing reading assignments, define learning objectives, and generate interactive quizzes to assess comprehension.
AI can also transform dense text into accessible formats. By feeding a wall of text into Anthropic’s Claude, teachers can quickly rewrite content with improved clarity, color-coding, and even emojis. This matters because clear instructions lead to better student engagement.
Mitigating Human Bias: The Unsung Benefit of AI Grading
Perhaps the most overlooked advantage is AI’s ability to counter teacher bias. A University of Michigan study revealed a disturbing trend: students with last names near the end of the alphabet often receive lower grades and less detailed feedback. This is likely due to teacher fatigue and unconscious grading patterns.
AI acts as a fairness check. By cross-referencing AI-generated scores with human evaluations, teachers can identify inconsistencies and ensure more equitable grading. This isn’t about replacing teachers, but about augmenting their objectivity.
Cautions for Teachers: Privacy and Data Security First
Before adopting AI tools, teachers must prioritize student privacy.
- COPPA and FERPA Compliance: Avoid using tools like ChatGPT or Claude directly with students, as they may not meet federal privacy standards. Opt for compliant platforms like MagicSchool or Brisk.
- Data Minimization: Never upload entire IEPs (Individualized Education Programs) into AI systems. Instead, isolate the specific goal you’re addressing and ask for support without revealing sensitive student data.
The Bottom Line
AI isn’t a silver bullet for education. But when implemented thoughtfully, it can alleviate teacher burnout, improve feedback quality, and promote fairer grading. The key is to view AI not as a replacement for human instruction, but as a powerful assistant.
The future of teaching isn’t about fearing AI—it’s about learning to wield it effectively.
