As we wrap up this summer’s professional development series, I want to share one of the most powerful shifts I’ve been making. Using AI tools for teachers to save some serious time. I’m not handing over my classroom to the robots. But I am using a custom AI teaching assistant to handle some of the repetitive, time-consuming tasks that used to eat up my evenings. These tools have helped me save hours each week, reclaim my weekends, and spend more time doing what matters most: building relationships and engaging with students. If you’ve been curious about how to use AI in the classroom but aren’t sure where to start, this post breaks down five practical, time-saving tips for teachers. Including how to build your own custom GPT for grading using this free custom GPT I made just for you.
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AI tools for teachers should complement your teaching style rather than replace it. Integrating these AI tools offers us a chance to enhance our students’ engagement and streamline our administrative tasks. I’m not using AI to replace my expertise or take over my classroom. I’m using it to handle some time-consuming tasks that keep me from doing my my most important job effectively. Teaching and building relationships with students.
If you’re feeling overwhelmed by the idea of AI in education, I get it. But I want you to think of these tools like you’d think of any other teaching assistant (you know, the ones we’ve always wished for but never got). They handle the routine work so you can focus on the relationships and creativity that only you can provide. With AI tools for teachers, you can build effective grading systems that improve student outcomes.
Here are five practical ways I use AI to streamline my teaching life. I also have a free gift, a Custom GPT for you that you’ll wonder how you ever lived without.
1. Grade Smarter with a Custom GPT for Essays (Aligned to Your Rubrics)
This one’s been the biggest time-saver. Open AI rolled out custom GPTs back in 2023, giving people like you and me the ability to carry out very specific tasks (no coding required). I’ve created custom GPTs that grade essays using my specific rubrics, and I’ve calibrated them to score like I would.
I do use ready-made grading AI tools, like Class Companion (really good option for beginners and anyone on a random Tuesday afternoon when quick practice is needed), but I LOVE being able to truly customize for an incredibly wide array of assignments in a way that nothing like building my own custom GPTs allows.
Here’s how I set it up. When building the custom GPT, I give it very specific instructions and information (weblinks, pdf files, images). After I build it, befor I hit “create,” I test it out in the preview pane using real student work (minus their names or identifying information, of course). I’ll scan a handwritten student essay with my phone camera, have the GPT provide feedback, then compare it to how I graded it. If it’s off from where I want it to be, because I want students getting solid practice, not just platitudes, I go back and refine the GPT.
For example, I’ll tell it: “Pay attention to the verbs. If a student is asked to explain but they just identify, score them down for that.” Or “If a student gives an example from outside the historical time period, don’t give credit. Flag it as historically inaccurate.”
The result? My students get immediate, detailed feedback. I’m transparent with them about using AI. They feel way more comfortable challenging the AI than they do me. I encourage this. It makes them more familiar with the rubric, and I get the final say on whether to override the AI’s assessment. I used to spend hours grading essays, especially during AP exam prep season. Now I spend minutes reviewing and adjusting AI feedback.
2. Use Course-Specific AI Teaching Assistants for Lesson Planning
I’ve created separate custom GPTs for each course I teach: World Geography, World History, and AP World History this year. I load the standards into each one’s memory, and they help me design engaging lessons and assessments.
Recently in World History, I needed to transition from teacher-led note-taking (where I’d been modeling how to use standards to structure notes) to gradually releasing responsibility to students. I loaded a presentation into my World History GPT and said, “Let’s turn this into a gallery walk where students format their own notes. Include source analysis activities, and culminate with a CER paragraph.”
Could I have created this on my own? Sure. But instead of starting from scratch, I spent my time (and a lot less of it) tweaking and improving. The GPT surprised me, too. For our North America section of physical geography, it suggested a survivor-style game that was perfect for the content.
3. Check Your Email Tone with AI for Clear, Warm Communication
I prefer writing my own emails to parents. That personal touch is important to me. But before hitting send, especially on sensitive communications, I’ll copy and paste my draft into ChatGPT (sans any student information) and ask, “Does this achieve my goal of being professional but warm? Edit for tone if needed.”
This isn’t about having AI write my emails. It’s about having a quick check to make sure my message lands the way I intend it to. Sometimes when we’re tired or stressed, our tone doesn’t match our intentions.
4. Analyze PLC Data Quickly with AI-Generated Charts & Insights
I use AI to analyze our Professional Learning Community assessment data. After removing all student identifying information, I’ll upload our results and ask it to create line graphs comparing this year’s data to last year’s, or to identify which standards our students struggled with most. It turns our data into easy-to-read graphs and charts in minutes.
Here’s where it gets really valuable. I can ask it to point out which teacher’s students performed strongest on specific standards. This isn’t about judgment. It’s about learning from each other. When the data shows that one colleague’s students excelled at a particular skill, we can ask them what strategies they used and share those approaches across our PLC.
I do want to share a specific example that taught me something important about the limits of AI. Last year, I tracked my AP World History students’ growth all year. Their writing scores, test results, everything. I put all this data into ChatGPT (with names removed, of course) and asked it to predict what each student would score on the actual AP exam. I also made my own predictions based on the same data.
When the real scores came back, you know what? I was more accurate than the AI. Probably because I know my students. I understand who rises to the challenge under pressure, who struggles with test anxiety, and who has that quiet determination that doesn’t always show up in data points. There’s an emotional component to teaching that we often overlook, and our relationships with students give us insights that data alone can’t capture.
But the AI’s brilliant at creating those line graphs and bar charts that made the trends visible instantly. What would have taken me an hour of spreadsheet work took minutes, and we could spend our PLC time on the important conversations about strategy and student support.
5. Organize Research and Student Support Materials with NotebookLM
NotebookLM has become my go-to for organizing research and creating student support materials. What I love most is that it only pulls from the specific resources I feed it. Not random internet rabbit holes. Here’s a post I wrote about how to get started and ways I use it.
I entered our case information and supporting materials into NotebookLM for the Mock Trial Team, then used the podcast feature to create an audio tutorial that helped students understand the case inside and out. I downloaded it and shared it with them for review.
The new mind map feature is fantastic, especially if you have students annotating standards or an AP Course and Exam Description. Students can see everything laid out visually, then click on concepts for more information. It’s all drawn from your curated materials, not general internet content.
The Bottom Line: Assistant, Not Replacement
Here’s what I want you to remember. You’re not giving autonomy over to AI. You’re using it as an assistant to handle the routine, time-consuming tasks so you can focus on what matters most. Your students.
These tools have given me back hours every week. Hours I now spend with my family instead of grading all night and all weekend. Hours I can use for planning remediation or enrichment instead of data spreadsheet creation. Hours that make me a better teacher because I’m not constantly exhausted.
As you head into a new school year, I hope you’ll consider trying one of these strategies. Start small. Maybe with email tone checking or simple data visualization. See how it feels to have an AI assistant handle some of the heavy lifting.
You’ve invested time this summer in your professional growth. Now let’s make sure that growth translates into a more sustainable, efficient school year.
Your Turn to Try
Ready to build your own custom grading GPT? I’ve created a special assistant that will walk you through building a grading GPT step-by-step, ask you all the right questions, and give you the complete script to copy and paste. Get your GPT Builder for Grading here. It’s my gift to help you start your school year with one powerful AI assistant already in place.
What questions do you have about using AI as your teaching assistant? I’d love to hear how you’re planning to streamline your teaching life this year!
Cut Your Grading Time by Two-Thirds with AI
Build your own Custom GPT for grading in minutes and get your evenings back. NO tech skills required!!! Sign up below to grab the free GPT that gives you back your time:
