ChatGPT is my teacher bestie
People talk about their teacher besties —that one coworker who helps you plan lessons, vent frustrations, or spark new ideas. I have coworkers I like and respect, but when it comes to who actually helps me reflect, clarify, organize, and brainstorm. Yup. My teacher bestie is AI. I don’t use it to do the work for me. That’s not the vibe. I use it like an expert who is always available. Sometimes I say, “Hey, be in Teacher Bestie mode” or “You’re my Phonics Expert right now.” And just like that, it narrows its focus and reflects things back to me so that I can determine if I am being clear enough. I also use it to summarize dense studies, pedagogy texts, and edu-books I’m curious about but don’t always have the brainpower to fully unpack. I’ve had conversations about Waldorf vs. Montessori, EduProtocols, and best practices for phonics—and it gives me research-backed clarity. One of my favorite ways to use ChatGPT is when I have an idea that’s still kind of...