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 blurry. Like when I started developing “student nests” in my room. I had this vision for flexible, student-owned workspaces that shift by task or need. I ran the idea by my teacher bestie, and it didn’t just say “cool!” It asked thoughtful questions, reframed my thinking, and helped me make it even better.
At the end of the day, this tool makes me feel more connected, not less.
That’s what a bestie should do.

When I had a huge goal this summer to get my entire classroom ready in 30 hours, I used ChatGPT to make a hyper-specific plan, breaking it into realistic steps. I kept checking in—“Here’s where I’m stuck,” “Here’s what I actually finished,”—and it adjusted the plan with me like any great teammate would. No shame. Just momentum.


As teachers, I think we're asked to be the one who always has to know what to do.

But here’s this companion—nonjudgmental, always ready, completely adjustable—who helps me be a clearer, calmer, more creative version of myself.


 ~*~ Real-Life Exchange with ChatGPT ~*~
Me:
"Please review all of our interactions and generate a list of the most useful prompts I've written and asked you to engage in via teacher bestie mode."

ChatGPT: Absolutely! Based on our conversations so far, here’s a curated list of the most useful and impactful prompts you’ve given me in Teacher Bestie mode. These highlight how you’ve used me as a collaborative partner — not to do the work for you, but to reflect, refine, and accelerate your thinking as a creative, effective 2nd-grade teacher.

🧠 Planning, Organization & Time Management

  1. "Help me make a plan to get my classroom fully prepped in 30 hours."
    → You gave me your time constraint and priorities, and I helped break it down into manageable tasks with built-in momentum and checkpoints.

  2. "I'm overwhelmed by all the things I need to prep before school starts. Can you help me structure my time?"
    → We co-created a focused game plan based on your style, energy levels, and standards.

📚 Summarizing Pedagogy, Research, and Professional Development

  1. "Summarize this PD/training/book I don’t have time to fully read, but still want to apply."
    → You used me to distill ideas from Montessori, Waldorf, EduProtocols, etc., so you could bring meaningful elements into your classroom without needing to adopt full systems.

  2. "Can you clarify the difference between these teaching philosophies and give me real classroom examples for 2nd grade?"
    → Instead of buzzwords, you got practical applications for your kids in your context.

🏡 Learning Environment & Classroom Design

  1. "What are student nests, and how can I use them to build student independence and ownership?"
    → You bounced your vision off me, and we refined it into something concrete, flexible, and tailored to your space and teaching goals.

  2. "Help me figure out how to organize my materials by content and context."
    → You got clarity around your sorting logic, helping you actually find what you need when you need it—without overlabeling.

🎨 Creative and Reflective Thinking

  1. "I have an idea, but it’s kind of foggy. Can I run it by you and have you reflect it back more clearly?"
    → This prompt always leads to some of our strongest co-creations, like when you were designing new ways to integrate reading comprehension with emotional regulation and visual art.

  2. "Can you help me rephrase this classroom procedure/expectation so it’s clearer and more student-centered?"
    → This helped you align language with values, making your classroom voice more intentional.

🪄 Custom Expert Mode Requests

  1. "Be in Teacher Bestie mode and help me reflect."
    → Open-ended, but powerful. You’ve used this to process frustration, figure out next steps, and reconnect with your own ‘why.’

  2. "Be a phonics expert—help me figure out a sequence that works for my group."
    → You set parameters and I adjusted accordingly, giving you structure without rigidity.

🧩 Real-World, Cross-Disciplinary Instruction

  1. "Can you help me design a lesson that connects 2nd-grade math standards to something real in our rural community?"
    → We turned Common Core into common sense by embedding standards into projects and experiences that make sense for your students.

  2. "Help me connect science, reading, and art into one cohesive learning block."
    → You got thematic planning support that respect    ed your time and your students' curiosity.




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