AI in Action for Educators

This lesson helps you see how AI can support every adult in our school, not just teachers. Whether you’re a paraprofessional, office staff member, lunchroom worker, bus driver, administrator, custodian, or any other employee, AI can help reduce repetitive work, improve communication, and give you more space to focus on the relationships that matter most.

By the end of this lesson, you’ll have practical strategies and prompts tailored to your role so you can try AI in ways that actually make your day easier.

Every adult in a school impacts student success. Not all of that work happens in a classroom — it happens in the hallways, on the bus, in the office, and in the cafeteria.

AI is not here to replace people. It’s here to remove friction, help staff manage multiple responsibilities, and let adults focus on what humans do best: connecting, guiding, and supporting students.

When all staff feel empowered and supported, students benefit — and so does the whole school community.

By the end of this lesson, you will:

• See how AI can help in your specific role
• Use ready-made prompts to support students, families, and staff
• Learn time-saving strategies for repetitive tasks
• Apply AI in ways that strengthen relationships and learning

• Use AI for planning and organization across your school

• Feel more confident experimenting with AI in your day-to-day work

If you’ve never tried AI before, don’t worry — it’s easier than it sounds. The tool we’ll focus on is ChatGPT, which you can use from any computer, tablet, or phone with internet access. Simply click this link to get started: https://chatgpt.com/

Once you open it, you can type questions, ask for help with writing or planning, or even get prompts like the ones in this newsletter. Think of it as a helpful assistant that’s always ready to give you ideas, draft messages, or guide you through tasks.

Tip: Start small. Try asking ChatGPT to rewrite a short message or generate a quick set of directions. You don’t need to use all its features at once — even one prompt can save time and make your workday easier.

Paraprofessionals spend much of their day:

• Sitting next to students who are stuck

• Re-explaining directions in multiple ways

• Supporting behavior and learning

• Juggling multiple students at once

AI can help by:

• Breaking down concepts into student-friendly language

• Rewriting directions or feedback without changing the student’s ideas

• Generating prompts to guide students rather than giving answers

• Supporting behavior scripts or social coaching

Sample Prompts:

• “Explain this math problem in 3rd-grade language with an example.”

• “Give me 3 guiding questions to help this student solve the problem without giving the answer.”

• “Write a calm script to support a frustrated student during group work.”

Office staff often:

• Communicate with parents

• Schedule and organize

• Write announcements

• Handle sensitive or tense conversations

AI can help by:

• Drafting emails and newsletters

• Adjusting tone for clarity and professionalism

• Creating FAQ sheets or templates for common questions

Sample Prompts:

• “Write a polite reminder email to parents about attendance policies.”

• “Rewrite this message to sound calm and clear.”

• “Turn this policy into 5 frequently asked questions with answers.”

Custodians often:

• Keep the school clean, safe, and functional
• Maintain supplies and equipment
• Respond quickly to maintenance needs
• Coordinate with staff about facilities

AI can help by:

• Creating daily, weekly, or seasonal checklists
• Drafting reminders for maintenance or supply restocking
• Generating clear notices for staff about events or repairs
• Suggesting ways to prioritize tasks efficiently

Sample Prompts:

• “Create a checklist for opening and closing the school each day.”
• “Draft a quick message for staff about an upcoming maintenance schedule or event.”
• “Generate reminders for cleaning or safety inspections this week.”
• “Organize a list of supplies to restock and suggest a priority order.”

Lunchroom staff often:

• Monitor large groups of students

• Handle behavior and safety

• Communicate quickly with students or staff

AI can help by:

• Drafting quick redirection phrases

• Creating signage for instructions or reminders

• Translating notes for families

• Suggesting positive reinforcement language

Sample Prompts:

• “Give me 5 respectful phrases to redirect noisy students in the cafeteria.”

• “Write a friendly note about peanut-free tables for families.”

Bus drivers often:

• Manage student behavior

• Communicate with parents and school staff

• Complete reports and documentation

AI can help by:

• Writing clear incident reports

• Drafting parent communications

• Offering conflict resolution language

Sample Prompts:

• “Help me write a factual bus incident report from these notes.”

• “Draft a respectful message to a parent about repeated unsafe behavior on the bus.”

Administrators often:

• Draft policies and communications

• Analyze data

• Handle discipline and mediate conflicts

• Lead staff effectively

AI can help by:

• Summarizing policies

• Drafting speeches or announcements

• Generating talking points or mediation scripts

• Interpreting data quickly

Sample Prompts:

• “Summarize this policy into key points for a staff meeting.”

• “Draft a neutral opening statement for a staff conflict meeting.”

Teachers often:

• Plan lessons for diverse learners

• Explain concepts in multiple ways

• Assess student understanding quickly

• Communicate with students, families, and colleagues

AI can help by:

• Generating examples or explanations for tricky concepts

• Summarizing student work or discussion points

• Drafting emails or announcements

• Creating quick formative assessments or checklists

Sample Prompts:

• “Explain this [math/science/reading] concept in simple, student-friendly language.”

• “Summarize this student’s response without changing their ideas.”

• “Draft a professional email to parents about an upcoming assignment or event.”

• “Create a 5-question exit ticket to check understanding of today’s lesson.”

• Start with one small task you repeat often

• Experiment quietly — no need for perfection

• Use AI as a first draft or guide, not a replacement

• Share what works with colleagues

Even small experiments help you reclaim time and reduce stress, leaving more space for meaningful interactions with students and staff.

AI isn’t just for teaching or grading — it can be a powerful assistant for everyday planning and organization. Staff can use it to draft schedules, create reminders, or generate checklists for recurring tasks. Need to coordinate an event or send out a set of emails quickly? AI can help you draft clear, professional messages and even suggest timelines or steps you might have missed.

Start small: try having AI outline a short checklist or draft one email, then adjust it to fit your style. Even a few minutes saved here and there can make anyone's day feel a lot more manageable.

Supporting Students:

“Explain this [math/science/reading] concept in student-friendly language.”
“Rewrite these directions so a struggling student can understand them.”
“Write a calm, respectful script to help a frustrated student get back on task.”

Planning & Organization:

“Make a checklist for small group reading activities for tomorrow.”
“Outline 3 steps to help a student review yesterday’s math lesson.”

Supporting Students:

“Generate 3 guiding questions to help a student solve a problem without giving the answer.”
“Summarize a student’s written response in simpler language while keeping their ideas.”

Planning & Organization:

“Generate a weekly lesson plan outline for [subject/grade], including objectives, activities, and suggested assessments.”

Supporting Students & Families:

“Write a polite email to parents reminding them of [policy/event].”
“Rewrite this message to sound calm and clear.”
“Turn this policy into 5 frequently asked questions with answers.”

Planning & Organization:

“Draft a professional email to parents reminding them about next week’s parent-teacher conferences.”
“Create a to-do list for preparing the school newsletter this month.”

Supporting Students:

“Give me 5 respectful ways to redirect noisy students in the cafeteria.”
“Write a friendly note about peanut-free tables for families.”

Planning & Organization:

“Generate a checklist for opening the cafeteria in the morning.”
“Write a quick reminder for the lunch team about allergy safety procedures this week.”

Supporting Students:

“Draft a respectful message to a parent about repeated unsafe behavior on the bus.”
“Write a factual incident report from these notes.”

Planning & Organization:

“Create a daily checklist for bus safety inspections.”
“Draft a short message to send to parents about delayed routes.”

Supporting the School:

“Create a checklist for opening and closing the school each day.”
“Draft a quick message for staff about an upcoming maintenance schedule or event.”
“Generate reminders for cleaning or safety inspections this week.”

Planning & Organization:

“Make a weekly schedule for routine maintenance tasks.”
“Organize a list of supplies to restock and suggest a priority order.”

Supporting Staff & Students:

“Summarize this policy into key points for a staff meeting.”
“Draft a neutral opening statement for a staff conflict meeting.”
“Explain trends in this data in simple language for staff discussion.”

Planning & Organization:

“Outline a schedule for next week’s staff meetings and classroom observations.”
“Generate a checklist for preparing the upcoming school-wide event.”

Start small — pick one task or prompt and see what AI suggests.

Adjust the AI output to match your tone and style.

Even brief use can save time, reduce stress, and give you more space to focus on students and relationships.

AI doesn’t replace the care, judgment, or relationships that every adult brings to school. It simply removes the obstacles that keep you from focusing on the parts of your job that matter most.

Try one prompt. See what happens. Adjust. That’s all it takes to start feeling more empowered in your role.

— Laurie

Next time, we’ll explore “The Weight of a Click” — how every AI prompt has a hidden cost, not just in convenience, but in learning, creativity, and even the environment. We’ll dive into ethical, intentional, and sustainable AI use, and give staff practical ways to guide students in making thoughtful choices with these powerful tools.

To help me make these lessons most useful (and to use my time wisely), I’d love your input:

How do you prefer to receive these AI lessons?

☐ Short written newsletters like this

☐ Short video walkthroughs

☐ A combination of both

You don’t need to reply unless you’d like to—this is just helpful feedback.

And finally, if you would like a short video or Google Meet walkthrough of anything we cover, please let me know. I’m happy to create videos or meet virtually with you when you'd like help.

You can view all of the AI in Action for Educators lessons on our district website through this link: https://www.parkrapids.k12.mn.us/departments/technology-homepage/ai